One of the most genuinely spine-chilling modern shows on television, FX’s American Horror Story has broken barriers in the horror genre with its unique, anthology-style approach. Now, after winning over a dozen Emmys, the TV franchise is getting ready to hit the small screen again on October 7 with the premiere of its fifth season, Hotel, starring Lady Gaga. It’s also releasing Freak Show on DVD and Blu-Ray Oct. 6. To celebrate, Hero Complex Gallery in Los Angeles is showcasing more than 100 pieces of fan art inspired by AHS.
Art by Robert Bruno. American Horror Story TMs ©2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.
If you’re new to American Horror Story, you’ll be happy to learn that you don’t need to watch Murder House or Asylum in order to understand Coven, Freak Show, and/or Hotel, as each season explores a different theme and takes place in a different era. Murder House and Coven are both set in the present, while Asylum travels back in time to 1964 Massachusetts, and Freak Show takes place in 1952 Florida. Roughly the same cast returns each time, each member playing a completely different role. The one thing all seasons have in common, however, is an examination of horror tropes with particular regard to background and setting, and as such, the time and place of each season becomes just as much a character as the people themselves.
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Art by Thomas Walker. American Horror Story TMs ©2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.
AHS’ co-creators, Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, also co-created Glee, but the two programs couldn’t be more different. Glee, which aired its last episode in March, 2015, was a quasi soap-opera-style musical comedy focusing on a group of teen archetypes who love to sing and dance. Meanwhile, AHS pushes the boundaries of horror by exploiting viewers’ nascent fears, from poltergeists and criminal insanity, to witches and carnies. Besides incorporating blood, guts, gore, and ghosts into weekly episodes, the show’s writers also manage to weave in a dose of comedy as well, both offering temporary reprieves from the hefty terror while also setting audiences up for the next big scare.
Art by JQ Hammer. American Horror Story TMs ©2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.
The cinematic setting of each season, as well as the colorful characters who inhabit them, provide ideal fodder for artists who like to merge the blood-curdling with the beautiful. The fan art show features dozens of originals, prints, and sculptures from international artists working in all media, with each piece paying special tribute to the stylish aesthetic of AHS. Artworks aren’t just on display, but are for sale as well, so those inclined can take a piece of series nostalgia home, too.
Art by Maria Suarez-Inclan. American Horror Story TMs ©2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.
Art by Vance Kelly. American Horror Story TMs ©2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.
American Horror Story: Freak Show Arrives on Blu-ray and DVD October 6 and Hotel debuts on FX October 7. The exhibit is on display through October 18, 2015, at Hero Complex Gallery at 2020 South Robertson Blvd. Los Angeles.
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