5 Reasons the ‘American Horror Story: Hotel’ Premiere is the Best Yet
By Teresa Lobos
American Horror Story: Hotel premiered this past Wednesday on FX with Variety reporting big opening numbers, second only to Fox’s Empire. The premiere was stylish, creepy, disturbing, and one of the best first episodes of the show thus far. Going off this episode alone, I’m going to go ahead and make the bold claim that this season is going to be the best yet.
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- AHS: NYC showcases a very real kind of horror story
American Horror Story: Hotel has a lot going for it, so let’s kick off this season with a break down of the best bits so far.
1. The visuals
American Horror Story has always been good for its beautifully saturated colors and eye-popping tableaux of horror, but there are some seriously stunning visuals in Hotel, including this one:
Does that carpet remind you of anything? Perhaps this other creepy hotel?
Of course, references to The Shining are splashed all over American Horror Story: Hotel. How could they not be? To not pay homage to a fellow horror hotel would just be rude. One of my favorite shout-outs to The Shining is this one:
Come play with me, Daddy.
Weird, creepy kids standing at the end of a hallway is always fun.
2. Lady Gaga
The Internet has already decreed that this is the Lady Gaga show and that’s okay. I, for my part, agree. I’ll admit, I was a bit dubious of the decision to cast Lady Gaga in this, I thought it was a ploy to bring in viewers (and admittedly, it probably was), but she was so fabulous I just can’t complain.
Lady Gaga plays the glamorous and mysterious vampiric figure, The Countess. She’s sexy, alluring, and positively terrifying and I predict she’ll end up being the character we coming back for.
3. Kathy Bates
How can you not love Kathy Bates? She’s amazeballs in everything she does and she’s got a long history in the horror genre including Misery (1990), Diabolique (1996), Possessed (2000), and of course, the American Horror Story troupe.
In this season, she plays Iris, the lady at the front desk, general monster caretaker, and mom of blood-feasting son. Can it get any better?
4. The soundtrack
The soundtrack in the first episode was fantastic if you’re into goth and new wave, which I very much am. Joy Division? Bauhaus? The Sisters of Mercy? Oh, heck yes.
Want to re-enjoy those musical moments? I thought you might so I’ve included the best songs from the show below:
Bauhaus –
Bela Lugosi’s Dead
Sisters of Mercy –
Neverland
She Wants Revenge –
Tear You Apart
Joy Division –
Eternal
We’ll just ignore the obligatory Eagles and move on.
5. The Nosferatu boner
Okay, I’m probably being super immature but come on, this was just funny. Remember the scene where The Countess and Donovan are in the park, giving the couple next to them sexy eyes?
The doomed couple gets pretty excited and the next thing you know…
GEE, WHAT DOES IT MEAN?!
Although really, Nosferatu playing the background during this scene was just a heavy-handed metaphor for a monster stalking its prey. I don’t care what Ryan Murphy says, The Countess and her paramour may not be traditional vampires, but they’re still totally vampires.
Next: American Horror Story: Hotel Full Cast Trailer