FANGORIA has summoned me to the makeup chair for the fourth time. Here we go again.
For Halloween, HBO invited fans to “face their demons” in person with a live makeup demonstration. I stepped into a downtown window display along with TikTok comedian Benton McClintock to slowly transform from two New Yorkers into two of HBO Max's biggest threats to your sleep schedule: The Nun and Pennywise. Wardrobe, prosthetics, full makeup —the works —before we were unleashed onto the streets of New York on Halloween night.
The makeover was helmed by makeup pros who understand the look of these demons better than anyone: prosthetics designer Sean Sansom, three-time Emmy nominee Shane Zander, and wig designer Debra Jean Johnson, all of whom have contributed to creating Bill Skarsgård's iteration of the beloved dancing clown. The application was a relaxed, chatty experience to celebrate horror's holiday. Benton's 360-degree Pennywise transformation took just over three hours, including the oversized foam head prosthetic, hairdo, and airbrush detail. Sean Sansom laughed as he told me after 73 or 74 full applications (he's definitely not counting, right?), his team could easily knock that time down another 30 minutes if needed.
On my side of the studio was a consistent collaborator and long-time friend of James Wan and Atomic Monster, Eleanor Sabaduquia. I took the opportunity to prod Eleanor on what the inside of an Atomic Monster creature production might look like, especially with collaborators who have a shared history.
The two met on Wan's directorial debut- a little film called Saw. “I did his first film, and we were friends from there. He's very loyal. After Saw, I did three Insidious movies, three Conjurings, three Annabelles, one Nun, one La Llorona, one Lights Out…”. I'd be doing a disservice to my Letterboxd shelf if I didn't ask, but yes, Sabaduquia led the makeup department on the unconventional favorite, Malignant, too. Remember Gabriel's jail massacre sequence? Sabaduquia let us in on a little secret — the brain splatter over the cell walls is actually vanilla cake!
It's hard to tell where Wan's ideas end, and Sabaduquia's ideas start. I guess that's a testament to trusting and understanding each other's tastes as artists. “James doesn't know it, but he has a very specific look for his villains. You'll notice it in Saw's Billy, The Nun, Mary Shaw in Dead Silence, and The Red Face Demon from Insidious. We've worked together so long, I know what he subconsciously goes for in a monster”.
Besides what Sabaduquia calls “the Wan look,” Bonnie Aarons is a name that fans greatly respect for her ability to make any reflection feel like the last one you'll ever see. Aarons was championed for the nun role by Sabaduquia, and the rest is history.
(Credit: Robert Ravenscroft)
Now, seeing that collaboration between Aarons' performance and Sabaduquia's makeup in Hot Topics, Spirit Halloweens, and countless collectible figure manufacturers around the country- I'd say that casting choice was a very good call.
I don't have the stature to compete with Aarons in the nightmare department, especially at 5 feet 2 inches. Elanor's prosthetics and masterful makeup details boosted me about a third of the way, and her tips on which angles and facial expressions work best to complement the shadows in the makeup were a game-changer. After spending the day with one of horror's favorite makeup artists, I'm much wiser when it comes to contemporary horror's monsters. If you saw me on Canal Street over Halloween weekend, you're welcome, and sweet dreams.
