The Night Stalker From Netflix's True Crime Doc Actually Appears In American Horror Story Too

We've had trouble sleeping this past week - and it's not just lockdown fears keeping us up at night.

Netflix recently dropped the utterly terrifying Night Stalker, which documented the crimes of one of America's most notorious serial killers, Richard Ramirez.

However, some viewers have made the link between the real-life murderer and the fictionalised version of Ramirez in American Horror Story.

"Night Stalker" Ramirez was turned the supernatural, unkillable being in by creator Ryan Murphy for American Horror Story: 1984, and uses many elements from Ramirez's real-life killing spree to set the scene.

The horror series is set at Camp Redwood in Los Angeles, where Ramirez committed most of his crimes in real life. The 80's setting also mirrors The Night Stalker's killing spree, with Ramirez thought to have committed his first murder in 1984.

Actor Zach Villa, who plays this paranormal iteration of Ramirez, also bares a startling resemblance with the serial killer - the pair both having long black hair and tall, skinny frames.

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The series also touches upon Ramirez's Satanism beliefs, which are thought to have fuelled his killings.

Naturally, this has seen fans of AHS tune into the new documentary to compare the real killer with the American Horror Story version.

Taking to Twitter, one said: "Just binge watched The Night Stalker docuseries and now I wanna rewatch season 1984 of AHS."

"It was AHS that introduced me to Night Stalker, so I went to search about his crimes and... damn, disturbing! I need to watch it!" another added.

"Watched AHS 1984 with a night stalker, then found out that Netflix would release a documentary series about it. Omg," said a third.

"Stop I did not know the Night Stalker was a real person and then I saw him on the Netflix banner and I was like ??? Why does he look so familiar ??? And then I realised he's portrayed in AHS 1984, I'm embarrassed," a fourth typed.

A fifth said: "Bruh the dude that played the Night Stalker in AHS looked & acted just like the real one."

However, American Horror Story: 1984 was not one of the most well-received seasons of the popular horror anthology, with many finding it far too gory and excessively disturbing.

Others took issue with how AHS portrayed Ramirez as a charismatic womaniser, believing the depiction of the serial killer was too flattering.

But it turns out real life can sometimes be stranger than fiction, with many now finding the Night Stalker documentary a truly harrowing watch.

You can read more about the series here.

Topics: Entertainment News, True Crime, TV News, TV & Film, Netflix

Kimberley Bond

Kim is a journalist at Tyla, and has previously worked at the Evening Standard, Radio Times as well as several national newspapers. A showbiz obsessive and a television fanatic, Kim is particularly interested in celebrity gossip, A-list events and the latest releases on either the big or small screen. Contact her at [email protected]

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