American Horror Story: Murder House
American Horror Story: Murder House (originally titled as American Horror Story) is the first season of the FX television series "American Horror Story". It aired between October 5, and December 21, 2011. The season was produced by 20th Century Fox Television, and the executive producers were Dante Di Loreto and series creators Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy.
American Horror Story
Set in the year 2015, the season follows the strange and dangerous happenings that seem to center around the retro Hotel Cortez in downtown Los Angeles, California, initially built as a secret torture chamber to fulfill the violent desires of founder James March (Evan Peters). Detective John Lowe (Wes Bentley) arrives at the hotel, based on intel from an anonymous tip, to investigate a grisly string of murders, each of which exemplify a sin in violation of one of the Ten Commandments. He has become estranged from his wife Alex (Chloe Sevigny), who suffers from depression, and his daughter Scarlett (Shree Crooks), after the disappearance of their son Holden (Lennon Henry) five years earlier. As the season unfolds, the Lowes discover that the disappearance of Holden may be related to the strange activities at the hotel, led by March's fashionista widow Elizabeth Johnson (Lady Gaga), also known as the Countess—who was turned into a vampire by her former lovers, actor Rudolph Valentino (Finn Wittrock) and his wife Natacha Rambova (Alexandra Daddario)—and her current lover Donovan (Matt Bomer). Throughout his investigation, John also becomes entangled with the spirits of heroin junkie named Sally (Sarah Paulson), hotel maid Hazel Evers (Mare Winningham), and James March, who is looking for a protege to continue the violent acts he started when he was alive. The hotel's tireless staff includes the surly front desk manager Iris (Kathy Bates), Donovan's mother who took the job to be close to her son, and her best friend, the transgender bartender Liz Taylor (Denis O'Hare), both of whom hesitantly cater to Elizabeth and her vampiric children. Elizabeth's relationship with Donovan becomes troubled with the arrival of male model and cocaine addict Tristan Duffy (Finn Wittrock), New York fashion designer Will Drake (Cheyenne Jackson), and her scorned ex-lover Ramona Royale (Angela Bassett), all of whom become entangled in her violent life.