Image Source: Getty / Jay L. Clendenin [1]

American Horror Story [2]: Hotel has only just premiered, and it's already living up to eerie expectations — but it turns out there's something even more terrifying than the show's plotlines: the story of the real-life hotel the show is based on. Ryan Murphy revealed to EW [3] that the Cecil Hotel on skid row in downtown Los Angeles inspired him this season.

The grand lobby of the 700-room, 14-floor Cecil Hotel belies a dark and disturbing history. Since it opened in 1927, the hotel has been the site of a string of suicides, at least one murder, and several alleged ghost sightings and has a roster of sinister guests; serial killer Richard Ramirez, aka the Night Stalker, was in residence at the Cecil during his 1980s crime spree, and a decade later international serial killer Jack Unterweger also stayed at the hotel while committing brutal crimes.

Ryan hinted he was most influenced, however, by a 2013 incident at the Cecil Hotel involving Elisa Lam, a Canadian woman who disappeared shortly after checking in, only to have her body found weeks later in the water tanks on the roof of the hotel. A surveillance video of Elisa acting erratically in the hotel elevator shortly before her disappearance particularly resonated with him.

AHS: Hotel's heebie-jeebie-loving fans have reportedly been flocking to Hotel Cecil [4], now a hostel renamed Stay on Main [5]. For an up-close look at the infamous hotel, you can book a room from around $55 to $135 per night — if you dare.

Image Source: Getty / Boston Globe [6]

Image Source: Flickr user alejandro jofré [7]

Image Source: Kym B. via Yelp.com [8]

Image Source: Phillip W. via Yelp.com [9]

Image Source: JH. via Yelp.com [10]