9 Horror TV Show Facts That Will Blow Your Mind
8. American Horror Story's Seasonal Inspirations Are Surprisingly Accurate
American Horror Story largely draws from reality for its gruesome plots, but never quite as surreptitiously as this.
On the topic of aliens, Alma and Kit Walker, appearing in season two's Asylum theme, were characters inspired from the story of Betty and Barney Hill - an interracial couple from the 60s who claimed to be abducted. It was the first broadly-reported story of alien interaction to make waves in the United States, though still managed to come as a completely tone-deaf surprise in the middle of the TV series when AHS decided to follow the storyline.
As for other real-life moments brought to life, serial killers are a favourite for the gruesome show. The Axeman from Coven is based on an unknown serial killer from the 1910s dubbed The Axeman of New Orleans. Richard Speck's killing spree was used as inspiration in Murder House, as was The Black Dahlia, and John Wayne Gacy's killer clown was taken as a blueprint for Twisty the Clown's heinous appearances throughout the programme.
And most intersetingly, Hotel Cortez in the fifth season is a direct play on The Cecil Hotel and its gnarly reputation for housing both mysterious deaths and active murderers. The case of Elisa Lam, the woman who drowned in a rooftop water tank that had no possible way of her entering unnoticed, was also part of The Cecil's dark history - and served as the inspiration point for creator Ryan Murphy to create his story.