Samuel Van Wirt

Samuel Van Wirt
"A doll does not sin. It has no flesh to mortify. No soul to lose."
Portrayed by	Denis O'Hare
Details
Species	Human
Occupation	Owner of the Van Wirt Toy Company
Cause of death	Burned alive by an unnamed witch using pyrokinesis.
Relationships	Otis Van Wirt (son) Ellen Van Wirt (wife, victim) Eustace (employer) Coby Rae Dellum (enemy) Unnamed witch (killer)
Appearances	Dollhouse

Samuel Van Wirt is an eccentric millionaire fascinated by dolls. He is a character in American Horror Stories portrayed by Denis O'Hare.

Quick Answers

What led Samuel Van Wirt to build a real-life dollhouse?

Following his wife's infidelity and death, Samuel Van Wirt, a toy factory owner known for creating dolls, constructed a life-sized dollhouse. This served as a prison for kidnapped women, who were subjected to various games. The losers were discarded down a well, while the ultimate winner was designated as the new 'doll'.

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What is the significance of dolls in Samuel Van Wirt's life in American Horror Stories?

In American Horror Stories, Samuel Van Wirt, an eccentric millionaire, has a deep fascination for dolls. He owned a toy factory specializing in doll creation, reflecting his belief that dolls, devoid of flesh and soul, are sinless. His private dollhouse, filled with mannequin-dolls, epitomizes this belief.

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Who is Otis in relation to Samuel Van Wirt in American Horror Stories?

In American Horror Stories, Otis is the son of Samuel Van Wirt, an eccentric millionaire and toy factory owner known for his fascination with dolls. After the death of his wife due to her infidelity, Van Wirt raised Otis alone. He constructed a life-sized dollhouse, using it to imprison and test kidnapped women in a series of games, with the losers meeting a fatal end in a well.

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What kind of business did Samuel Van Wirt own before his life took a dark turn?

Before his life took a dark turn, Samuel Van Wirt owned a toy factory, specializing in the creation of dolls. After his wife's infidelity, he committed murder and raised his son alone. He then used his dollhouse as a prison for kidnapped women, subjecting them to various games.

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Background

Samuel Van Wirt was once the normal, if eccentric, owner of a toy factory that specializes in creating dolls. After catching his wife cheating on him, Van Wirt had both her and her lover thrown down a well outside his house, killing them. Van Wirt was then left to raise his son, Otis, by himself.

Van Wirt built a real-life "dollhouse", which he uses as a prison for the women he kidnaps. His goal is to test them in various different "games", with the loser of each being thrown down the well, and the ultimate victor will become the new mother of Otis.

Van Wirt kidnaps Coby, a woman applying to be his secretary, and forces her to join the game as one of his "dolls". Coby quickly forms a bond with Otis, promising the boy that she'll be his mother if she escapes. Van Wirt also rigs the dollhouse with microphones in order to spy on the dolls. He then has several of the dolls thrown down the well for failing his games.

After learning of Coby's plan to escape with the other two remaining dolls, Van Wirt decides to use the escape as a final test. Coby breaks away from the group to go rescue Otis, while the other two are killed by Van Wirt's guard. Van Wirt then recaptures Coby, revealing that by going back to rescue Otis, she'd proven herself to be the perfect mother. Van Wirt then has Coby's entire body encased in plastic and forces her to act as a mother for Otis.

A week later, the dollhouse is broken into by two members of the New Orleans witch coven, who detected that Coby was a witch in distress. The witches then rescue Coby and Otis before setting the dollhouse on fire, leaving Van Wirt and his guard to burn to death. All his victims were avenged.

Notes

• The first name of Van Wirt is never mentioned in the episode, and the name Samuel is not known until a Reddit post featuring a call sheet from the episode has listed the character with such name.
• Denis O'Hare played an adult Spalding in American Horror Story: Coven, Van Wirt's son.