American Horror Storyseason 5 tells the dark story of the Hotel Cortez, a place in Los Angeles that is haunted by ghosts and vampires. Many remember it as the season that features Lady Gaga as Countess Elizabeth, a creepy and well-crafted character who stands out among the many villains in the popular franchise. When compared to other seasons about a circus, a house full of ghosts, or a serial killer at a summer camp, season 5 might be even bleaker. The main characters are all power-hungry and watching them interact with each other is as entertaining as it is scary.
American Horror Story: Hotelaired from October 2015 to January 2016 on FX. While every episode is fairly dark, the ending wraps up every major character’s storyline while suggesting that there is more terror to come.
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What Is American Horror Story Season 5 About?
While every season ofAmerican Horror Storyhas a unique setting, there’s something particularly eerie aboutAmerican Horror Storyseason 5’s Hotel Cortez. Evil seems to lurk everywhere and no one would want to stay here, let alone be here after dark. Likethe best horror movie settings, the hotel environment offers the perfect opportunity for strangers to find themselves in grave danger. As soon as people check in, they realize that they have made a huge error.
The first episode, called “Checking In,” introduces vampires Donovan (Matt Bomer) and Countess Elizabeth (Lady Gaga), who are intimate with a couple. They then kill them and drink their blood. The other main character, Detective Lowe (Wes Bentley), is at the hotel to investigate a murder. In ashocking moment rivaling the best movie plot twists, it turns out that Elizabeth kidnapped Lowe’s son Holden (Lennon Henry) and he has been living with her at the hotel as one of her vampire kids.
Likethe best movies for Dracula fans,American Horror Storyseason 5 takes a smart, stylish, and memorable approach to the vampire genre. No one would expect a season focused on a creepy hotel to also include a vampire couple residing there with a group of children, and that is exactly why these characters work so well.
AsAmerican Horror Storyseason 5 continues on, Countess Elizabeth is the main American Horror Story villain who will do anything to maintain her strength and power. She seduces Tristan Duffy (Finn Wittrock) and makes him a vampire while her ex-lover Donovan vows to make her miserable.
Another memorable part ofAmerican Horror Storyseason 5 is its connection toAmerican Horror Storyseason 1 Murder House, which has a creepy endingof its own. Episode 6 called “Room 33” features a flashback to the haunted house where Countess Elizabeth and Dr. Charles Montgomery (Matt Ross) operate on someone. The season is also tied to Coven as Queenie (Gabourey Sidibe) appears in episode “Battle Royale.” Sadly, James March (Evan Peters) kills her.
How Does American Horror Story Season 5 End?
TheAmerican Horror Storyseason 5 ending is definitely a wild ride. In episode 12 called “Be Our Guest,” Liz Taylor (Denis O’Hare) is in charge of the Hotel Cortez. She has to keep reprimanding the hotel’s ghosts, Will Drake (Jackson) and Sally McKenna (Sarah Paulson), who murder people who have checked in. In a hilarious moment, Sally begins using a cell phone and learns how easy it can be to become obsessed with social media. Althoughevery season ofAmerican Horror Storyis bleak, Hotel includes some funny moments that break up the tension and violence.
Liz is diagnosed with cancer and wants the spirits to ensure that she doesn’t live much longer. Countess Elizabeth murders Liz, who has been dealing with guilt over Tristan’s death. It’s a tragic ending that doesn’t have any hopeful or happy moments. Hotel isn’t often thought of as thebest season ofAmerican Horror Story, but the ending does pack an emotional punch.
Another memorable part of theAmerican Horror Storyseason 5 ending is Billie Dean Howard (Sarah Paulson), a psychic who also appears in the otherAmerican Horror Storyseasons Murder House and Apocalypse. She goes to a dinner party with the spirits who have been haunting the Hotel Cortez, and they don’t want her to talk about the hotel.
Lady Gaga, who will come back forJoker: Folie à Deux, has done quite a bit of acting, and she’s flawless as the captivating vampire who is the one in charge of the hotel. The last moment of the season 5 finale sees Countess Elizabeth setting her sights on a man at Hotel Cortez. It’s clear that she will keep up her spree of manipulation and murder, and she won’t stop turning humans into vampires.
