“ | Well, then, I guess I'm just going to have to kill God. That is my message to the world. | „ |
~ James Patrick March makes a vow. |
James Patrick March, also known as the original Ten Commandments Killer, is a major antagonist in the horror anthology series American Horror Story. He serves as one of the two main antagonists (alongside the Countess) of the fifth season, Hotel, and a minor character in the eighth season, Apocalypse.
March is a millionaire and serial killer who is directly responsible for the creation of the Hotel Cortez during the 1920s, having built it with the specific intention of using it as a venue for his murders - as well as a place to dispose of the bodies.
He was portrayed by Evan Peters, who also played Jeff Pfister in the show's eighth season, Apocalypse.
What Makes Him Pure Evil?[]
- James March tried a number of drugs while he was alive and was never satisfied with them. Craving something stronger than his favorite drink Absinthe, he eventually started killing. He took great enjoyment in brutally murdering his victims and then having intercourse with their bodies before disposing of them.
- He built a hotel in which he used to commit and hide his crimes which later becomes a hellmouth, trapping the souls of anybody who dies inside the property, including himself after suicide.
- He confessed to killing 27 people when he was alive, but was only convicted of 9 of those.
- He locked his wife's immortal vampire lovers inside a closed in hallway in his hotel where they were trapped for almost 100 years.
- There is a theory that Elizabeth, after having gone to Dr. Charles Montgomery, would have had to explain the presence of her unnatural offspring to her husband, James Patrick March. It is possible that March, being a serial killer and angered at his own son nearly being taken from him, is responsible for disfiguring Thaddeus as revenge against Charles.
- He often mocked his victims beliefs in God before killing them.
- As March was almost caught by the police, him and his maid Hazel Evers decided to take their own lives inside the hotel. James shoots Hazel in the head as his "last victim" and then slices his own throat with a knife.
- Every Halloween night James throws a party called "Devil's Night" with the ghosts of famous serial killers Jeffery Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, Richard Ramirez, Aileen Wuornos, the Zodiac killer, and later John Lowe in order to teach them murder.
- He controls the demon of addiction. March instructed the demon to torment Sally McKenna, a drug addict who was killed by Iris in the Hotel Cortez, for the rest of eternity.
- After meeting John Lowe in his hotel while John was drunk, March convinced John to finish the 10 commandments killings that he started while he was alive. March mentors John in the ways of killing for five years without John remembering any of it.
- He instructs his wife to kidnap John Lowe's son. After his missing son puts strain on his marriage, John Lowe starts finishing the Ten Commandment murders without remembering him actually killing anybody. During the time he wasn't murdering, he was investigating the exact murders he was committing due to his job in the police force as a detective. These killings are as follows:
- "Thou Shalt not Kill" (James March) The first victim was a thief killed by James March. March cut off the man's hand as a trophy and kept it displayed in a hidden room in room 64
- "Remember the Sabbath Day, Keep it Holy" (James March) The second killing was a group of migrant workers that March killed for working on a Sunday. March took their teeth for the second trophy
- "Thou Shalt not Commit Adultery" (John Lowe) John killed a man and woman who were having an affair and both had families with kids. The woman was found impaled with a spear with her hands nailed to the headboard of a bed. The man was found still alive with his eyes and tongue removed and his member affixed with adhesive inside the woman. John put the eyes and tongue in the hidden chamber as the third trophy.
- "Honor Thy Mother and Father" (John Lowe) John killed two twin males who killed their parents in order to get the family fortune. The twins were found both disemboweled and hung crucifixion style on their respective bedposts. John took both of their hearts for the collection.
- "Thou Shalt not Worship False Idols" (John Lowe) John murdered a man name Martin Gamboa because he was a pedophile. Martin was an extreme movie fan who was in possession of an old Oscar award. John used the award to bash Martin's skull in, then sexually assaulted him with it, leaving gold paint inside the man's anus. John took his brain for the hidden chamber.
- "Thou Shalt Not Bеаr False Witness" (John Lowe) John killed the editors of a gossip website in their office. Their tongues were removed and nailed to the wall and floor. John took out their vocal cords for the hidden chamber.
- "Thou Shalt Not Take the Lord's Name in Vain" (John Lowe) A television priest was found disemboweled in a chapel with his mouth filled with coins which were also spilled randomly around his body body. A police officer witnessed the act, but was killed by Wren, who was sent by Sally to protect John. John took the man's spleen for the chamber.
- "Thou Shalt not Covet Thy Neighbors Wife" (John Lowe) John killed his detective partner Andy Hahn after finding out Andy was lusting of own wife, Alex Lowe. John took Andy's penis and testicles for the chamber.
- "Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me" (John Lowe) John killed a small community of three people worshiping "The Lady of the Shadows" at their small temple and brought their ears as a trophy to the chamber.
- "Thou Shalt not Commit Murder" (John Lowe) The final kill was March's own wife Elizabeth (The Countess). John emptied his gun in her before she could flee from the hotel. John brought her head into the secret chamber, finishing the display of all the body parts from the killings.
- He kills Queenie to save Ramona from her so that Ramona can kill the Countess because he knew she was going to leave him.
- Despite Hazel Evers' love and loyalty to him, he quickly deserts her when he learns that she was the one who told the police about his crimes.
- Although he agrees to the ban on killing, it is merely pragmatic, as more murders could result in the hotel being hurt financially to the point of its demolition, and he doesn't know what will happen to their souls after.
- He threatens to kill Billie Dean Howard on Devil's Night if she doesn't stop her show at the hotel.
- James is one of the serial killers with the highest number of victims in American Horror Story, surpassing Dandy Mott and Margaret Booth.
- Despite having plenty of comedic moments, such as delivering witty one-liners, none of them lessen the darkness of his character. Instead, each instance of humor serves to highlight just how much of a sadistic psychopath James truly is.
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Pure Evils | ||
Supernatural Forces Humans |