The American Horror Story Detail You Missed In Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Running for over a decade, "American Horror Story" has proven that the horror genre has a place on television. First premiering in 2011, each season takes a universally horrific concept and explores it through a wide array of provocative episodes. Ryan Murphy's propensity for graphic depictions of gore has become a hallmark of the series. Each season is bloodier than the last, and the series leaves no macabre story left unexplored. From the Black Dahlia murder to the colonial mysteries explored in "American Horror Story: Roanoke," the FX series has earned an iconic status through its depiction of terrifying tales. Of course, "American Horror Story" is not the first television series to delve into the genre.

The paranormal has had a long history on television. Before "American Horror Story," there was "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Though the series admittedly delves more into the campy side of horror, there is no doubt that Buffy Summers helped make the genre more visible on the small screen. In fact, that success not only paved the way for Murphy's popular series, but the series shares an interesting tidbit with "American Horror Story."

Throughout many seasons of "American Horror Story," there have been quite a few familiar set-pieces. However, few have been so beloved as the Harmon home in the first season, "Murder House." Haunted by ghosts, ghouls, and strange happenings, Murder House is a common sight and the setting for most of the events of the season. The house is so recognizable that one fan on Reddit noticed it also cropped up in another horror-centric show.

"Look what I found in buffy the vampire slayer!!" posted u/Personal_Bug_3470 when the house cropped up in one episode. Fans were quick to speculate why the two shows featured the same house. "I'm not surprised at all that the murder house is in the hellmouth," remarked u/Vampirexbuny. Like the house that terrorizes the Harmon family, the house in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is the site of some unsettling occurrences.

The house appears in the Season 4 episode "Fear, Itself," when Buffy and her friends go to a frat house on Halloween. The fraternity turns the place into a haunted house for the night, and no haunted house is complete without an ill-advised rendition of a pentagram on the floor. Unbeknownst to the fraternity brothers, the symbol they painted was the Mark of Gachnar, which causes harmless props for the party to turn deadly. Luckily for Sunnydale, Buffy defeats Gachnar and turns the house back to normal. However, as fans of "American Horror Story" know, the house has a reputation for being much more dangerous than that.

In addition to the number of anxiety-producing incidents in fiction, Rosenheim Mansion has also been responsible for real-life scares. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the house's strange history began in the 1900s when it was built by Alfred Rosenheim and eventually became a historic landmark. However, it was recent owners Ernst von Schwartz and Angela Oakenfold who encountered some strange ramifications of buying the property.

The Los Angeles Daily News had a chance to take a look inside the house when the couple held a paranormal investigation in 2020. Von Schwartz and Oakenfold reported strange occurrences in the house, including moving furniture and odd noises. The decision to give credence to these happenings is especially intriguing because Von Schwartz and Oakenfold were originally non-believers in the supernatural. 

In fact, they claimed they had no idea about the house's "American Horror Story" reputation when they initially bought the property. Even though the Rosenheim Mansion had already been featured heavily in "American Horror Story," the new buyers maintained they had never watched the show and had certainly not expected passionate fans to trespass on their property. With such a heavy and disturbing history, it's no surprise that Von Schwarz and Oakenfold have since decided to relocate to a less haunted property.