WEAPONS PRODUCTION
CHAINED TO REALITY The creative team made an effort to design the film in a way that didn’t feel supernatural, with realistic hair,
makeup and sound effects
INTRODUCING: AUNT GLADYS While we’re well into the story before Aunt Gladys gets introduced, she’s the film’s true antagonist – and arguably its star. Played by Amy Madigan, who ‘is such an emotional actor’, says Satkovich, Gladys was conceived, ironically, with subtlety in mind. While her hero look combines bold makeup with sixties-era fashion sense, her facial structure was largely left as is. “We wanted Gladys to feel rooted in reality and not like she was some kind of supernatural villain,” Satkovich shares. To establish Gladys’ appearance, Collins looked to her personality. “She has a ferocity to her,” he says. “She’s always watching, always leering. We see her look insane in one scene, then in the next she’s all business. You have to be able to buy that.” Collins made small adjustments to Madigan’s face, including ‘one pupil smaller than the other’, a ‘sharp nose’, elongated earlobes and gummy teeth. Key to Gladys is her red wig. “I tried to keep it authentic; it’s clear that this woman doesn’t spend time styling her wig,” says Wheat. “She pops it on, and you get what you get. We didn’t want it to be symmetrical. Things aren’t quite right with her, and it’s all of those little things –
path. “There’s a short sequence where a single child runs through the kitchen and into the living room, then bursts out of the window and into the lawn,” describes Vignola. “We needed a way to enhance that. We wanted to feel the weight of this child running through the space. “We built this rattler table with a piece of plywood,” he continues, “and underneath, we fixed a subwoofer to it. Because it’s a speaker, you can feed it whatever sound you want. The idea there is that things will rattle in perfect sync.” ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL When the kids eventually catch Gladys, they rip her to shreds – another scene that required a hefty dose of stunts and special effects. As she’s torn apart, an ‘angelic’ score, as described by Vignola, begins to swell, bringing the film’s climax – and the terror – to an end. “It’s a true kismet moment that you don’t get on many productions,” insists Satkovich – not of the film’s ending, but of how it all came together, both creatively and technically. Apparent from start to finish, the crew’s attention to detail made Weapons a horror that, witchcraft aside, feels firmly rooted in the real world.
IT’S ROOTED IN diegetic reality, BUT WE ADDED A LITTLE SALT” taking a gentle approach – that have a big effect.” The missing children are (spoiler!) being held captive in Alex’s house, and the audience later learns that it was Gladys who possessed them. Alex, who knew this all along, is ultimately the one who breaks her spell, setting the kids on a witch hunt to kill their captor. The children chase Gladys around the neighbourhood, jumping through windows and busting down doors – ignoring anything that stands in their
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