After a summer full of guess-the-theme marketing teases that likely induced arachnophobic nightmares, some snickering at corny throwbacks to ’50s horror tropes, and more than a few seemingly plausible red herrings, American Horror Story has settled into season 6 with an inventive fictionalized take on the true crime format that’s all the rage on TV and podcasts. Subtitled Roanoke, the season has made an intriguing shift away from the sparkling extravagance of seasons past to deliver something a little different, a little grittier.
That shift in tone, setting, and visual aesthetic likely wouldn’t have felt so pronounced had it not been for the series’ previous season, American Horror Story: Hotel. While it took the series to new heights in terms of sheer spectacle of its setting – the lavish, labyrinthine corridors of the Hotel Cortez – and what went on there, Hotel was also something of a departure, as it was the first season not to feature Jessica Lange as the central figure in the overarching storyline. Instead, creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk brought in Lady Gaga to play the role of the Countess. Given the pop star’s penchant for eccentric, over-the-top costumes and spectacle during her live performances she was a natural fit for the exaggerated world of Hotel.
That world has recently been released on Blu-ray and DVD. And so that fans don’t easily forget all the goings-on inside the haunted hotel and the nasty secrets lurking inside its many rooms, Fox has created a new interactive website that gives them a chance to book a room at the Cortez… so to speak. The new website actually takes the idea of signing into the hotel’s guestbook and transforms it into a series of mini games and activities to help make your day a little more entertaining.
The quick-play games offer the sort of entertainment that will likely be familiar to anyone who’s wanted to whittle away a little spare time with things like a word find and a “spot the difference” game. Of course, being tailored for AHS fans, the word find includes such things as “Liz Taylor” and, unsurprisingly, “Murder.” Meanwhile eagle-eyed players can try and find what alterations were made between two season 5 images, featuring the cast hanging around the Cortez’s ornamental lobby area. There’s also a bloody maze game – which you sort of have to play to understand the bloody part – and for those who like to unwind with an adult coloring book, the site offers that too. You can even print your creation and hang it on your mom’s fridge when you’re done.
Finally, the site also offers a little in-room entertainment in the way of an advertisement for the season’s arrival on home video. All in all, the interactive website – or Hotel Cortez activity book, if you prefer – should help you… kill a few minutes of your day.
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American Horror Story: Roanoke airs Wednesday nights @10pm on FX. American Horror Story: Hotel is currently available on Blu-ray and DVD.
