American Horror Story: Hotel (Review)

American Horror Story returns for its fifth season titled 'Hotel; in what I believe is one of its most underrated seasons. Hotel is the first season to not feature Jessica Lange in a role since her departure after Freak Show. Instead, we have Lady Gaga joining the cast as the enigmatic, mysterious Countess. The Countess is a hundreds of years old vampire with a penchant for kidnapping children, whom she then turns and raises. The season also stars Wes Bentley as Detective John Lowe, Sarah Paulson as Hypodermic Sally, Denis O'Hare as Liz Taylor, and Kathy Bates as Iris.

So how is it? Well, Hotel is a hard season to explain. Those who thought that Freak Show was missing too much horror for their taste will be happy to hear that Hotel amps up the horror to a million. At the same time however, if you weren't down with the character drama of Freak Show, Hotel may not be what you're looking for. The cast is massive, also including appearances by Angela Bassett, Evan Peters, Cheyenne Jackson, Matt Bomer, and Chloë Sevigny just to name a few. The story is complex revolving around multiple subplots that span the season and all interconnect by the end. The main plot sees Detective Lowe investigating a series of murders that seem to be based around the Ten Commandments. This investigation leads him to the Hotel Cortez where he discovers a host of supernatural activity.

Everything about Hotel is over the top from the gore, to the lavish sets, and especially the cinematography. Many have accused this season of over indulgence leading to distraction, however I believe there is a lot to be enjoyed and admired from Hotel. Even with its shortcomings Hotel still manages to tell an intriguing and surprisingly heartfelt story. You'll laugh, you'll wince, and even at moments cry. The story of Liz Taylor and Iris is sure to tug on your heart at moments.

Another great strength of this season are the themes which it explores. Hotel manages to create complex characters that seem human and cover many topics including sexuality and what it means to explore your sexuality, and even includes a realistic portrayal of a transgender women in Liz Taylor without over trivializing her experiences, which is desperately needed in American media.

For these reasons I'm going to give American Horror Story: Hotel 3.5 out of 5 cauldrons!

Some stand out episodes include:

Episode 1: Checking In

Directed by Ryan Murphy

Written by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk

Episode 2: Chutes and Ladders

Directed by Bradley Buecker

Written by Tim Minear

Episode 8: The Ten Commandments Killer

Directed by Loni Peristere

Written by Ryan Murphy

Episode 13: Be Our Guest
Directed by Bradley Buecker
Written by John J. Gray