Abhiroop Das
In Zach Cregger’s ‘Weapons,’ seventeen students from the same class go missing in Maybrook, creating unprecedented havoc within the community. With no answers in sight, the collective gaze turns to the two people from the class who are still here: a child named Alex Lilly and the teacher, Justine Gandy. As the case starts to go cold, some parents decide to take matters into their own hands, and here their paths cross with Justine. However, a supernatural shadow lurks over the town and its inhabitants, and the protagonist soon realizes that she is not prepared for what is to come. The psychological horror film has its fair share of enigmatic characters, but one who outshines all of them is Gladys, Alex’s aunt. Her unique appearance, coupled with the secrets she hides, makes her a prominent figure in the narrative, and how she chooses to reveal herself tells a story in and of itself.
Amy Madigan’s Rendition of Gladys is a Result of Expert Makeup and Prosthetics Work
Amy Madigan’s portrayal of Aunt Gladys brings to life a potent concoction of evil and desperation. Although her schemes shape up the bulk of the narrative, there lies a very specific reason behind them, one that can be found in her fear of death. The real Gladys is old, frail, and barely holding it together, and this leads her to take the help of the supernatural to siphon energy from others. While that continues, she covers her balding head and damaged skin with extremely thick makeup and a signature red wig. Although these two items are presented as simple makeup work within the narrative, the efforts made by Amy Madigan paint a different story. In an interview with Collider, the creative team behind ‘Weapons’ confirmed that Madigan’s look in the film was the result of careful makeup and prosthetic work. The idea was to make her a believable presence, and to that end, the team found a balance between the mundane and the supernatural.
While Gladys’ appearance stands out from the first frame itself, a closer look reveals a number of nuances, each of which has been carefully planted by the creative team for maximum effect. Jason Collins, the special makeup effects designer for ‘Weapons,’ confirmed that Amy Madigan’s nose was augmented with prosthetics in order to create a sharp side profile for the character. Another notable addition was to involve contact lenses in the equation, which were then painted over to give the illusion of differently sized pupils. Additionally, Collins described using artificial teeth nubs to recreate mamelons, which in turn made the character all the more threatening. The look was completed with lengthened earlobes, another element made possible by prosthetics. While all of these details are not readily apparent, they register on a psychological level, steering one’s perception to achieve the desired effect.
Over the course of the story, Gladys’ look evolved to fit the different stages of her health. At one of her lowest points, we see a significantly different version of the antagonist. Here, Satkovich commented that while many of her signature makeup additions were present, the team went on to add more age marks, as well as eyebrow blockers to simulate the character’s age, which is finally coming into light. Several elements of her face were touched on, ranging from sweat patterns to skin tone, in order to ensure a believably harrowing appearance. Conversely, all of Gladys’ public appearances make use of clever makeup that adds features indicating youth, such as fuller eyebrows, which were achieved with the help of stencils. This layered approach to the character’s appearance reflected the team’s passion for the project, which culminated in a memorable final product.
Gladys’s Look Draws Inspiration From Various Real-Life Figures
In the interview, Leo Satkovich, the makeup department head, explained that the reigning concept behind Gladys was to subvert existing conventions about how an antagonist in a horror movie looks. To that end, they made sure that her makeup reflected not just the desire to conceal her appearance, but also the state of degradation that was lying underneath. This layered approach was not without antecedents, and Satkovich cited a number of people and works as a source of inspiration. He was foremost drawn to the works of photographers Diane Arbus and Cindy Sherman. Both artists are known for capturing asymmetry and uncanniness with their cameras, and that finds an overlap within ‘Weapons’ as well. In particular, Satkovich explained that Glady’s makeup look was moulded after the character of Jane Hudson, as shown in the 1962 film version of ‘Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.’
Jason Collins further shed light on one of the most defining features of Gladys: her bald head. Although it is often covered by her wig, the true state of her head tells a story in and of itself. He stated: “We kind of wanted to play with tropes a little bit, but we still wanted to keep it on the realism side… so, that required us to create these two-piece bald cap systems that Leo and I would apply after Maliza (hair department head) would wrap the hair beautifully and tightly.” He also described the efforts that went into braiding specific strands of her hair in order to bring a spooky edge to the look. Another challenge that the team took on was Gladys’ final appearance, which involved a macabre spectacle. In order to maintain the realism factor, the crew filmed Amy Madigan’s performance and a dummy body, which was used for the stunt sequences.
Aunt Gladys’s dressing sense matches her character design in its level of eccentricity, and Leo Satkovich partially modelled her fashion after real-life figures as well. In particular, the crew was inspired by the works of Trish Summerville, a renowned costume designer. Melizah Anguiano Wheat, the hair department head for ‘Weapons,’ explained that Gladys was always intended to have red-colored hair, but that involved a complication. Within the narrative, Gladys uses cheap wigs, which make themselves self-evident. However, in order to perform at their best, the team relied on high-quality wigs, which were then artificially made to look low-quality. This reiterates their commitment to the craft while also highlighting the entire spectrum of challenges that the crew often has to deal with.
Read More: Weapons: Is Maybrook Based on a Real Town?
