While drafting the editorial on Glen and Glenda’s (Lachlan Watson) pronouns a few weeks ago, I realized that not only does each twin have a distinct identity, but that their visual coding specifically challenges traditional gender norms. Take something as simple as hair: Glenda’s short hair vs Glen’s long hair forces viewers to confront their assumptions about gender presentation (ie: short hair doesn’t = male; long hair doesn’t = female).

Reflecting on the introduction of the twins made me consider how invaluable hair and costuming has been on Chucky, so for this week’s editorial, I’m eschewing the traditional queer breakdown to dig into how the costumes contribute to the characters.

I wound up reaching out to the show’s costume designer Catherine Ashton to discuss her approach to work, dressing the twins, and those elaborate, opulent party outfits from season two’s stand-out episode, “Death on Denial.”

Bloody Disgusting: First off, tell me about your process: how do you approach a new job and how collaborative is it with other departments and the actors?

Catherine Ashton: When I first receive the script for a TV show or feature film, I read it many times to get the feel of the script. Doing this helps me breathe life into the characters. From there, I start pulling images for each character and create a mood board of looks. Once I have completed that, I sit down with the director, producers, and production designer, and we talk about…