Halloween is the perfect time for TV and movie fans to pay tribute to iconic characters through creative costumes. This year, some American Horror Story viewers are channeling Tate Langdon, one of the most memorable figures from Murder House.
Recently posted on Reddit, these spot-on Halloween looks capture Tate’s creepy style and dark intensity. Black hoodies, messy blonde wigs, and smeared black eyeshadow replicate Tate’s disheveled appearance. Most chillingly, skulls painted onto faces and necks mirror the twisted war paint Tate describes wearing in a disturbing fantasy. By embodying his iconic facade, these fans found a frightening yet fitting way to celebrate the season.
Tate Langdon, played masterfully by Evan Peters, is a pivotal character in the first season of American Horror Story. As the troubled teen who bonds with Violet Harmon, Tate exhibits vulnerable and tender moments. But he also displays profoundly disturbing thoughts and behaviors, encouraging Violet’s self-harm and describing violent fantasies to her father, psychiatrist Ben Harmon.
Tate’s iconic skeletal makeup originates from one such unsettling confession, where he imagines donning a painted skull as he murders people in a killing spree. This bone-chilling look shaped Tate’s enduring image as a captivating yet dangerous figure.
In a shocking twist, Tate is revealed to be a ghost, having died in a shootout with police after perpetrating a massacre at Westfield High School in 1994. When confronted on Halloween by his victims, Tate denies knowing what they’re referencing. But Violet later discovers the awful truth about his past and is utterly devastated. Through it all, Evan Peters delivered a masterful performance, showcasing Tate’s multilayered psychosis and keeping viewers disturbingly enthralled.
Years later, Tate still retains his singular spot in the cultural consciousness. By transforming into this iconic character for Halloween, fans are paying tribute to both Tate’s indelible menace and Evan Peters’ brilliant acting. Their costumes allow them to tap into the darkness that made Murder House – and Tate – so compelling.
