13 “American Horror Story” Characters And Occasions That Are Seemingly Impressed By Supernatural Legends, Actual Folks, And Terrifying Occasions
American Horror Story has all the time been a grasp at taking real-life occasions, folks, and tragedies and weaving them into the present. The present provides us folks like Richard Ramirez, Elizabeth Quick, and Anne Frank and places us in conditions which are eerily much like real-world tragedies. It is like an added layer that leaves me fully hyped once I put two and two collectively on who and what these characters or moments are speculated to be emulating.
So listed here are a number of the characters and occasions from AHS that have been seemingly impressed by their namesakes or some creepily related real-world tragedy or monster:
Content material warning: A few of these will comprise disturbing descriptions of violent crimes.
1.The Nurse Murders (American Horror Story: Homicide Home)
Within the first season of AHS, two of the many individuals who met their demise within the homicide home have been a pair of nursing college students within the Sixties. They have been finding out of their dwelling earlier than receiving a knock on the door from a seemingly bleeding and damaged man that we later study to be named R. Franklin. When the ladies understand it is all an act (after opening the door and alluring him in, after all), he shortly murders one of many two nurses and forces the opposite to put on a nurse’s uniform earlier than he ties her up and ultimately kills her.
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Ryan Murphy that this scene was loosely impressed by the . After beforehand assaulting and robbing a lady earlier within the evening of July 13, 1966, Richard Speck broke right into a townhome in Chicago that was getting used as dorms for native and worldwide nursing college students.
He horrifically tortured, sexually assaulted, tied up, and murdered eight of the residents (Gloria Davy, Patricia Matusek, Nina Jo Schmale, Pamela Wilkening, Suzanne Farris, Mary Ann Jordan, Merlita Gargullo, and Valentina Pasion) in a single evening. He was ultimately caught and ordered to serve from 400 to 1,200 years in jail by means of eight consecutive sentences in 1972. It will later be diminished to 100 to 300 years. Whereas in jail, Speck petitioned to be paroled greater than seven occasions however was (fortunately) unsuccessful. He died due to what’s believed to have been a coronary heart assault on December 5, 1991.
Bettmann / Bettmann Archive
2.Tate’s Taking pictures At Westfield Excessive (American Horror Story: Homicide Home)
All through the season, we see the household interacting with a boy named Tate Langdon. After all, we later discover out that Tate is a ghost who was murdered by SWAT in his bed room of the homicide home in 1994. He brutally murdered 15 college students and completely disabled the college librarian after displaying up and opening hearth on them in the course of the college day. After years of looking, 5 ghosts of the victims come for Tate on Halloween. The ghost of one of many victims, Stephanie, claims that Tate requested her if she believed in God, and although it was a lie, she nonetheless stated, “Sure,” and he killed her for it. Surely, after we as viewers noticed the taking pictures unfold, Tate by no means requested her something earlier than killing her; he did not even converse to anybody in any respect.
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Though unconfirmed, this horrific second is not only related however precise to what “reportedly” occurred to in the course of the bloodbath in 1999. Cassie’s closing moments have been by the media, mistaken witness accounts, the general public, and a guide written by her mom titled She Said Sure: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall.
Months later, after additional investigation, it was revealed that Cassie in all probability wasn’t requested something earlier than she was murdered. A pupil by the identify of was the one who truly stated, “Sure,” after being shot with a shotgun. She was requested, “Do you imagine in God?” She replied, “Sure,” and was met with, “Why?” She responded that it was as a result of she believed and since her dad and mom had raised her that approach. She crawled away whereas the shooter reloaded and wasn’t shot once more; she survived the bloodbath. As I stated, though unconfirmed, I feel it is secure to say that Columbine (and the small print that unfolded) was greater than probably the actual occasion that impressed the Westfield Excessive Faculty bloodbath in AHS.
Jeff Haynes / AFP by way of Getty Photographs
3.Bloody Face (American Horror Story: Asylum)
In Season 2 of AHS, we’re shortly made conscious of this looming murderous entity that we come to know as Bloody Face. As most murderous figures do in horror movies and TV, he has some deep-rooted childhood points that, for some motive, ought to clarify why he goes on murderous killing sprees sporting different folks’s pores and skin as a masks. Because of being deserted by his mom as a younger baby, Bloody Face got down to discover an enough maternal determine, and people who did not match the invoice have been murdered and posthumously skinned and decapitated.
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Yeah, this one is fairly clear, because the parallels are far too related. My first time seeing this when it aired, I assumed, “Woah, is Bloody Face speculated to be like Leatherface?” Nicely, sure, as a result of each are primarily based on probably the most prolific serial killers of all time, .
In 1957, police have been lastly on Gein’s heels after the disappearance of a ironmongery shop proprietor named Bernice Worden. Gein had been seen along with her shortly earlier than her disappearance, and after they made their option to his farm, they sadly discovered her decapitated physique. In addition they subsequently discovered proof of his grave robbing, as he had a group of bones, skulls, and physique components. The parallels between Gein and Bloody Face are completely uncanny. Between a deep want and weird infatuation with maternal figures to utilizing physique components as home items, masks, and clothes — there’s not a doubt in my thoughts that Bloody Face, Leatherface, and Ed Gein are all minimize from the identical terrifying material.
Jeff Haynes / AFP by way of Getty Photographs
4.Equipment and Alma Walker (American Horror Story: Asylum)
Again in Season 2 of American Horror Story, we met two characters by the names of Equipment and Alma Walker, who have been a mixed-race couple within the Sixties (which after all posed its personal distinctive set of threats and issues). To maintain a really lengthy and complicated story brief, Equipment and Alma have been at dwelling when Equipment went to analyze some unusual noises he heard outdoors whereas Alma was making ready dinner. Outdoors, he is confronted with a blinding flash of sunshine and a loud noise. He goes to test in on his spouse, and he or she’s nowhere to be discovered. Equipment tells authorities that aliens kidnapped his spouse, and he is promptly despatched to Briarcliff Asylum.
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Producers that Equipment and Alma Walker are literally impressed by the very actual and notorious couple . In 1961, as they have been driving again dwelling to New Hampshire from a visit in Canada, the couple claimed they noticed “bipedal humanoid creatures within the window of a giant spacecraft that landed in a area,” and after the touchdown, that they had no recollection of the subsequent two hours.
Betty and Barney each returned dwelling, nonetheless unable to elucidate what occurred throughout these lacking two hours however with noticeable modifications to their our bodies, together with scuffs and torn clothes. A yr later, Barney and Betty determined to strive hypnosis remedy periods that ultimately helped them regain their reminiscence, permitting them to recall what occurred, and so they advised very related tales. Betty went on to change into probably the most well-known voices in UFO analysis and continued on with it for the remainder of her life. She and Barney additionally did a variety of work with the NAACP. She handed away in 2004, and Barney abruptly handed away in 1969.
Common Historical past Archive / Common Photographs Group by way of Getty Photographs
5.Papa Legba (American Horror Story: Coven)
In AHS, we meet Papa Legba; he is depicted because the gatekeeper of the spirit world and balances the scales of life and demise. He is depicted as this man with a white-painted face and crimson eyes who makes very unsavory offers with mortals. He granted one other character, Marie Laveau, immortality in alternate for an annual harmless human sacrifice and her soul. Identified to many in actual life and within the present as a Lua or , he permits communication between the residing and spirit worlds, is a grasp communicator, and is often depicted in Vodou as an older, feeble man who walks round with a cane and wears a straw hat. Very completely different from how we see him on the present.
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Although it is clear they tried to take Papa Legba’s story and insert it into this character on Coven, there’s been fairly a little bit of debate on whether or not he was misconstrued for one more lua named . Samedi’s predominant perform is to satisfy the souls of the newly departed as they rise, after which he guides them to the afterlife. He is additionally accountable for ensuring souls can’t be resurrected by outdoors forces.
He speaks in a nasal voice whereas sporting a black tuxedo, a high hat, and carrying a cane. Relying on who you ask, he both wears darkish sun shades and cotton plugs in his nostril or face paint that resembles a cranium. He’s additionally identified to be a bit impolite, crude, and flirtatious, however a gentleman nonetheless. Baron additionally has the ability to disclaim or admit folks into the afterlife, the ability of resurrection, the flexibility to treatment mortal diseases and wounds, and even the flexibility to counteract curses and hexes. Plainly though Papa Legba was the namesake, they selected to mix two Luas of Vodou to encourage the character within the present we all know at present.
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6.The Axeman of New Orleans (American Horror Story: Coven)
Again in Season 3 of AHS, we meet a really scary man that we come to know as The Axeman, who’s contacted by way of an Ouija board by Queenie, Nan, and Zoe to seek out out details about the whereabouts of their fellow witch classmate Madison. The Axeman’s story is that he was a jazz musician who performed saxophone all through New Orleans. The tales between the characters and actual life are just about the identical — to a degree. Between it is reported that a couple of dozen folks have been attacked with axes all through the New Orleans space. On March 13, 1919, a letter appeared within the Occasions-Picayune newspaper that was supposedly from the Axeman. The letter begins with “They’ve by no means caught me, and so they by no means will” and continues to elucidate how he’ll “declare” his victims when he sees match.
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The letter additionally detailed his love for jazz and said, “I swear by all of the devils within the nether areas that each individual shall be spared in whose dwelling a jazz band is in full swing on the time I’ve simply talked about. If everybody has a jazz band going, effectively, then, a lot the higher for you folks.” AHS even used direct excerpts from the actual letter that was despatched to the newspaper in 1919.
Since the actual Axeman was by no means caught and his victims and their households have been by no means given the justice they deserved, the present needed to take artistic liberty to broaden upon his story and what might’ve probably occurred to him. Within the present, he is made out to have been killed in 1919 by a bunch of witches at Miss Robichaux’s Academy after he was lured in there by loud opera music. They stab him to demise to finish his terrifying reign of their metropolis, and his ghost is mainly left round on the faculty. He is then introduced again to life by the ladies in 2013 and ultimately killed once more in the very same approach by the brand new era.
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7.Madame (American Horror Story: Coven)
was a really actual, very rich socialite and infamous slave proprietor in New Orleans. In 1832, she moved to a house within the French Quarter along with her youngsters and her newest husband. Rumors about how Delphine was treating her slaves had been going round New Orleans since 1828. Particularly for the present, to dramatize her horrible crimes, Madame Delphine additionally believed that placing the blood of the enslaved folks on her face and physique would make her seem younger. The claims of her horrific remedies have been large discuss round city, however it wasn’t till 1834 that issues actually got here to a head.
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Issues actually start to vary right here, so this is the actual story: A fireplace broke out on the Lalaurie mansion on April 10, 1834. In accordance with previous testaments from the scene, firefighters have been trying to place out the hearth, and so they ended up discovering a large number of enslaved individuals who have been “horribly mutilated,” chained, and locked contained in the constructing. The firefighters that got here to the scene fortunately saved them and introduced them to the city corridor.
Ultimately, it was reported that over 4,000 folks had proven as much as the city corridor. Neighbors additionally went into the rubble of her now-burned mansion to proceed to destroy and ransack the place. After realizing how unhealthy it actually was, Delphine escaped Louisiana along with her household and fled to Paris, France, the place she died. From having younger youngsters chained up and solely feeding them as soon as a day to placing bugs within the open wounds of the enslaved to bashing in an aged girl’s head, the phrase monster or demon would not even start to elucidate this girl. Within the present, Delphine’s actual story is closely intertwined with a variety of witchcraft, her show-specific beef with Marie Laveau, and residing within the trendy age. We additionally see on the present that her French Quarter dwelling was ultimately was a museum. In actual life, the possession of her dwelling has diversified through the years, however it nonetheless stays a high vacationer vacation spot that individuals go to on any ghost adventures in New Orleans.
Steven Wagner / Flickr Imaginative and prescient
8.Marie Laveau (American Horror Story: Coven)
Within the present, we all know Marie as a present-day model of herself who owns a hair salon and is over 200 years previous. Since 1801, she’s been in a continuing quarrel with the witches and horrific previous figures of New Orleans. In actual life and on the present, Marie was referred to as the “Vodou Queen.” Apart from that, we see a really completely different model of Marie play out within the present from how we all know her in actuality. Within the present, on the peak of her energy, she grew to become pregnant along with her first baby by her lover, Bastien (a home slave for Madame Delphine). Nonetheless, she could not settle for demise, and when Papa Legba confirmed up, she offered her soul to him in alternate for immortality and “performing a service” for him annually. As soon as her baby was born, she discovered that she needed to provide up the souls of innocents to maintain her immortality, starting along with her baby.
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, there have been no horrifying ladies coming again to life, and Marie didn’t have immortality, nor was she some demon-conspiring, revenge-seeking girl. She died in June of 1881 and lived a full lifetime of serving to her neighborhood. She was one of many few free Black folks on the time and made herself a strong girl of excessive standing. Similar to within the present, Marie actually was a hairdresser, she did hair for the rich in New Orleans. Newspapers that also exist at present spoke out in regards to the demise of Marie Laveau. She was usually talked about as being extremely useful, a lady who nursed the sick, a gifted herbalist, and a devoted Catholic.
Because of horrible acts of vandalism, the part of the St. Louis Cemetery the place Marie is claimed to be laid to relaxation is now not accessible to the general public and might solely be accessed by way of guided tour. Nonetheless, folks nonetheless make their option to Marie’s grave to at the present time to make choices and ask the Vodou Queen for assist and blessings. Within the present, Fiona truly takes a dig at present-day Marie about her burial website saying, “I’ve been to St. Louis No 1, and I’ve seen the tomb of Laveau, seen the fats vacationer, from Little Rock to Hackensack drawing crosses on the bricks making needs to the bones of Marie Laveau. Little did they know, all they needed to do to get their needs granted was to return down right here to the ninth ward and get their hair braided.”
Houston Chronicle / Houston Chronicle by way of Getty Imag
9.Pepper (American Horror Story: Freakshow)
Pepper is an AHS common and fan favourite. She’s truly the primary character to reprise the identical position twice within the sequence (as soon as in Asylum and once more in Freakshow). Pepper is a lady who has and was the primary performer for Fräulein Elsa’s Cupboard of Curiosities present. After being deserted at 18 and located by Elsa, she performs within the present, meets a boy named Salty (one other individual with microcephaly), and so they get married. After Salty’s demise, she refuses to carry out and is shipped to stay along with her sister Rita. Her sister and brother-in-law, Larry, didn’t deal with her effectively. She was set to stay a lifetime of serving her sister and caring for her sister’s equally undesirable baby. Her brother-in-law ultimately murders the child and frames Pepper for it, which is how she would ultimately discover herself at Briarcliff.
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It appears secure to say that Pepper was truly impressed by . Whereas a variety of details about Schlitzie has been misplaced to time, we do know he was born with microcephaly. He was featured in films akin to Freaks (1932) and began his film profession within the late Twenties. He carried out as a sideshow performer for many years for varied (very well-known) circus acts.
After his handlers died within the mid-’60s, he was put right into a hospital within the Los Angeles space. Fortunately, one other sideshow performer (a sword swallower) was working on the hospital after they noticed Schlitzie and took him out to start out performing once more. He liked to carry out and hold round feeding pigeons in MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. He died in 1971 and was buried in an unmarked grave, however followers of his have been in a position to acquire sufficient cash to purchase him a gravestone and maintain a correct burial.
Hulton Archive / Getty Photographs
10.James Patrick March (American Horror Story: Lodge)
This season was filled with references to previous horrible crimes and locations. Ryan Murphy that he was very impressed by the notorious Lodge Cecil in Los Angeles for the Lodge Cortez. Within the present, our setting is a spot referred to as the Lodge Cortez, constructed by Mr. March within the Twenties, who additionally occurs to be an notorious serial killer. He constructed the lodge with a sequence of rooms and hidden areas to hold out his murders, and he used areas throughout the lodge to cover any proof of his horrific crimes. By the Thirties, the police had come for him after being given a tip about his disgusting crimes. Contained in the lodge, he slit his personal throat in a murder-suicide, leaving his ghost to hang-out the lodge for hundreds of years.
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Sound semi-familiar? Nicely, Evan Peters (who performed March within the season) that there was positively some inspiration taken from “America’s First Serial Killer,” for his character. By 1885, Holmes had modified his identify and left his hometown of New Hampshire to maneuver to Illinois. He left his spouse and baby behind after being accused of fraud and homicide.
He grew to become a pharmacist below his new identify and constructed a brand new dwelling that we’d later all know because the “Homicide Fortress.” Inside the house, Holmes had constructed a sequence of chutes, lure doorways, soundproof rooms, acid vats, and kilns for cremation. After residing a lifetime of operating from the regulation, a number of circumstances of insurance coverage fraud, homicide, faking his personal demise to gather insurance coverage cash, killing folks on the World’s Truthful in Chicago in 1893, and at last being caught and convicted for just one homicide, Holmes would ultimately admit to killing over 130 folks. He was later executed by hanging in Philadelphia for the singular homicide he was convicted of (out of probably lots of).
Chicago Historical past Museum / Getty Photographs
11.The Countess (American Horror Story: Lodge)
Within the present, we meet Countess Elizabeth (aka The Countess), who’s the present proprietor of the Lodge Cortez. She’s a 112-year-old creature, extraordinarily glamorous, and the service of a mysterious blood virus. She’s lived a really lengthy and fruitful life that consisted of a polyamorous relationship between a Hollywood actor and his spouse that will have an effect on her for many years to return, vampirism, and even turning into the apple of serial killer James March’s eye. She spent a variety of time inflicting folks along with her virus, seducing them, ingesting their blood, and killing them after along with her very fashionable however sharp chainmail glove. She was ultimately killed contained in the lodge, and we all know the way it works within the AHS world: her ghost was left to hang-out the lodge perpetually.
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Though seemingly unconfirmed, it is laborious to not see the similarities between Girl Gaga’s Countess Elizabeth and of Hungary, who was born right into a rich household that managed then-Transylvania. Born in 1560, Báthory nonetheless holds the for “Most Prolific Feminine Serial Killer.” In accordance with the tales, she’s accountable for the murders of over 600 younger ladies. She believed bathing in and ingesting the blood of her virginal victims would grant her some form of everlasting youth.
At 13, she was engaged to an 18-year-old man named from one other outstanding Hungarian household. He moved her into Nádasdy Fortress and taught her every part she wanted to learn about human torture. Numerous atrocities occurred on this citadel; accounts say there was a younger lady at one level that that they had restrained, lathered in honey, and bugs launched upon her physique. After the demise of her husband, Elizabeth moved to a brand new citadel in 1604 named Čachtice Fortress. Right here, she continued her terrifying mutilations with needles, pincers, and, oh yeah, vampirism. Tales of her horrors have been so widespread at this level that individuals have been hiding their daughters from her. An investigation was ultimately launched by the King of Hungary in 1610 after nobles started disappearing. They discovered her responsible of murdering and torturing 80 younger ladies. Guess what they did to her? They locked her in her citadel of horrors, the place she died in 1614, and in the event you ask me, she in all probability nonetheless haunts it to at the present time.
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12.The Misplaced Colony (American Horror Story: Roanoke)
This season, we start by assembly Shelby and Matt Miller, who’re telling their story by means of a documentary referred to as My Roanoke Nightmare. The couple fled to North Carolina after an assault by a gang in Los Angeles that brought about Shelby to miscarry. They arrive throughout an deserted, previous colonial home, and naturally, after they use all of their cash to purchase it and transfer in, unusual and really violent issues start to occur. They ultimately discover themselves encountering mobs with pitchforks, ritualistic sacrifices and ceremonies, and a lady by the identify of She was the spouse of real-life colonist John White; it appears unclear if she ever made it to Roanoke in actuality, however within the present, after her husband John leaves for England, Thomasin turns into the chief of the colony earlier than she’s usurped and left within the woods to starve.
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Nicely, nothing screams American folklore like a bunch of colonists disappearing on lands that have been by no means theirs! , over thirty years earlier than the Pilgrims made their option to Plymouth Rock, a bunch of 117 males, ladies, and youngsters landed on Roanoke Island in an try to create the primary English settlement in North America, led by a person named Sir Walter Raleigh. Among the many settlers have been a person named John White and his household, together with his pregnant daughter.
After the beginning of his grandchild (referred to as the primary English child born in America) on August 18, 1587, John thought it finest to return to England to collect extra provides on August twenty eighth. Three years later, John returned to Roanoke Island to seek out the place abandoned and the wildlife fully overgrown. He discovered the phrases “CROATOAN” and “CRO” carved onto close by issues and believed his household had moved inland. Earlier than he might discover additional, a hurricane arose that broken his ships and compelled him again to England. Regardless of repeated makes an attempt, John was by no means in a position to elevate the funds to make his approach again to America. Walter had fully given up on the colony, and John died a few years in a while one in all Walter’s estates. To at the present time, it is fully unknown what occurred to John’s household and the remainder of the settlers on Roanoke Island.
Common Historical past Archive / Common Photographs Group by way of Getty Photographs
And eventually, this is the girl that is left youngsters afraid of mirrors for generations:
13.Bloody Mary (American Horror Tales, Season 2)
Within the spinoff of the principle sequence, American Horror Tales, we lastly explored probably the most famend folklores of all time, Bloody Mary. Their story is that when summoned, she’ll look into your soul; if she would not like what she sees, she’ll scratch your eyes out. If she likes what she sees, she’ll look into the longer term and let you know easy methods to get what you want. Mary finally ends up telling the ladies what it takes to get what they want (which incorporates horrible acts, after all) and guarantees demise if they do not fulfill their pacts. Later, we study that the origin of the story they made up for the present was this model: Bloody Mary was an escaped slave who had been tricked together with others to a cease alongside the “reverse” Underground Railroad. Mary referred to as upon a strong African spirit to help her and murdered the entire slavers, together with one other slave that was getting used to lure the fleeing. The African spirit she referred to as upon to assist her trapped her behind the mirror after she sullied her soul and could not management herself.
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Similar to a lot of folklore, there are lots of of various theories on the . Even the way in which you summon her can differ from individual to individual. I realized that you simply go within the lavatory, flip the lights off, spin round thrice, and say her identify. No candles, no sitting, and it solely works within the lavatory.
Some folks imagine it’s a must to have the water operating, or it’s a must to flush the bathroom, and even that it’s a must to say her identify 13 occasions as an alternative of three. Regardless, identical to the discrepancies in summoning ways and even what occurs if she reveals up, there is a main discrepancy in her origins. Everybody’s first thought is that she’s in all probability named after the one different “Bloody Mary” in historical past, who was given the nickname for her gory persecution of Protestants to revive Roman Catholicism in England. Some folks imagine she’s meant to be Mary Price, a lady who’s stated to have a disfigured face from a foul accident, and so upset over her seems to be, she put a curse on the mirror she appeared into at some point, and it shattered, killing her. There’s additionally Mary Whales, who died after she was run over by a truck. Years later, a pair noticed her trying to hitchhike; she was soaking moist, bleeding, and had cuts throughout her face. Each of those Marys are often summoned by way of mirrors as effectively. Fortunate for us, AHS tacked on one other model of the story we are able to slip in each once in a while.
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Another American Horror Story ties to real-world occasions and concrete legends of? Let me know within the feedback. Glad Halloween!
