Set in Los Angeles, California, American Horror Story: Hotel centres around the enigmatic Hotel Cortez which catches the eye of an intrepid homicide detective. Playing host to the strange and bizarre, The Cortez is spearheaded by its owner, The Countess, who is a bloodsucking fashionista and also features two murderous threats in the form of The Ten Commandments Killer, a serial offender that justifies his actions in accordance with biblical teachings and The Addiction Demon, who roams the hotel armed with a power tool powered sex toy.

Why we’re looking forward to this:  Okay, so there is no denying that American Horror Story: Freak Show wasn’t particularly good. There’s no arguing though that the smash television franchise had been pretty damn cool up until that point, and Hotel looks like it could just be one of the best series so far. True, this marks the first series in the franchise not to feature Jessica Lange, which is a shame, but it has to be said that as well as creating some renewed interest in the show, Lady Gaga looks to be more than a capable replacement. Indeed, her casting as hotel owner The Countess looks like a move that will also add a new edge to proceedings.

With the remaining principle cast members returning as the many odd denizens of the hotel, and no doubt the murderous pair The Addiction Demon and The Commandments Killer, it all looks to be a great setup for countless twisted moments. It has also been said that Hotel connects directly in with series one, with the titular Murder House featuring directly in the tale. Interesting…

American Horror Story: Hotel hits television screens in the UK on 20 October 2015.

JASON HICKS