The horror genre has been thriving for years, to the delight of fans like me. Some of the best horror movies in recent years have come from Warner Bros. chief among them being Zach Cregger’s Weapons. Amy Madigan’s performance as Aunt Gladys has been universally acclaimed, with some fans hoping she’s gets her flowers during Awards Season. And the actress recently responded to Gladys (rightfully) becoming a gay icon.
Weapons was a hit at the box office, as well as with critics and audiences alike. Loads of LGBTQ+ folks (myself included) love horror, and plenty of the genre’s biggest villains have been embraced by the community. Madigan recently appeared on THR’s Awards Chatter podcast, and responded to the way queer audiences have embraced her villain Gladys. In her words:
I love that the gay community has so taken to Gladys, and they realize she’s somebody that is an outsider, that’s tormented, that doesn’t fit in. And also her look. People just said, ‘Yeah!’ It’s just a surprise to me that the community, and I think people in the drag community too, kind of really related to [her].
Points were made. That sense of other-ness is something that many queer folks can relate to, which is often why horror villains are beloved by fans of the genre. Add in Gladys’ loud wardrobe and mixture of quirkiness and terrifying villainy, and there’s a lot to love. I know I personally became obsessed with the mysterious witch immediately.
Indeed, Gladys was a popular Halloween costume this year, particularly for LGBTQ+ folks who loved Weapons. Plenty of drag queens have also performed numbers as Gladys as well, to hilarious results. Later on the same podcast, Madigan spoke about this trend, saying:
I mean, the men and women in the drag community, their makeup is impeccably beautiful; Gladys’ is a little skewed that way. But the men who are involved in that, I think they appreciated that look of hers, and she thinks she looks great.
Gladys definitely has a memorable look; messy makeup, bright colors, and that red wig. Its something that’s easy to emulate, and a number of Weapons-inspired drag performances have arrived online since the movie hit theaters. Amy Madigan has seen some of them, and seems delighted by her villain’s popularity.
This is only the most recent example of a horror villain becoming popular with queer fans. The Babdook also became a gay icon, mostly thanks to it being accidentally put in the LGBTQ+ section of Netflix. But Gladys is being embraced as a character by queer fans, who has some connection with the zany villain.
Of course, Madigan’s character was also embraced by the larger moviegoing audiences. This led to chatter about a Gladys getting a spinoff, where her mysterious backstory is revealed. But Cregger revealed that he’s not actively developing it since no deal has been made yet.
Weapons is streaming now with a HBO Max subscription. Hopefully its spinoff gets ordered sooner rather than later, as it’s already a highly anticipated upcoming horror movie.