American Horror Story: Why Richard Ramirez’s Death Creates A Plot Hole

Ryan Murphy, creator of the long-running FX horror anthology television show, American Horror Story, has frequently toyed with historical figures and events in the series; the inclusion of Richard Ramirez in season 9, 1984, and his subsequent death created a massive plot hole.

American Horror Story has adapted numerous true stories, urban legends, and other historical figures throughout its nine seasons. Premiering in 2011 with season 1, Murder House, Murphy has created every subsequent season through an interconnected universe, occasionally even overlapping characters. Season 8, Apocalypse, served as the highly-anticipated crossover season Murphy promised between Murder House and season 3, Coven. American Horror Story season 9, 1984, adapted elements from the 1970s and 1980s slasher movie craze, taking pages from iconic films such as Friday the 13th with its setting of a summer camp, Camp Redwood. Within the setting of 1984, the inclusion of real life serial killer, Richard Ramirez, as a character complicated the plot in numerous ways.

Not only did Ryan Murphy take some liberties with Richard Ramirez’s history, but his inclusion as a central character blurred the lines between fact and fiction even more. Ramirez – who was known as “The Night Stalker” – was active during 1984, but the majority of his crimes happened in 1985 before his arrest. Beyond that, Ramirez has appeared on American Horror Story before, four seasons prior, in season 5, Hotel. This is where the plot hole comes into play.

Why Richard Ramirez’s Death In 1984 Created A Plot Hole

Richard Ramirez’s first American Horror Story appearance was in a special Halloween episode of season 5, Hotel – season 5, episode 4, “Devil’s Night”. In this episode, James March, the original owner of the Hotel Cortez, who was loosely based off real life serial killer H.H. Holmes, has a lavish dinner with other serial killers – living and dead – on Devil’s Night, the only night of the year where trapped spirits can roam free. Devil’s Night has been featured in American Horror Story before, as it allows characters who are trapped in their respective locations, such as Murder House, to roam free. Ramirez’s inclusion in Hotel follows the real life killer closely, as he died in prison in 2013. This was also touched on when he appears again on Devil’s Night in 2022 in Billie Dean Howard’s TV special that takes place at the Hotel Cortez.

In 1984, Ramirez not only escapes prison after he is sentenced to death row, but makes his way back to Camp Redwood and “dies” there. Ramirez claimed Satanic influence for his crimes – in both American Horror Story canon and real life – but in the television show, his death is thwarted slightly where he can continually come back in the flesh and even travel, where the other spirits who are trapped in purgatory at Camp Redwood cannot (except on Devil’s Night). However, to keep Ramirez from leaving, the counselors and other ghosts at the camp watch Ramirez and kill him again every time he resurrects, ensuring that he stays dead and cannot leave the grounds.

1984‘s timeline goes all the way to 2019, and up until 2019, Ramirez is still being guarded by the counselors. In Hotel, March states that Ramirez is celebrating his third Devil’s Night celebration with the group, which takes place in 2015. While there could be other reasons that the plot hole might be explained, as American Horror Story plays with its timeline, and even included time travel in season 8 that could have changed everything or even created an alternate universe, it is one element of Murphy’s universe that doesn’t quite add up.

About The Author

Jack Wilhelmi
(581 Articles Published)

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Jack Wilhelmi is the horror features editor at Screen Rant, and has been with the site since 2019. He is a lifelong fan of the horror genre, and loves any excuse to discuss genre-related topics, since none of his friends dare challenge him in horror trivia. He has been published on the independent horror blog Morbidly Beautiful, and has covered major genre film festivals such as Cinepocalypse in Chicago. He has also served as a judge for the Ax Wound Film Festival.

In his free time, he is a devoted dog dad to a high-spirited rescue pup named Peter Quill and enjoys volunteering with various animal rescue organizations. Jack likes to travel and explore dark tourism-related and other various haunted locations. He enjoys studying psychology, the paranormal, and will watch literally any schlocky B-movie on the planet for a laugh.

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