Creepshow's Hairstylist Dishes on Season 2's Best Styles and All the Wigs Used to Create Them
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Working on the hair and makeup team for a production like AMC's Creepshow isn't for the faint of heart — and that's not just because of all the spooky beauty looks that are created in the process. The horror anthology show's lead hairstylist, Katie Ballard, recently spoke to us about what it was like to work behind the scenes on the show, creating a handful of looks for each character that require everyone on set to "bring their A-game" every single day of filming.
"I've never seen a crew bring more passion and drive to the table than I have on Creepshow," Ballard told POPSUGAR. "The thing that I think sets [this team] apart is the amount that we accomplish in such a short amount of time. It's not only an anthology series, but we have two stories per episode. This means that we're establishing a new cast for each story, often with only a couple of days notice as to who our cast is, and we're prepping for each episode while also filming one or two other stories simultaneously. If that's hard to wrap your mind around, imagine how we feel."
That hard work showed in the series' second season, which is currently airing on AMC. For more behind-the-scenes beauty secrets — and a look at how the team's passion and hairstyling know-how applied to the hair looks from this season — keep reading.
Surprise! Many of the Characters Are Wearing Wigs
For many productions, you can probably guess that there are dozens of wigs being utilized. According to Ballard, the final wig count for Creepshow landed somewhere in the hundreds.
"We used well over 100 wigs just for Season 2," Ballard said. "Many of our main characters are wigged, so we needed wigs for their stunt and photo doubles, and dummies for anyone that dies."
Ballard mentioned that, when filming, the crew often had two to three units on hand per character at once, so it was necessary to make sure that everyone had a look for each situation.
"What's more is that many of our characters have post-transformation looks for whatever amazing creations [director] Greg Nicotero has come up with for them once they've become possessed, undead, monsterfied, etc," she said.
The "Cool Girl" Celebrity Who Inspired Grace's Faux Locs In Episode Three
In the episode three segment titled "Sibling Rivalry," Grace (played by Ja'Ness Tate) wore faux locs. Ballard was hoping to give her "a Willow Smith, cool-girl kind of vibe" when creating the loc on set.
"I did most of her install myself with assistance from the rest of the hair team as they had breaks on set," she said. "I kept her sections neat, but natural looking, and left her with a bit of a root so that they looked lived in and realistic, but maintained. Her dreads are 20-inch human-hair locs that are crocheted in at the root with her natural hair protected in a braid that runs through the center of them."
The Hair Products That Made It All Possible
Ballard relied on tons of products to keep all of her hairstyles looking nice and clean on the show. Two specific products that were go-tos for the men's styles were the Fatboy Perfect Putty ($21) and Water Wax ($18).
"[These] are staples in my kit at all times," she said. "They're the most diverse pomades that I've ever worked with, with a finish that's hard to beat."
She also used products from a diverse range of brands, including Pattern Beauty, Reuzel, and Kevin Murphy.