Horror Film School is a feature in which talent in front of and behind the camera share the ins and outs of creating the biggest onscreen scares.
“Totally Killer” costume designer Patricia J. Henderson had a unique job dressing the cast of the horror-comedy. In the film, Jamie (Kiernan Shipka) travels back in time to save her mother’s high school clique from a serial killer. Although the film opens in the modern day, Jamie spends much of her time in 1987, at odds with ancient technology, a lack of politically correct sensibilities and dated fashion sense. But even though the film has plenty of jokes, it was crucial to Henderson that the ’80s fashion not be too over the top.
“There’s a fine line between creating character and having someone become a caricature,” she says. “I strive to not cross that line. I’m going to date myself here, but I lived it and a lot of the references that I pulled came right from my high school yearbooks.”
The movie’s dodgeball outfits were based on looks from Henderson’s yearbooks.
James Dittiger/Prime Video
Henderson detailed her strategy for dressing the ’80s-chic cast for Varietyas well as how she was able to perfectly outfit the film’s Sweet Sixteen Killer, along with sharing exclusive behind-the-scenes art of her process.
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DO create a mood board to get in the right frame of mind
Image Credit: James Dittiger/Prime Video
Henderson pulls inspiration from many places, ranging from her past to her favorite movies.
“Anytime I’m out, I love to thrift, and anytime I find magazines that are older, I get them,” she says. “I’ve got a lot of Rolling Stone magazines, things like that because they spoke to what people were wearing. I also worked in a nightclub in 1986-87, so there were lots of photo references from there. Of course, John Hughes movies played a huge part for me — some of those looks that were iconic in his films.”
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DO get inspiration from thrifting
Image Credit: Courtesy of Patricia J. Henderson
Thrifting, as well as the cyclical trends of retail stores, is how she drew inspiration for Jamie’s signature vintage jacket.
“I found a fringe leather jacket in black,” Henderson says. “It’s how I wanted the cut of Jamie’s white jacket to be. The retail stores at the time we shot this about a year and a half ago were very big into the ’80s and the pastels. It was not as much of a challenge as people would think it was, because we were able to purchase things that fit well with the time period.”
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DON’T get too lost in what cultural influencers of the time were wearing
Image Credit: James Dittiger/Prime Video
While Henderson loves the daring looks of ’80s trendsetters like David Bowie and Grace Jones, it wasn’t realistic compared to what average people were wearing. She stuck to staples like rugby shirts and polo shirts and authentic pieces that weren’t too over the top.
“What was going on in New York or Los Angeles in 1987 was not going on in small-town America,” she says. “It was far more subdued. We didn’t have the funds, nor did we have the stores to go and purchase all of those on-trend things. I did a little bit with shoulder pads, but I didn’t want to hit that too hard because I think that was overstating the reality of the time period.”
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DO find a look for your killer that has a bit of flair but can hide in the shadows
Image Credit: Patricia Henderson
Henderson had some unconventional inspiration for what the Sweet Sixteen Killer should wear.
“I looked back to James Dean,” she says. “You see some of the raw denim in him with the turned-up cuffs. I used Red Wing boots that had been around forever. The jacket was very important because I didn’t want it to be just a flat black jacket where he blended into the back. So we picked navy and it had some sheen to it. There are moments where he runs by and you can see a bit of shimmer.”
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DON’T forget specific details that speak to the exact time
Image Credit: Patricia Henderson
Along with the killer’s mask, which was designed by Henderson’s friend and collaborator, Alterian’s Tony Gardner, the duo wanted a look for “an iconic killer that some people might want to dress up as for Halloween.”
“We had to have an element that spoke to the ’80s, and that came in the T-shirt that we did,” she says. “We went with a lighter gray shirt, and I worked with the art department and graphic designers to create a logo that would be noticeable and memorable. It was based a bit on Don Johnson from ‘Miami Vice’. It spoke to the period, but it also gave us a palette where you can splash blood on it and it showed up across the front. It’s about texture. It’s about being authentic.”
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DO embrace the thrill of teamwork
Image Credit: Courtesy of Amazon Prime Video
Henderson feels the most important part of being a costume designer in any production is a collaborative spirit.
“Keep your mind open to absolutely everything and anything that can happen,” she says. “Be extremely collaborative with your fellow filmmakers because it’s a team process. It is not just about you and the costumes.”
