As is usually the case around this time of year, the internet is abuzz with news and rumors about what American Horror Story fans can expect from the new season when it debuts in October. So, what is known at this point? We know that one of the starring roles of American Horror Story: Hotel has gone to pop sensation Lady Gaga, and we know from the title that Season 5 of American Horror Story will take place in a hotel, but what else is known at this early stage?
Ecumenical News points out a few of the known facts surrounding American Horror Story: Hotel , proving that we actually know more about the new American Horror Story season than we may even realize. First off, we do know that American Horror Story: Hotel takes place in present day, creating one of the patterns Ryan Murphy has previously mentioned. The odd numbered seasons, as some may have noticed, have taken place in the present, while even numbered seasons, Asylum and Freak Show , have each been set in a past time period. Keeping in that tradition, Ryan Murphy has confirmed that American Horror Story: Hotel will be set in the good old 21st century.
While it’s not necessarily established fact at this point, there is a great deal of internet supposition that the hotel in question will be Los Angeles’ Cecil Hotel, taking us back to the American Horror Story: Murder House locale. The Cecil has definitely had its share of horrors. In February of 2013, Elise Lam, while a guest at the Cecil hotel, had been observed to have been acting strangely up until she disappeared. Following her disappearance, the hotel’s management received a number of complaints regarding the taste of the water. Upon investigating the complaints, hotel maintenance discovered Lam’s body floating in the hotel’s water tank. Movie Pilot confirms that the Cecil was also home to two serial killers — Richard Ramirez and Jack Unterweger — and we all know how much American Horror Story loves its serial killers.
Game n Guide is speculating that the fifth season of American Horror Story could focus on satanic worship and alludes to American Horror Story: Asylum as proof that showrunner Ryan Murphy holds an interest in demonic possession and satanism. How could we ever forget Lily Rabe’s performance as possessed Sister Mary Eunice?
Perhaps exploring the depths of hell and the undisputed king of hell himself would give further credence to Ryan Murphy’s claim that all seasons of American Horror Story are interconnected. Above all of the individual storylines, the theme of an afterlife (and Hell in particular) has been an ongoing theme throughout the American Horror Story seasons. Several of the witches even went to hell in American Horror Story: Coven , as long-time fans can surely recall.
Finally, there is still the theory that American Horror Story: Hotel may revolve around Operation Top Hat . Perhaps one of the guests will have been involved in that top secret government project?
Filming for Season 5 of American Horror Story will begin in July, with the new season set to debut in its usual October time slot.