AMERICAN HORROR STORY — “Chutes and Ladders” Episode 502 (Airs Wednesday, October 14, 10:00 pm/ep) Pictured: (l-r) Lady Gaga as the Countess, Matt Bomer as Donovan. CR: Suzanne Tenner/FX
Beautiful lobby, lovely bar, but “so quiet, it’s like a tomb!” observes a guest. Check in to FX’s “American Horror Story: Hotel” beginning Oct. 7 and get a load of that nasty desk clerk: Kathy Bates.
“Trust me, this place’ll grow on you,” Iris (Bates) says. And we’re off on a ridiculously scary, funny and visually rich extended stay. Before you settle into your room, though, you’ll want to check the mattress.
Lady Gaga may be the draw, as the Countess, but there’s lots to enjoy in this season’s scarefest from and Brad Falchuk. The opening credits are a work of art, Biblical references included. The series’ use of graphic sex and violence goes without saying. Sadism also has a role. The cast includes Angela Bassett, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Matt Bomer, Denis O’Hare, Wes Bentley, Cheyenne Jackson, Chloe Sevigny and Mare Winningham.
The action ranges far from the L.A. hotel as a detective (Bentley) makes his rounds. The problem isn’t claustrophobia, it’s gruesome, bloody freakishness. For the orgy/entrails/horror crowd, “AHS: Hotel” delivers.
