James Patrick March, aka Mr. March, is one of the most fascinating characters to come out of American Horror Story. The enigmatic character, played by Evan Peters, was primarily featured in the horror anthology’s fifth season, Hotel. Mr. March turned out to be one of the most memorable serial killers in the series so it was no surprise that series creator Ryan Murphy brought the character back for a later season.

Since American Horror Story debuted in 2011, Peters served as one of Murphy’s go-to actors. To date, the young actor has appeared in all but one installment. The fan-favorite has portrayed unforgettable characters such as Tate Langdon, Kit Walker, Kyle Spencer, Jimmy Darling, and Kai Anderson. At times, Peters played good-natured men with morals but he also played some pretty ruthless figures, including Mr. March.

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American Horror Story: Hotel focused on the mysterious Hotel Cortez in Los Angeles. The story primarily took place in modern-day but with the presence of ghosts, there was an ample amount of flashbacks documenting the hotel’s dark history. Elizabeth, aka The Countess, was the owner of Hotel Cortez in the primary timeline but that label once went to Mr. March, her late husband. Mr. March was a wealthy oil businessman who had a knack for killing. In the mid-1920s, Mr. March ramped up his thirst for murder around the same time he built the Hotel Cortez, and it was no coincidence.

James March Built Hotel Cortez To Cover Up His Murders

The Hotel Cortez opened in 1926 and by that point, Mr. March was a full-blown serial killer. He despised religion and purposely used the ten commandments as inspiration for his murders, making himself known to be the “Ten Commandments Killer.” Mr. March built the Hotel Cortez to hide his sadistic behavior since the business served as a front to outsiders. The hotel’s infrastructure was designed with block hallways, bricked rooms, and secret chutes to discard of his victims’ bodies. The entire hotel was meant to hide Mr. March’s life as a serial killer but his actions later caught up with him.

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A hotel employee tipped off the police regarding Mr. March’s identity as the Ten Commandments Killer. Before they could arrest him, Mr. March killed himself, trapping himself within the Hotel Cortez forever. He, along with his various victims, resided in the hotel which was how he found a successor to finish the commandment killings. The murders certainly didn’t end with Mr. March and the dark truth surrounding the hotel’s staff and visitors were unearthed inside that building. Mr. March also added to the darkness with his annual Devil’s Night soirée for the ghosts of the most well-known serial killers to come together and celebrate.

After spending decades stuck inside of the Hotel Cortez, Mr. March may have softened up a bit as shown in American Horror Story: Apocalypse. Though he killed Queenie, a character from Coven who stayed at the hotel, he spent a lot of time playing cards with his victim. When the Supreme witch, Cordelia Goode, came to bring Queenie back, Mr. March didn’t stop her since he felt the woman should have another chance a life. Cordelia failed at resurrecting Queenie but Michael Langdon eventually succeeded. It will be interesting to see if James March will ever have another appearance in the American Horror Story universe.

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About The Author


Kara Hedash
(1744 Articles Published)

Kara Hedash is a features editor and writer for Screen Rant. From time to time, she dives into the world’s most popular franchises but Kara primarily focuses on evergreen topics. The fact that she gets to write about The Office regularly is like a dream come true. Before joining Screen Rant, Kara served as a contributor for Movie Pilot and had work published on The Mary Sue and Reel Honey. After graduating college, writing began as a part-time hobby for Kara but it quickly turned into a career. She loves binging a new series and watching movies ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to hidden indie gems. She also has a soft spot for horror ever since she started watching it at too young of an age. Her favorite Avenger is Thor and her favorite Disney princess is Leia Organa. When Kara’s not busy writing, you can find her doing yoga or hanging out with Gritty.

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