‘American Horror Story’ Season 3 Spoilers: Closer Look At Kathy Bates’ ‘Coven’ Character, Madame LaLaurie; Watch Spooky New Promo Video, ‘Mythology’

“American Horror Story: Coven” will definitely feature some frightening new characters, but one particularly spooky one is Kathy Bates’ Madame Delphine LaLaurie. But why is the character of LaLaurie so scary? Because she is based on a real-life serial killer of the same name who terrorized Louisiana in the 1800s.

As we previously reported, Madame LaLaurie was accused of horribly mutilating and killing her slaves in 1834. When a fire broke out at her mansion in the French Quarter on April 10, the public reportedly discovered some gruesome sights: a locked room scattered with body parts, organs and severed heads; victims strapped to tables; a man surgically transformed into a woman; a female mutilated to look like a human crab; and others who had their arms mutilated and skin peeled off.

Bates’ character was briefly featured in the “Burn” promo video. However, in “Mythology,” a brand-new promo video for season three of the hit FX miniseries, fans get to see a little bit more of Madame LaLaurie.

“There is a storm coming,” Fiona Goode (Jessica Lange) warns at the beginning of the video.

The camera cuts to Madame LaLaurie holding a lantern and walking through a dark room with slaves chained up and in cages. “My great literacy began with Greek mythology,” she tells a man who could possibly be her husband. Standing in front of a bleeding and tied-up slave, LaLaurie continues, saying, “The Minotaur was always my favorite.”

When the camera cuts back to the slave, a bull’s head is now either sitting on top of his head -- or has actually been sewed on as a replacement head.

“Mythology” continues with Marie Laveau (Angela Bassett) threatening that “she gone mess with the wrong witch.” In quick flashes, “American Horror Story” viewers can see other haunting images, such as:

-- Evan Peters’ character, Kyle Spencer, cut up and bleeding with a pentacle carved on his chest.

-- Lily Rabe’s character, Misty Day, being burned at the stake.

-- An alligator chomping on the head of a man and dragging his body into the lake.

“American Horror Story: Coven” premieres on FX Wednesday at 10 p.m. EDT. Watch the “Mythology” promo video below and let us know what you think about Kathy Bates’ character in the comments section.