American Horror Story: Hotel

If you decided to check in to the fifth season of the bloody anthology series "American Horror Story - Hotel" just to see pop star Lady Gaga strut her stuff, you may have been disappointed that she didn't sing her way through the 12 episodes instead. Now on Blu-ray, the shenanigans at the Hotel Cortex pop to life in vivid high-definition.

The Ryan Murphy series hit its peak during season two ("Asylum") and lost its powerhouse actress Jessica Lange, who called it quits after "Freakshow." The loss of Lange is readily apparent and, with no star that comes close to having her acting chops, save for the underused Kathy Bates, "AHS - Hotel" flounders in a pool of bloody and, most often times, naked scenarios.

LGG plays a sinister vampire that overlooks the Hotel Cortex in downtown Los Angeles where guests check in but leave their souls behind. Bates is the trod upon desk clerk, whose son happens to be LGG's blood-thirsty lover. Meanwhile, a series of grisly murders that mimic the seven deadly sins haunts a local detective (Wes Bentley).

It adds up to the shallowest of seasons so far for the just-renewed "American Horror Story." So the high-points of "Hotel" seem to be the elegant sets, costumes, and over-the-top and outlandish situations which now borders on camp.

Other "AHS" stalwarts appear in "Hotel," such as Denis O'Hare who plays tranny Liz Taylor, and Sarah Paulson, playing a strung-out heroine junkie this time around

If you have your heart set on a purchase of 20th Century Fox's 3-disc Blu-ray set, be forewarned there are only 2 special features included:

"An Invitation to Devil's Night" - a very quick look at the Halloween episode on "AHS - Hotel"

"The Cortez: An Era of Elegance Gone By" - another quick examination of the costumes and sets used during filming

"American Horror Story - Hotel"
Blu-ray
$59.99
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