John Lowe is the 10 Commandments Killer. John Lowe is the 10 Commandments Killer. I keep thinking that if I repeat this statement long enough it will feel less disappointing. (Spoiler alert: it doesn't.) But regardless of how you felt about this not-so-shocking twist, there's no denying that the American Horror Story: Hotel writers did a nice job of piecing everything together in a neatly wrapped (and downright bloody) bow. Mr. March… The Countess… Sally — they all played significant roles in creating the killer that John became. But while the majority of the episode was dedicated to his perilous journey down a murderous rabbit hole, there were a few non-John related details worth noting — such as Mr. March's connection to the AHS: Hotel Addiction Demon.
Yeah… remember that guy? We haven't seen or heard much from this vile creature since he brutally violated Max Greenfield in the season premiere, aside from a few brief elevator appearances. So I was beginning to think he just served as a sort of one-off nightmare that wouldn't contribute much to the main storyline. However, "The Ten Commandments Killer" revealed an interesting piece of intel about this formidable foe. Like the fact that, apparently, Sally isn't the one who's able to control the Addiction Demon's actions after all — Mr. James March is.
In a flashback, we see Sally standing idly by as John attempts to commit suicide (via hanging) in his hotel room at the Cortez. Sally is in love with John and wants to be with him forever, so having him become a ghost would be like a dream come true for her. But before the deed is done, March cuts him down — he needs John alive if he's to carry out his murderous work. That's when March rips into Sally, reminding her of the deal that they've made. He keeps the Addiction Demon from attacking her so long as she doesn't mettle in his affairs and does his bidding.
It's still not clear how March is able to control the demon. (Maybe because he's the owner of the hotel and even the evilest of villains know not to bite the hand that feeds them?) Either way, though, this is just one more facet of Evan Peters' character that I find both extremely fascinating and downright terrifying. Let the nightmares commence!
Image: Prashant Gupta/FX
