For today’s post, I have decided to do a countdown of Denis O’Hare’s top five portrayals on American Horror Story. This is the sixth post in this series for Horror Week!
Number 5: Holden Vaughn (AHS: Double Feature)
~This character made an impact with his big personality in the first half of last season’s two-part Double Feature theme. He is one of the villains of the season and such a fun one in the hands of this talented actor! We get the slow burn of learning that he is more than he appeared, which is always fun.
Number 4: Stanley (AHS: Freakshow)
~Stanley is one of the most heinous of American Horror Story characters. He was a con man that took a young woman under his wing and set her on the life of major cons. In this season he uses his tactics to kill the Freaks and sell their body parts to a morbidity museum! He is a disgusting character that is played to horrific perfection.
Number 3: Larry Harvey (AHS: Murder House)
~The first time we see Denis O’Hare in this series, he is a scarred man who had a deep connection to the Murder House. He proved to have been a cowardly man that was seduced by Constance to commit horrible acts and would go on to be burned by acid at the hands of Tate before everything crumbled about him. He kept a close eye on the house and had no compunctions about killing to help in his quest to reunite with Constance! He was a truly mentally unhinged character that was so well-acted.
Number 2: Spalding (AHS: Coven)
~This was a uniquely creepy character in the New Orleans-based season. He was the butler obsessively loyal to Fiona, so much so that he cut out his own tongue! Over the course of the season, we learn that he was also obsessed with dolls and even a necrophile thanks to his keeping Madison’s body for his own enjoyment. This is a truly sick character, but the portrayal is great! O’Hare even refused to talk on set to stay in character!
Number 1: Liz Taylor (AHS: Hotel)
~There is no better O’Hare portrayal than Liz Taylor. We learn her backstory as being a man who was unhappy in his marriage because he felt like he was not a man. Upon coming to the Hotel Cortez he meets the Countess and she tells him he smells like a woman because he is a woman! From here the transformation into Liz Taylor is complete, straight outta Butterfield 8, as the Countess remarked! This is a powerful portrayal of the series’ first trans character. She gets to truly fall in love, reconnect with her son, takes over the Hotel, and run a fashion empire before learning she has cancer. We get to see her become a ghost of the Hotel Cortez by choice at the hands of the Countess herself! It is a beautiful character arc that none of the others can compare to!
~I hope that you have enjoyed this countdown. Did I include your favorite Denis O’Hare character? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
White Rose of Avalon 