New Horror Icon Amy Madigan Reveals This Classic Film Inspired ‘Weapons’ — and It’s Free to Stream
Weapons is easily one of the most talked-about horror films of the year. Dread Central’s Josh Korngut called “an instant horror classic” in his review, and there are a lot of reasons why.
One of the more unforgettable aspects of Zach Cregger’s sophomore horror film is the performance of Amy Madigan as the devious Aunt Gladys. An enigmatic character who arrives at a key moment to terrify audiences, Gladys is one of 2025’s breakout horror icons. And according to Madigan, some of her roots trace back to a camp horror classic.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly delving into how she created the Aunt Gladys character, Madigan named 1962’s What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? as an influence on her look and performance. According to Madigan, that film, along with the original Nosferatu and the photographs of Diane Arbus, helped Gladys come together.
“How you make somebody just drained of everything,” Madigan said, referring to the pallid, pancake-makeup complexion of Gladys. “Those kind of iconic things really stuck in my mind.”
Directed by Robert Aldrich and adapted by Lukas Heller from Henry Farrell’s novel of the same name, Baby Jane stars Better Davis and Joan Crawford. Both were past their prime when they signed on play two aging sisters, both former child stars, who indulge in a bitter rivalry in their crumbling old house. The film revitalized both of their careers and earned Davis an Oscar nomination. It’s also well-known for the much-publicized feud between Davis and Crawford, dramatized in the FX series Feud: Bette and Joan.
When fans think of the film today, we’re most often thinking of Davis’ character, the titular Baby Jane. With her curls and her pale, thick makeup, she looks like a ghost of her former self, haunting the house she shares with her sister. It’s easy to see why Madigan looked to this film as an inspiration for Gladys. In Baby Jane, Davis in particular is playing a woman obsessed with the illusion of youth. She puts on her old child star costumes, carries around a doll of herself, and keeps retreating into her delusions. Those delusions, combined with the brutality she unleashes on her invalid sister, make her an iconic horror villain.
Because of Crawford and Davis, Baby Jane is well-known as an essential part of the “Psycho-Biddy” or “Hagsploitation” subgenre. It didn’t invent it, but it certainly set a template for many films in the 1960s and 1970s. It’s frightening and funny, but also deeply tragic, something it shares with Weapons.
Weapons is in theaters now. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Is available to rent or buy, but it’s also streaming free on Kanopy, which you can access with a library card.
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