Mr. Jingles wasn’t the only killer featured in American Horror Story: 1984 - since the season also includes Richard Ramirez, aka the “Night Stalker.” Actor Zach Villa portrayed the real-life serial killer that went on a deadly crime spree in the mid-’80s. Ramirez notably made a brief appearance in the show’s fifth season, Hotel, during the “Devil’s Night” episode. Here’s the true story of the killer’s infamous history as depicted in the horror anthology series.
When Xavier (Cody Fern) tried to convince his friends to join him as a counselor at Camp Redwood for the summer, he used the Night Stalker as a reason to escape Los Angeles for a bit. The city was on high alert due to the killer on the loose. Brooke (Emma Roberts) was reluctant in agreeing to Xavier’s invite considering she was new in town and didn’t feel comfortable leaving for a new location so soon. While she slept alone in her apartment that night, the Night Stalker broke in and demanded all of her valuables. Before he had a chance to hurt her, a neighbor arrived which scared the Night Stalker away. The encounter led Brooke to change her mind so she joined Xavier and the others at Camp Redwood.
AHS creator, Ryan Murphy, never fails in connecting the seasons to the corresponding events that occurred during that point in history. With the latest season initially set in Los Angeles, the biggest story in the summer of 1984 in that area was the Olympics and the Night Stalker, both of which were prominent topics in the plot of the first episode. The Night Stalker was the name created by the media for the crimes committed by Richard Ramirez between June 1984 until August 1985. During that time, he killed 13 people around L.A. and San Francisco. The self-proclaimed Satanist broke into homes to rape and kill his victims before stealing their belongings. After a nationwide manhunt, Ramirez was eventually caught and convicted of multiple counts of murder, attempted murder, sexual assault, and burglary. Following his death, while he awaiting execution in prison, he was linked to a 14th murder.
The scene with Brooke and the Night Stalker was directly inspired by his last attempted murder. He broke into the home of a man and his fiancée. Ramirez shot the man multiple times but forced the woman to give up her cash and jewelry. Unlike Brooke, the woman was beaten and raped before Ramirez made her “swear to Satan” that there were no valuables left to find. The woman then managed to get help from a neighbor. Her encounter ultimately helped investigators capture Ramirez because they had a detailed description and useful evidence.
Richard Ramirez’s prominence in American Horror Story: 1984 looks to be more than a backdrop narrative. After being chased by Mr. Jingles earlier in the night, Brooke cautiously answered a payphone on the grounds of the camp. As she stood outside, the Night Stalker walked out from behind a tree. He told Brooke that he would come after her and he made good on that threat since he seemingly followed her to Camp Redwood. Mr. Jingles won’t be too pleased with another killer in his territory. According to the season’s preview footage, Mr. Jingles and the Night Stalker will have a serial killer face off at some point.
