American Horror Story: The Complete Fifth Season—Hotel

The fifth season of Ryan Murphy's horror anthology is hardly the series' most coherent, but it is definitely the gaudiest—and not only because one of the stars is Lady Gaga, decked out in an opulent wardrobe. It is set in contemporary Los Angeles, mainly at the Hotel Cortez, which was built over 100 years ago by James March (Evan Peters), a wealthy madman who designed it as a venue for murdering people in grotesque ways and then easily disposing of the corpses. March's ghost still inhabits the place, as does a vampire called the Countess (Lady Gaga), who was once March's wife but now dallies with Donovan (Matt Bomer), whose estranged mother Iris (Kathy Bates) serves as manager. Customers check in but rarely depart—at least in one piece—and eventually a police detective (Wes Bentley) shows up to investigate the deaths (ascribed to a maniac known as the Ten Commandments Killer), only to be sucked into the establishment's pernicious atmosphere. Meanwhile, the Countess's one-time lover (Angela Bassett) arrives and seeks revenge. And that represents only the tip of the wacky narrative, which also features subplots concerning the hotel's transgender bartender (Denis O'Hare); March's loyal maid (Mare Winningham), who diligently cleans up every bloody mess; an army of vampire children that includes the detective's long-lost son; and occasional dinners where the specters of famous serial killers are the guests of honor. Hotel is overstuffed with characters and plot twists, but it is also morbidly fascinating, and Murphy's repertory cast plays all of the nonsense with gleeful gusto. Extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes. Recommended. (F. Swietek)