Rory Culkin Reveals the ’90s-Era Family Halloween Costume He Was ‘Pushing’ This Year as a First-Time Dad (Exclusive)

First Halloweens as a parent are different. They are smaller, softer, and a little more about pictures than parties, and Rory Culkin seems to understand that perfectly. The 37-year-old actor, speaking exclusively at the New York City premiere of his new Apple TV series Nocturne on Tuesday, October 20, shared the family costume idea he had been pushing for his first Halloween as a dad — and it was as funny, warm and perfectly on-brand for a family of three as you could hope for.

He wanted his family to dress as the Coneheads. Not just any group costume, but a whole family of friendly suburban aliens, with a baby-sized Conehead to complete the picture. It may have to wait until next year, but the idea itself tells you a lot about how he is approaching fatherhood: with humour, with patience, and without taking himself too seriously.

The Coneheads Idea

For his family of three, Rory was pushing Coneheads, the family from the Saturday Night Live sketch turned feature film about a family of friendly suburban aliens. The film, dated 1993 in the photo caption, starred Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin and Chris Farley, and its tall, pale cone heads are instantly recognisable even decades later.

That is part of why the idea works so well. A family of three, dressing as a family of three, with the joke built in and the warmth built in too. Rory left it open, saying in effect that it might be next year — just a family of Coneheads — and they would see.

A Realistic Halloween Plan

He did not expect an exciting night out with a small baby, and he did not pretend otherwise. His plan was simple and honest: dress his daughter up, take a couple of pictures, and go to bed.

That plan already came to life in a small way before Halloween itself. On Friday, October 23, his partner Kate Arizmendi, 37, shared an Instagram Stories photo of their daughter Havoc Moon in a bat costume. Kate and Rory were also visible in a mirror reflection in the snap, and Kate then posted a second snap with Polaroids of herself with Havoc still in costume.

Kate, a cinematographer, often shares photos of herself, Rory and Havoc, usually with affectionate captions and reflections on motherhood. The bat-costume snaps fit that pattern perfectly: candid, cozy and playful, rather than staged or overdone.

Fatherhood, in His Own Words

Rory welcomed his first child, daughter Havoc Moon, in May with his girlfriend and partner Kate Arizmendi. The article calls Kate his girlfriend in the body and partner later, and this blog follows the body wording, not the lead-photo caption wording.

On fatherhood itself, Rory said it had been lovely and a real pleasure. People had warned him it would be difficult, and it is, but that difficulty was far outweighed by love. It is a simple summary, and it rings true precisely because it does not try to make fatherhood sound easy or perfect.

His older brothers, Macaulay Culkin, 46, and Kieran Culkin, 44, both fathers themselves, gave him space to embrace fatherhood in his own way. Their joint message, as reported, was reassuring and straightforward: you will figure it out, everyone does, so do not worry. The article does not give separate advice from Macaulay and Kieran, and no separate advice is invented here.

A Difficult Day, Shared Honestly

Kate has also shared the harder side of new motherhood honestly. On September 24, she wrote about having a difficult day feeling that breastfeeding was affecting her mental health, and said she looked back at photos taken a few weeks after Havoc’s birth to remind herself the time would pass quickly and she would one day miss that stage.

That honesty sits alongside the Halloween fun, and it makes the whole story feel real. A first Halloween, a bat costume, a Coneheads idea for next year, and a family learning, day by day, how quickly this stage passes.

What Comes Next

Nocturne, the project at whose premiere Rory spoke, is described as a psychological crime thriller. It was to premiere Friday, October 30, with the first two episodes, then new episodes every Friday through December 25 on Apple TV.

For now, though, the story that lingers is not the premiere schedule. It is a first-time dad, pushing for a family of Coneheads, planning a quiet night of dressing up, taking pictures and going to bed — and a family that, for one Halloween at least, may just become the Coneheads next year.