Every Season Of American Horror Story - Ranked

Finally, we get to the serial killer season with some punch.

Hotel came out in 2015 and was AHS’s fifth season. It focused on the theme of murderers and the “art” of killing. Through the perspective of a homicide detective drawn to the ominous Cortez Hotel, this season explored the true crime genre by introducing some familiar characters.

On “Devil’s Night” we see a host of infamous serial killers: Eileen Wuornos, John Wayne Gacey, and the aforementioned Richard Ramirez.

And there’s even more fact in the fiction – The Cortez was inspired by LA hotels with dark reputations, such as The Cecil. Ryan Murphy cites the idea of a hotel being scary to him, due to the lack of control you have: other people have keys to your room, make your food, and walk the corridors as you sleep.

True crime is a hugely popular topic for horror fans, as it gives a realistic thrill that can’t be obtained from clearly fiction-based tales. For this reason, Hotel resonated with American Horror Story Fans – however, Hotel’s placement on this list is because casual viewers were less taken with the season.

Perhaps it’s because the Cortez is full of such irredeemable characters - it’s hard to find someone to root for. There’s a serious lack of love or loyalty. But, then again, isn’t that true for all of AHS?

And, of course, let’s not forget this is the season where we first see Lady Gaga join the cast, as the bloodsucking vampire, the Countess. This part almost forgives her for her role in Roanoke.