The New 'AHS' Promo Looks A Lot Like 'The Shining'

After months and months of (rightfully horrific) hype, we're now dangerously close to the premiere of American Horror Story: Hotel . The fifth season of FX's horror anthology series promises fans an entirely different chapter than anything we've seen before: Gone are the days where Jessica Lange's beloved anti-heroines reigned supreme, and in its place, it's all about Lady Gaga and supporting cast members who look like they just stepped out of an audition for Rock Of Ages. Now, a new American Horror Story: Hotel trailer suggests that, while there will be plenty of new, hyper-modern stuff in store for fans, the show will likely also play a serious homage to an iconic horror film. American Horror Story: Hotel's latest promo is borrowing plenty of imagery from The Shining, which means that these residents are in for one hell of a hotel stay.

It's not surprising that the new season of American Horror Story would visually reference Stanley Kubrick's famous film. While haunted hotels are a trope in many horror works, The Shining is perhaps the most iconic example. The film, which was released in 1980, takes place at the haunted Overlook Hotel and follows the new caretaker and his family as they slowly realize something is very wrong with the hotel — and with their very own patriarch, Jack, who is slipping into psychosis. Maniacs, ghosts, and grisly murders? Sounds perfect for American Horror Story.

Need proof? Here are just a few of The Shining references in the new American Horror Story: Hotel promo:

1. The Elevators

AHS:

The Shining:

One of the most famous scenes in The Shining involves a river of blood that pours in from the hallway in front of these elevators. The promo for the new season of American Horror Story features a very similar shot of hotel elevators — though, I think I'd take the sea of blood over those creepy kids any day.

2. The Curious Child At The Door

AHS:

The Shining:

The scene in the American Horror Story promo is considerably more trippy than The Shining's, but the quick shot in the promo definitely resembles Danny going to explore Room 237.

3. The Hallway Blood Shot

AHS:

The Shining:

They're not exactly the same shot, but these two scenes do share an odd similarity. The blood splashing around in the blender (umm, ridiculously gross) seems almost like an homage to the crazy hallway scene from The Shining. At least you can just throw out the blender... you're definitely going to have to deep clean the carpet at The Overlook after that incident.

4. The "Twins"

AHS:

The Shining:

Perhaps the spookiest ghosts in The Shining are that of the little girls who were murdered by their father. Though they're not twins, they are often referred to as such due to their similar appearance and outfits. The same goes for the twins in the American Horror Story clip above: they're not actually identical twins, but they are dressed identically.

5. The, Uh, Dog Stuff

AHS:

The Shining:

Very different dog imagery used here, but I think we get the idea about what kind of hobbies these hotel guests are into. The arguably strangest scene from The Shining involves Wendy walking in on a sexual situation involving a man wearing a dog costume. It seems that American Horror Story is making the scene a tad more explicit with the dude on the leash.

6. The Red Rooms

AHS:

The Shining:

Kubrick's The Shining is famous for its use of color, and one of its most famous shots involves a bright red and white bathroom. It seems that American Horror Story is playing homage to that scene above, with its own version of a red and white room. Somehow, it's even eerier than the scene from the original movie. (Maybe it's the gumballs?)

Let's hope that American Horror Story: Hotel provides just as many scares and has as high of a creep factor as the film its promo is paying homage to. If you're going to do hotel horror right, there's no film better to borrow from.

Check out the full promo below:

Images: FX Networks/YouTube (7); Warner Bros. Pictures (6)