Yes, the hotel featured in the fifth season of American Horror Story, titled Hotel, is undeniably inspired by the infamous Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. While the fictional Cortez Hotel is a heightened, dramatized version, it borrows heavily from the Cecil’s dark history, notorious incidents, and persistent association with crime and death.
The Dark Reality Behind the Cortez: Cecil Hotel’s Influence
The Cecil Hotel, renamed Stay on Main in 2011, stands as a silent sentinel overlooking Skid Row in Los Angeles. Its history, however, speaks volumes. From suicides and murders to unsolved mysteries and connections to serial killers, the Cecil has earned a reputation as one of the most haunted and disturbing hotels in America. Ryan Murphy, the creator of American Horror Story, openly acknowledged the Cecil’s influence on the creation of the Cortez Hotel, drawing inspiration from specific events and the hotel’s overall atmosphere of despair and unease.
The show doesn’t simply replicate the Cecil’s architecture or layout. Instead, it extracts the core essence of dread and mystery that permeates the hotel’s real-life reputation. This is achieved through the inclusion of themes such as serial killers using the hotel as a base of operations, the prevalence of drug use and prostitution, and a general sense of unease and the unknown lurking behind every door.
Hotel pushes these themes to their extreme, transforming the Cortez into a gothic monument to excess, addiction, and violent death. But the underlying foundation is firmly rooted in the true history and urban legends surrounding the Cecil Hotel.
American Horror Story’s Interpretation: The Cortez Hotel
The Cortez Hotel, as portrayed in American Horror Story, is a character in itself. It’s a living, breathing entity that traps its inhabitants, feeding off their fears and desires. Lady Gaga’s character, The Countess, owns and presides over the hotel, ensuring its dark legacy continues through a constant cycle of murder, betrayal, and supernatural happenings.
Unlike the Cecil, which is a real-world location, the Cortez Hotel is a fantastical creation. It’s a place where ghosts roam freely, vampires stalk the corridors, and the past constantly bleeds into the present. However, the show cleverly weaves in elements of the Cecil’s actual history, creating a blurring of lines between reality and fiction that adds to the season’s unsettling atmosphere. The depiction of drug use, prostitution, and even specific historical events within the Cortez echoes the documented occurrences within the Cecil’s walls.
Key Differences and Similarities
While inspired by the Cecil, the Cortez Hotel takes significant creative liberties. Here’s a breakdown of the key differences and similarities:
- Similarities: The general layout (though heavily stylized in the show), the overall atmosphere of dread, the history of suicides and murders, and the connection to real-life serial killers (Richard Ramirez frequented the Cecil).
- Differences: The supernatural elements, the presence of vampires and other fantastical creatures, the overt focus on sex and violence, and the sheer scale of the Cortez’s depravity are all exaggerations for dramatic effect. The Cecil Hotel, while undoubtedly dark, is not inhabited by vampires (as far as we know).
The show uses the infamous history of the Cecil as a launching pad to explore themes of addiction, love, loss, and the human capacity for cruelty. While the Cortez Hotel is a fictional creation, its power comes from its grounding in the unsettling reality of the Cecil.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About the Cecil Hotel and American Horror Story
Here are some of the most common questions regarding the Cecil Hotel and its portrayal in American Horror Story:
FAQ 1: Did Ryan Murphy ever stay at the Cecil Hotel?
While there’s no definitive public record confirming Ryan Murphy stayed at the Cecil Hotel, he extensively researched its history and reportedly visited the surrounding area to gather inspiration for Hotel. The atmosphere and stories surrounding the hotel were undoubtedly a major influence on his creative process.
FAQ 2: What real-life events inspired the Cortez Hotel?
Several events directly influenced the creation of the Cortez Hotel. The most prominent include the Richard Ramirez “Night Stalker” connection to the Cecil, the unsolved mystery of the Black Dahlia (Elizabeth Short), and the disappearance and death of Elisa Lam in 2013. These incidents, all linked to the Cecil, provided the show with a wealth of disturbing material.
FAQ 3: Is the Cecil Hotel actually haunted?
The Cecil Hotel has a long-standing reputation for being haunted. Many guests and staff have reported paranormal activity, including unexplained noises, shadowy figures, and a general sense of unease. Whether these claims are based in reality or simply fueled by the hotel’s dark history is a matter of debate. However, the sheer number of reported incidents contributes to the hotel’s eerie mystique.
FAQ 4: Was the Elisa Lam case directly depicted in American Horror Story: Hotel?
While the Elisa Lam case served as inspiration, Hotel did not directly depict the event. The writers drew on the general circumstances of her disappearance and death, including the grainy elevator footage and the hotel’s water tanks, to create a fictional storyline. However, the show avoided explicitly recreating the specifics of the Lam tragedy out of respect for her family.
FAQ 5: Did any other serial killers stay at the Cecil Hotel?
In addition to Richard Ramirez, the Cecil Hotel was also reportedly visited by Jack Unterweger, an Austrian serial killer and journalist. This further cemented the hotel’s reputation as a magnet for individuals with violent tendencies.
FAQ 6: Is the Cecil Hotel still open?
No, the Cecil Hotel is currently closed for renovations. It was initially scheduled to reopen in 2021 as a mixture of hotel rooms and affordable housing units, but that has been delayed. The future of the Cecil Hotel remains uncertain.
FAQ 7: What’s the significance of the elevator in the Cecil Hotel’s (and Cortez Hotel’s) story?
The elevator is a recurring symbol of the Cecil Hotel’s dark history, particularly in connection to the Elisa Lam case. In Hotel, the elevators serve as gateways between different eras and realms, further emphasizing the sense of timeless dread and the blurred lines between reality and the supernatural.
FAQ 8: How accurate is the portrayal of addiction in American Horror Story: Hotel compared to the reality of the Cecil?
The portrayal of addiction in Hotel is exaggerated for dramatic effect, but it does reflect the reality of the Cecil’s location in Skid Row, an area known for its high concentration of drug use and homelessness. The show uses addiction as a metaphor for other destructive behaviors and the cycle of violence that perpetuates within the Cortez (and, by extension, the Cecil).
FAQ 9: What impact did American Horror Story have on the Cecil Hotel’s reputation?
American Horror Story: Hotel undoubtedly amplified the Cecil Hotel’s infamy. While the hotel was already known for its dark history, the show introduced it to a much wider audience, further cementing its place in popular culture as a symbol of urban decay and paranormal activity.
FAQ 10: Are there any documentaries about the Cecil Hotel?
Yes, there are several documentaries about the Cecil Hotel. One notable example is “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel” on Netflix, which delves into the Elisa Lam case and the hotel’s broader history. These documentaries provide a factual counterpoint to the fictionalized portrayal in American Horror Story.
FAQ 11: Was the Cecil Hotel ever a glamorous or desirable place to stay?
Despite its later reputation, the Cecil Hotel was initially intended to be a glamorous destination. It opened in the 1920s during a period of economic prosperity and was designed to cater to business travelers and tourists. However, the Great Depression and the rise of Skid Row led to a decline in its fortunes.
FAQ 12: Is it ethical to use the Cecil Hotel’s history for entertainment purposes?
The ethics of using the Cecil Hotel’s history for entertainment purposes is a complex issue. Some argue that it’s insensitive to the victims and their families, while others believe that it’s a way to remember and learn from the past. Ultimately, the responsibility lies with the creators to handle the subject matter with respect and sensitivity.