BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – For the latest iteration of FX’s most popular anthology series, executive producer Ryan Murphy checks in to “American Horror Story: Hotel” (10 p.m. Oct. 7).

Mr. Murphy compared “Hotel” tonally to the show’s first season, which was set in a haunted house.

“This season hearkens back to the first season, which is much more rooted in honest, primal fears,” he said. “We were really inspired by the idea of a surveillance video that was going around two years ago that showed a girl going into an elevator in a Downtown Los Angeles hotel and she was never seen again [until she was found dead in the hotel’s water tank]. That started us thinking of this idea.”

Series co-creator Brad Falchuk said the horror is not limited to a single building as it was in season one.

“In this one the horror is sneaking out of the hotel, it’s dripping out,” Mr. Falchuk said. “It’s more noiry, more moody in that way. But it’s the same feeling that when you go home, home is the least safe place you can be in the entire world.”

Characters from past seasons will check into the Hotel Cortez beginning in episode six.

The “AHS” ensemble again includes returnees Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, Angela Bassett, Wes Bentley, Carnegie Mellon University grad Matt Bomer, Chloë Sevigny, Denis O’Hare and Finn Wittrock, who are joined by Cheyenne Jackson and Lady Gaga. During a press conference at the TV critics press tour, the cast revealed some information about who they play and how they relate to the show’s contemporary Downtown Los Angeles’ Hotel Cortez.

Lady Gaga plays the hotel’s owner, Elizabeth, whose top employee is Iris (Kathy Bates), the hotel manager who can’t stand Sally (Paulson), who lives at the hotel.

“[Elizabeth] has a nefarious plan that’s revealed in the first episode and plays out over the course of the season,” Mr. Murphy said.

Finn Wittrock plays a male model, Tristan Duffy, who’s always looking for the next high and finds it in hotel owner Elizabeth.

Donovan (Mr. Bomer), another hotel denizen, “has very interesting relationships with the ladyfolk in his life,” Mr. Bomer said.

Will Drake (Mr. Jackson) is a fashion icon desperately trying to creatively re-establish himself after moving from New York to Los Angeles.

Mr. O’Hare plays a character inspired by Elizabeth Taylor who works in the hotel’s Blue Parrot Lounge.

Alex (Ms. Sevigny) is a mother dealing with a great loss. She’s married to a detective, John (Mr. Bentley), who investigates some grisly murders, which leads him to check into the hotel.

Ms. Bassett plays Ramona Royale, who has a relationship with Elizabeth. She doesn’t live at the hotel, but visits often.

TV writer Rob Owen is attending the Television Critics Association summer press tour. Follow RobOwenTV at Twitter or on Facebook. You can reach Rob at 412-263-2582 or rowen@post-gazette.com.

First Published: August 7, 2015, 7:15 p.m.