American Horror Story is notorious for its excessive and exuberantly bloody storylines, but did show co-creator Ryan Murphy go a step too far and break his own “no vampire” rule? Back in March 2012, Murphy promised fans at Paley Fest that the FX anthology series would never tackle vampires or werewolves in any of its subsequent seasons. While the show has so far managed to adhere to its “no werewolf” rule, fans still wonder whether or not the bloodsuckers-of-an-ambiguous-nature, as explored in later seasons of American Horror Story, can rightfully be classed as vampires (similar to Midnight Mass).
Back in 2015, Lady Gaga made her mainstream acting debut starring as Countess Elizabeth in American Horror Story: Hotel. The season was somewhat controversial, as most of the characters, including the Countess, are bloodsuckers who are able to maintain peak health, youth, and vitality by imbibing blood regularly, thanks to an “ancient blood virus.” Ryan Murphy explained (via Entertainment Weekly) that he was interested in this “different” take on the vampire trope: “I liked doing vampirism but I didn’t wanna do vampires.” Five seasons later, Double Feature aired. Split into two stories, season 10 begins with Red Tide (potentially inspired by a true story), a tale about a community of Provincetown creatives who indulge in a black pill, the likes of which greatly enhance the talent of the user. An unwelcome side effect of the pill, however, is a thirst for blood. The rejects who take the pill and lack talent transform into pale, bloodthirsty Nosferatu-esque shells of their former selves who hide in the woods during the summer and attack town residents in the winter. There’s even a dentist who conveniently knows how to sharpen teeth.
Whether or not characters such as the Countess can be classed as vampires is debatable. Vampires in their truest form can be found in Eastern European folklore from the late 17th and 18th centuries, where they subsist as undead, bloodthirsty creatures who are somewhat sentimental about their former life. Thus, American Horror Story’s “vampires” are not traditional vampires because they are still mortal beings whose body chemistry has simply been altered by the means of either the ancient blood virus or black pill, with no supernatural intervention.
Despite this, any character with an insatiable thirst for blood in modern mainstream media is likely to be considered a vampire. Technicalities and scientific loopholes very rarely matter in the grand scheme of things if the characters in question are on all fours, drinking blood from victims’ throats that have been sliced open with a chainmail glove designed specifically for that purpose, à la AHS: Hotel. Or, if the bloodsuckers are supposed to resemble traditional vampires, sharp teeth bared, like the pale people in Double Feature (the worst AHS season). So the common verdict, as far as fans are concerned, is that the American Horror Story showrunner did cross the line and break his own rule.
All things considered, perhaps Ryan Murphy would’ve been wiser to refrain from ruling out certain tropes so early on in the franchise’s run. Almost as though he considered himself to be above tackling the concept of vampires, when, in fact, both Hotel and Double Feature ultimately received very mixed—bordering on negative—reviews and ended up portraying bloodsuckers in questionable, clichéd ways. For instance, the pale people in the latest season of American Horror Story were supposed to resemble Nosferatu but instead ended up looking like Uncle Fester from the Addams Family franchise. In any case, Ryan Murphy’s false promises are beginning to haunt him with an added bite.
