‘American Horror Story’ and the True Horror Stories That Inspired Five Terrifying Seasons

American Horror Story: Hotel premieres this week, and early casting information has given us a few clues about the terrors we can expect as the hit FX series enters its fifth season. Among the new cast of characters are Lily Rabe’s Aileen Wuornos, inspired by the real-life serial killer previously portrayed by Charlize Theron in Monster. That’s not the only bit of true life horror that has inspired Hotel, nor is it the only time American Horror Story has taken inspiration from real, terrifying events. Here, we take a look back at some of the more notable American horror stories that have been used in the four previous seasons, as well as a couple of true stories that we can anticipate in Hotel.

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