Back in 2011, when American Horror Story first hit our screens, no one could predict it would go as far as it did. But as Ryan Murphy and destiny would have it, the anthology series became a staple of the horror genre on television. And nine seasons, two Golden Globes, and over a hundred episodes later, we just can’t imagine our Wednesday nights without a good dose of the screams and healthy fear American Horror Story provides.
It’s already been established that the seasons are connected with each other, and yet, each has its own theme and way of going about things. And one of these things is, of course, the costumes. So today, we’re taking a little walk down memory lane, all the way back to the first season of the show. Let’s take a look at ten hidden details behind the amazing costumes of American Horror Story: Murder House!
Constance’s Hairstyles
One of the things we have to thank for when it comes to the show is the introduction of a series of fabulous acting stunts by Jessica Lange. Even though she hasn’t been featured in every episode, you simply can’t help but connect the image of the talented actress with American Horror Story.
Her first role in the series was as Constance Langdon, the Southern belle who had once dreamed of becoming a great actress. Her hairstyles clearly reflect the character’s style but, curiously enough, Lange went on record to say that the worst thing about the murderous Constance was…the hairstyles!
Smells Like…Kurt Cobain
If there’s one thing American Horror Story excels at, it is surprising its viewers. It was clear from the very first season with, for example, Evan Peter’s character’s storyline. No one saw that coming from Tate! We’ll actually take it all the way back to the first episode of the show for this one.
Upon Tate’s first encounter with Ben, he is wearing a very particular outfit that fans of the band Nirvana might recognize. It actually closely resembles the one worn by the lead singer, Kurt Cobain, on the music video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, to emphasize Tate’s nature.
(Un)Matching Twins
We’re pretty sure that our thoughts we’ll be forever haunted by the memory of the Infantata. Babies and horror movies already mix very poorly, but when you add a being made from pieces out of a dead baby that turns into a murderous beast, things just jump to a whole other level of crazy.
And this beast murdered, among many others, the twins Troy and Brian, who are now ghosts haunting the mansion. In order to tell the boys apart, played by real-life twins, the costume design department dressed them in different colors, but matching patterns - Troy wore the red striped shirt, while Bryan wore the green striped shirt.
Spot The Kinks
Taissa Farmiga’s character in the first season of the show was interesting, to say the least. She was as human as it gets, and she provided spot-on representation for every struggling teenager out there. Up until the point where she fell in love with a murderous ghost, that is.
Violet’s style was pretty spot-on at showcasing the character’s uniqueness, with subtle references to bands and music. For instance, in the first Halloween episode, she is seen wearing a skirt with a pattern that is the cover art for The Kinks’ 1984 album, “Word of Mouth”.
Witchy Foreshadowing
Fans couldn’t be happier with Ryan Murphy’s decision to keep the cast members around throughout the seasons, even though they were consistently playing different characters. This was probably his idea from the beginning since he was very keen on using foreshadowing in the most cunning ways.
One of these ways was through costumes, of course. For example, in a scene where Ben and Tate meet for coffee, and Ben notices a little girl dressed as a witch, Tate asks him if the girl reminds him of Violeta. Taissa Farmiga would go on to play a witch on the third season of the show, Coven.
A Hollywood Dream
It’s always very common for costume designers to try and convey some of the essences of a show’s character through their clothes in a way that reflects parts of who they are, their stories, their ambitions, and aspirations. Perhaps the best example out of all the characters in Murder House is that of Constance Langdon.
She knows, and everybody knows, that she is a failed actress and, later, a murderer and alcoholic. However, the memories of who she once was and, most importantly, dreamed to be, are always present in her old Hollywood style garments and accessories. Constance will always long to be that person, and there’s a part of her that can’t let that go.
Moody Elements
Well, let’s face it - American Horror Story isn’t a happy series. It wasn’t meant to be, and honestly, can we expect anything else from a show that has the word horror in the title? Nope. And the first season of the show was an experimental season, where the showrunners were clearly finding what they wanted for the show along the way.
Murder House explores a very classic type of horror reminiscent of every mainstream horror movie out there, which is why moody elements were chosen not only for the set but the character’s outfit choices as well.
Less Color Is Good Color
On a similar note as the moody elements, you’ll notice that color isn’t really a thing on the first season of American Horror Story. Constance’s character aside, all the costumes worn by the rest of the cast don’t seem to deviate from the grey, dark, black palette, which is the staple of the season.
This is purposefully to add to the mood and theme of the season, making audiences feel consistently uncomfortable, and finding it hard to encounter any splash of color that can be associated with happier feelings.
All That Rubber Isn’t Nice
Who can forget about one of the most iconic characters to be featured on the first season of the show, and that has made yet another appearance in the most recent installment? Yup, Rubber Man is quite unforgettable, mostly because he was…well…dressed in a full-body rubber suit.
Evan Peters might not be as into the character as we are, though. The actor has admitted that putting on the suit was extremely uncomfortable and painful since he had to lube up for it. Plus, it was quite thin and chilly. It doesn’t sound like much fun!
The Evolution Starts Here
The best thing about analyzing the costumes of the show’s first season is realizing how the evolution began. As we’ve mentioned before, Murder House adopted a very dark and muted color scheme which, curiously enough, was carried out through the following seasons of the show - Asylum and Coven.
The experimentation with Constance’s costumes is also a nice preview of what fans could expect from Freak Show and the seasons to follow, which slowly but steadily adopted their own style, without running away from the essence of the show.
Next: 10 Hidden Details Behind The Costumes Of American Horror Story: Asylum
