Weapons hair & makeup team talk creating a drag & Halloween icon in Aunt Gladys

One of this year's hottest horror movies, Weapons, comes from writer/director Zach Creggor, and takes place in a suburban town where 17 children from a single third-grade class go mysteriously missing at 2:17 a.m.. The premise is terrifying enough, but when viewers meet the person responsible – the witchy, wacky, and wicked Aunt Gladys (played brilliantly by Amy Madigan).

Aunt Gladys is the latest horror villain to break through to become a cultural icon, with fan art, drag performances, cosplay, and even a custom Monster High doll based on the character.

Gladys comes from the mind of Creggor, but it was special makeup effects designer Jason Collins, makeup department head Leo Satkovich, and hair department head Melizah Anguiano Wheat who brought her – iconic wig and all – to terrifying life.

Wheat says that seeing the character take off this way has been "badass" but also "an out-of-body experience."

"And it hasn't slowed down. Stuff just keeps coming in," she adds. "Just the floodgates have opened, and they've never shut. And it is a beautiful thing."

For Satkovich, one of the moments that cemented how big the character had gotten was when drag queen Morgan McMichaels dressed up as the character.

McMichaels, who has previously performed in drag outfits inspired by horror icons from American Horror Story, The Craft, and The Nun, wasted no time emulating Gladys, complete with baby bangs, smeared lipstick, giant glasses, and all.

"I think the reward for me was Morgan McMichaels, the weekend [Weapons] came out, saying she's going to be the first drag queen to do the imitation," Satkovich notes. "And boy did she do it. Kudos, Morgan, when you read this.

"It's been a really surreal moment to see the drag community really embrace Gladys. And seeing the Night of 1000 Gladyses pop-up at local gay bars and gay bars all over the world. I try to share every flyer that I see," he says. "It's definitely wild. I can't believe she's been embraced so much by our community, but it's really cool."

He thinks drag queens glommed onto Gladys because she "is a unique character, first of all," he adds. "She's a very colorful character. She's a very campy character. And it's just something that is so out there and fun to recreate. So I'm not surprised, but I am definitely humbled."

While designing Gladys, Collins didn't realize she'd become a camp icon, but now he says it "makes perfect sense."

"During the time you're like, oh, this is creepy and that's creepy, and this will be this. But once you see everything as a totality, as a whole, you're like, yeah, I get it. That makes complete sense," he says. "But anytime you can have an impact on anybody watching something, let alone people that want to dress up as them or be them or know their motivations or see more to the story, that just means we've all done our job to the max that we could. And it's really inspiring, seeing that sort of take off and people's interpretation of what you've done."

The team also has some tips for any queens or Halloween lovers who want to dress up as the character. They say putting your own spin on Gladys is the key to success.

"Just go big, go bold. You got to do it, don't be afraid," Satkovich says. "Take that bang a little shorter. Draw that eyebrow on a little wonkier. Just have fun with it."

"Get that wig higher than you think you need to to expose the forehead," Collins adds.

"And make it a little crooked," Wheat chimes in. "And take lots of pictures."