Richard Ramirez is a serial killer and rapist driven by reactive Satanism. He is a character in American Horror Story primarily portrayed by Zach Villa.
Background[]
Richard Ramirez was the last of his siblings born to Mexican immigrants, Julian and Mercedes Ramirez. When Mercedes was pregnant with Richard, she worked in a boot factory and inhaled many toxic chemicals. Richard grew up in an physically abusive environment due to his father's anger outbursts. Richard also suffered from seizures after sustaining head injuries as a child.
Richard looked up to his cousin, Miguel, who was an army veteran. Miguel showed photos of women he had murdered and raped to Richard when he was a young boy. Richard also ended up witnessing Miguel shoot his wife after an argument.[1]
In 1984, Richard met Montana Duke during one of her aerobic classes, who is immediately attracted to him. While the two discuss, they were interrupted by one of the students, Rod, who complained about the music choice for the class.
After the class ended, Montana was shocked to discover Rod, disemboweled and strung up on the ceiling of the locker room. Richard appeared from behind, asking her if she liked his surprise. Montana is turned on by Richard killing Rod and the two proceeded to kiss. Later on, after a session of lovemaking, Montana asked him to kill Brooke Thompson, whom she believes is responsible for the death of her brother, Sam. Richard agreed to help her with that.[2]
Personality and Appearance[]
Ramirez is an evil Satanist who will kill anyone. He has long, black hair. He is slender and he loves Billy Idol. Ramirez is manipulative and is charming. He has no emotions and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Ramirez can be kind sometimes but as long as he is alive, no one is safe.
Story[]
Hotel[]
In 2016, Ramirez attended the James March's soirée during the Devil's Night at the Hotel Cortez, in Los Angeles. Since dying of liver cancer after 23 years on death row in 2013, this was the third time he had taken part in the event.
Upon arriving, he signed the checkbook as Danielle Levesque. He laments that Charles Manson won't be joining them yet. Liz Taylor checks him in, but he won't need a key. His swag package involves a husband and wife, whom he bludgeons. The wife does not die, despite repeated attempts to kill her, and she runs screaming from the room, where she encounters Mr. March. Her pleas for help prompt him to hold her and invite his compatriot to finish her off.
The group is later gathering in the Room 78 for dinner with John Lowe as a special guest. Aileen apologizes for her previous behavior at the lounge bar and wants him to sit with her, but Mr. March reminds her of the placard traditions. He serves absinthe and introduces himself. John reminds him that March would have died 85 years prior. March counter-reminds him that anything is possible in this hotel. John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer introduce themselves, and John recognizes the masked Zodiac, Aileen, and Richard Ramirez on his own. Despite being dead, they all have received guidance from March and had all stayed in the hotel. The absinthe has taken an effect on Lowe, and Gacy handcuffs him to his chair.
Ms. Evers serves, and Ramirez puts on some music, which he and Aileen dance to. Ms. Evers brings out an appetizer, a drugged young man. Lowe tries to shoot Dahmer to prevent him from trepanning the young man, not knowing that the shot will have no effect on ghosts.
Dahmer has "zombified" his victim, and the assembled killers are disappointed that John hasn't warmed to them yet. March toasts his famous equals, and he wants them to join him for dessert. Sally brings in her now heroin-tainted man, which will buy her a year of solitude from March. The killers (Gacy now in clown make-up) all take turns stabbing the man.[3]
On October 30th, 2022, Ramirez is among the other malevolent ghosts threatening medium Billie Dean Howard from profiteering from the infamous reputation of the Hotel Cortez for her TV program.[4]
1984[]
In the summer of 1984, Richard Ramirez committed a series of heinous crimes that earned him the moniker "Night Stalker" by the press. On June 28th, he killed a 79-years-old woman in her apartment in Glassel Park, Los Angeles. On the night of June 30th, Ramirez broke into Brooke Thompson's apartment. After stealing her jewelry, he attacks her but Brooke defends herself by repeatedly hitting him with a cast-iron pan, attracting the attention of neighbors who put Ramirez on the run. Before leaving, he threatens the young woman by saying that Satan will show him how to find her again. True to this statement, Richard follows Brooke to Camp Redwood the next day, stalking her from afar.[5]
Ramirez assaults Brooke while she was sitting at the pier and finds a dead body floating towards her feet. Brooke overpowers him with an oar and runs. Ramirez is intercepted by the hiker, whom he disembowels. Later, the hiker rematerializes alive, only to be killed again. Ramirez pulls the hiker's name tag, which shows he was a counselor in 1970. Looking back up, the hiker has vanished.
Ramirez later goes to Margaret Booth's house waiting for her. He wants an explanation for the mysterious hiker that will not stay dead. She puts on some music and gets her first aid kit to treat his wounds. He explains that he has killed men before, but never the same person twice. Margaret credits God with the hiker's resurrection, and says he has been dead for many years. To explain, she asks him to tell her the worst thing that had ever happened to him. He describes a difficult childhood of abuse and physical trauma. Ramirez says that he likes Margaret, and she explains that he should not feel guilty for his actions if they are in service of God's (or Satan's) work. She tasks Richard with defending the camp and protecting the campers.[1]
Ramirez corners Brooke, Chet, Rita, and Ray after he breaks into the nurse's cabin. Ray abandons the group, only to be attacked by Ramirez, who proceeds to stab him. While Brooke and Rita escape the cabin after gaining the car keys, Chet decides to save Ray by throwing Ramirez off of him.
Ramirez pursues Ray and Chet through the forest, causing them to fall into a pit filled with spikes, leaving Chet seriously injured as he is impaled by a spike through his shoulder.
Ramirez appears and ambushes Ray and Montana, and Ray subsequently abandons Montana. Ray is decapitated by Richter in his attempt to escape. Montana momentarily struggles with Ramirez, only for the pair to share a kiss. Montana then asks, "Why haven't you killed her yet?", implying she has been working with Ramirez from the beginning.[6]
Montana pretends to help Brooke by fetching something to cut down the net, but she leaves her so Ramirez can finally kill her. Montana finds Ramirez trying to contact Satan through a ritual. She interrupts him and explains that Brooke is in a vulnerable spot. While Brooke awaits for Montana, she spots Ramirez and goes into a panic. However, Richter shows up at the same moment. Ramirez and Richter battle each other. Montana finds Donna and begins to fight her, knowing she isn't actually Rita. During the fight, Richter is able to overpower Ramirez and impales his head through a tree branch.
Later, Ramirez is resurrected by Satan in front of a stunned Donna who witnesses the entire thing. Ramirez smirks at her once he is fully risen.[2] Ramirez talks to Donna and shows her a fake version of her father. When Benjamin dies, Ramirez brings him back after he sells his soul to Satan. At sunrise, Benjamin and Rameriez ride to L.A. to kill.
One night, in a motel, Ramirez almost kills a tourist but Benjamin talks him out of it. Benjamin is tired of being Ramirez's sidekick. Benjamin gives a group of women a newspaper with Ramirez's face and they beat him up and Ramirez is arrested. Ramirez talks to Doreen about the festival and Ramirez tries to get Brooke to become a Satanist but she won't. Ramirez later gets Satan to possess a guard and help him escape which he does.
Ramirez later kills Kajagoogoo for Satan now at Redwood. Ramirez later gets to see Billy Idol's rings. Ramirez sings Rebel Yell but Benjamin attacks him and they fight. Bruce accidentally runs over Benjamin. Bruce and Ramirez talk about their kills and Bruce goes to kill Benjamin but Ramirez says that Satan will show him the way and he cuts himself in a pentagram. Xavier later takes Ramirez and Bruce to see Benjamin but Xavier is killed by Benjamin. Margaret kills Benjamin and goes after Bruce but Ramirez stops her. Ramirez and Bruce later kill Stacey and they agree to help Margaret kill as long as Idol is save.
Margaret later kills Courtney in front of Ramirez. Montana tricks Ramirez and the ghosts kill him for the rest of internity. One night, he escapes but the ghosts continue to kill him over and over again.
Quotes[]
- To Brooke: "You're gonna be famous! You're gonna die by the hand of the Night Stalker!"
- To Brooke: "I will find you. Satan will show me the way."
- To Margaret: "I was poisoned before I even took my first breath."
- To Margaret: "Can I see your feet?"
- To Donna: "Just because something seems inconceivable doesn't mean that it can't be true!"
- Donna
Who the fuck are you?
- Richard
Isn't it obvious? Evil. Pure. Uncut.
- To Richter: "Do you accept Satan as your master?"
Notes[]
- This character is based on the real-life Mexican American serial killer, rapist and burglar of the same name.
- Ramirez was a guest at James March’s Devil's Night soirée in Hotel, establishing a connection between the fifth and ninth season.
- Ramirez’s extended role in 1984 received criticism, with many, including the families of real life Ramirez’s victims accusing the show of glamorising him.
- In Final Girl, there is a continuity discrepancy regarding Ramirez's character in the overall timeline of the series. In Hotel, Ramirez was one of several American serial killers who was mentored by James March, which was why he was present at Devil's Night in 2015 in Devil's Night. Ramirez noted that he died in prison in 2013, contradicting events in "1984", where Ramirez was kept as a prisoner by the ghosts of Camp Redwood, continuously being murdered and resurrected through his pact with Satan. It is therefore likely that he escaped this fate somehow, in order for him to die in 2013.
- In real life, Ramirez once resided at the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles, an allegedly haunted place that was reportedly the inspiration for Hotel Cortez due to its scarily high rate of deaths and violence.
- When visiting the Hotel Cortez in "Devil's Night", Richard Ramirez signs the guest book under Danielle Levesque. Levesque is the art department coordinator for American Horror Story.
- When Ramirez is stalking around the Camp Redwood grounds, a faint whisper of "Satan" can be heard. This could be a reference to the infamous KiKiKi MaMaMa echo/whisper heard in the Friday the 13th films, whenever Jason or Pamela Voorhees are out killing.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Episode: Mr. Jingles
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Episode: True Killers
- ↑ Episode: Devil's Night
- ↑ Episode: Be Our Guest
- ↑ Episode: Camp Redwood
- ↑ Episode: Slashdance
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| Asylum |
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| Roanoke |
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| Apocalypse | |||||||||||
| 1984 | |||||||||||
| Double Feature |
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| Delicate | |||||||||||
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