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The Character That Was Portrayed Incorrectly, According To AHS Fans

The "All Monsters Are Human" tagline that dominated Hot Topic T-shirts and Tumblr feeds in the 2010s may have been phased out, but today's "American Horror Story" characters still embody that mantra. Often drawing inspiration from real life, the FX anthology series has found itself in hot water over certain portrayals over the years.

From Tate Langdon's Columbine-inspired massacre in "Murder House" to Kathy Bates' portrayal of the sadistic slave owner Delphine LaLaurie in "Coven," the show doesn't hold back when it comes to bridging true crime and television. However, the line between distorting history and making an entertaining horror show is blurred. On the show's subreddit, a place for fans to dissect the series, a recent thread by u/RainShxdow asked fans to dish on their "most controversial" opinions. Fans touched on all elements of the show, but one character's questionable portrayal was a common answer.

So, which character do "American Horror Story" fans think was portrayed inaccurately?

Romanticizing real-life serial killers

Of all the true crime-inspired characters on "American Horror Story," Richard Ramirez (Zach Villa) rubbed many fans the wrong way. The charismatic "1984" version of the convicted serial killer, rapist, and burglar was less gritty than the one that briefly appeared in "Hotel."

The top comments under the Reddit thread pointed out how attractive the Night Stalker looked, with u/heretickitty666 writing the actor "had no business looking that fine" given how brutal his real-life counterpart was. Another user responded by pointing out that Richard Ramirez had notoriously bad, decayed teeth while, on the show, "Zac was showing off his perfect pearly whites everywhere."

Others said that while Villa's performance was great, they wished his character had been written differently. "(Producer) Ryan Murphy has a gross habit of romanticizing topics that shouldn't be," wrote u/Ahouse04, citing Tate Langdon and Richard Ramirez as examples.

"I hate the over-inclusion of real true crime in ahs and don't think it has ever been included in a way that hasn't been tasteless and disrespectful," opined u/leesro. Another user, u/Stiricidium, ended their controversial opinion post with, "And I think I've had enough sexualizing serial-killers for a lifetime."