Checking In
- Episode aired Oct 7, 2015
- TV-MA
- 1h 2m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
6.5K
YOUR RATING
A pair of foreign sisters check into the Hotel Cortez, while an L.A. detective investigates a brutal murder.A pair of foreign sisters check into the Hotel Cortez, while an L.A. detective investigates a brutal murder.A pair of foreign sisters check into the Hotel Cortez, while an L.A. detective investigates a brutal murder.
Evan Peters
- James March
- (credit only)
Angela Bassett
- Ramona Royale
- (credit only)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe Hotel Cortez is inspired by the Hotel Cecil which has a dark history which includes several suicides, murders, and was stayed at by serial killers Richard Ramirez a.k.a. the Night Stalker and Jack Unterweger. The Hotel Cecil made news in 2013 with the mysterious death of Elisa Lam (to whom season five is dedicated).
- GoofsWhen Iris pushes Hypodermic Sally on the window, she falls on her back. When she hits, she is on her chest.
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojo: Top 10 American Horror Story Moments (2017)
Featured review
this series is a ground-breaker...
... the implications of which are unlikely to be understood for another 5 or 10 years.
Note that I am not saying I like it. However as a reviewer I feel obligated to review it.
In terms of traditional horror we have seen stories about clinical insanity and stories about people who seem normal but may in fact be clinically insane.
This series, now in its fifth season, is different. It is about normalcy presented by people who may already have clinical issues, to viewers who may possibly develop clinical issues merely by watching.
I am not knocking this show, just trying to be honest. I believe that TV historians of the future will consider this the second production ever (the first being MTV itself) to be deliberately and specifically aimed at the "younger viewer" -- ie the viewer who grew up in the digital age, with some exposure to pharmaceutical enhancements, and iTunes, who, because of the life they have led, have a massive and unexplored tolerance for ambiguity, paradox, violence, gore and (don't forget) commercials. But not necessarily in that order.
To put that more clearly, if this show is skewing any demographic over 50 years of age, I will eat my flat screen TV, and the cable box too.
Great production values, great use of stars, very pretty sets, everyone involved, producers and viewers alike, feels really cool about it, but at the end of the day one cannot escape the notion that -- with the possible exception of Season 1 where they actually TRIED to run an arc that made some sense -- this series of gorgeous images remains full of sound and fury but signifies absolutely nothing.
Note that I am not saying I like it. However as a reviewer I feel obligated to review it.
In terms of traditional horror we have seen stories about clinical insanity and stories about people who seem normal but may in fact be clinically insane.
This series, now in its fifth season, is different. It is about normalcy presented by people who may already have clinical issues, to viewers who may possibly develop clinical issues merely by watching.
I am not knocking this show, just trying to be honest. I believe that TV historians of the future will consider this the second production ever (the first being MTV itself) to be deliberately and specifically aimed at the "younger viewer" -- ie the viewer who grew up in the digital age, with some exposure to pharmaceutical enhancements, and iTunes, who, because of the life they have led, have a massive and unexplored tolerance for ambiguity, paradox, violence, gore and (don't forget) commercials. But not necessarily in that order.
To put that more clearly, if this show is skewing any demographic over 50 years of age, I will eat my flat screen TV, and the cable box too.
Great production values, great use of stars, very pretty sets, everyone involved, producers and viewers alike, feels really cool about it, but at the end of the day one cannot escape the notion that -- with the possible exception of Season 1 where they actually TRIED to run an arc that made some sense -- this series of gorgeous images remains full of sound and fury but signifies absolutely nothing.
helpful•1821
- A_Different_Drummer
- Oct 18, 2015
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Filming locations
- Oviatt Penthouse, 617 S Olive St, Los Angeles, California, USA(Hotel Cortez entrance)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 2 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1
- 16:9 HD
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