Weapons is full of great performances, but Amy Madigan’s is so good that it must be recognized by the Oscars. In the new horror film, Madigan plays the villainous Gladys Lilly, a character so horrific and comedic that she has been seared into the minds of many Zach Cregger fans.
While horror is one of the most popular genres at the box office, it is often overlooked during awards season. These films almost never do well at the Academy Awards, with only seven horror movies ever being nominated for Best Picture. Those rare exceptions include The Substance, Get Out, and Jaws.
However, 2025 has produced a couple strong contenders, with the most recent being Weapons. Not only is Weapons a major box office hit, but it has also received critical acclaim. The performances in particular are among the most beloved aspects of Cregger’s second horror outing, and they shouldn’t be overlooked when the Academy Awards come around.
Amy Madigan Deserves An Oscar Nomination For Her Performance In Weapons
Of all the actors in Weapons, Amy Madigan is the most deserving of an Oscar nomination. The actor’s work is being praised as the best performance of her career and one of the big highlights of the film. Madigan was previously nominated for Best Supporting Actress for 1985’s Twice in a Lifetime, and hopefully Weapons can finally give her a win.
If Madigan is nominated, it would again be for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar, since Julia Garner would be the one who is eligible for Best Actress. Madigan would be the obvious choice for a nomination in this category, as characters like Donna Morgan and Mrs. Lilly aren’t significant enough to warrant an award. She wouldn’t have to be concerned with being outshone by other actors from her own movie.
Madigan gives a powerhouse performance. She is absolutely terrifying, transforming herself into an unrecognizable monstrous force. Her voice, posture, and makeup all contribute to a terrifying and intimidating presence. Madigan’s character even shares similarities to Demi Moore’s character in The Substance, which previously earned Moore a Best Actress nomination.
Her performance is incredibly complex, as she almost has to play multiple characters in the film. Behind closed doors, Madigan portrays Gladys as a decrepit manipulator. She has to scare Alex and her other prisoners into submission. She acts as if she is falling apart at the seams, yet Madigan manages to stay horrifyingly imposing despite her sickly exterior.
Outside the house, however, the version of Gladys that pretends to be Alex’s loving aunt is entirely different. This Gladys has to be cheery and loving, with her beaming smile and positive atтιтude wielded to convince suspicious minds that nothing is wrong. While she always seems a bit off, she never lets any outsiders in on her true wicked nature.
Arguably the most impressive part of Madigan’s performance is how she can switch from horrific to comedic on a dime. Throughout the majority of the film, she portrays Gladys as a horrifying unstoppable force. At the very end of Weapons, however, Madigan’s performance is at the center of the most unexpectedly hilarious scene.
How Likely Is Amy Madigan’s Oscar Nomination?
Acting nominations for horror movies are pretty rare, and when they do happen, they are often for lead roles. Madigan’s attempt to get a nomination for a horror supporting role means that the odds are already stacked against her. However, her performance is so good that she may be able to pull it off.
Madigan’s chances mostly depend on how stiff the compeтιтion is. Many of the movies that are expected to earn Best Supporting Actress nominations this year aren’t out yet, making it a bit hard to analyze. Variety predicts that movies like The Smashing Machine, Wicked: For Good, and Bugonia will earn nominations, and based on these filmmakers’ and actors’ track records, they seem likely.
The likely contenders include Emily Blunt (The Smashing Machine), Ariana Grande (Wicked: For Good), and Emma Stone (Bugonia).
Another issue is that Madigan has to beat other strong contenders for Best Supporting Actress who come from a horror movie. Hailee Steinfeld and Wunmi Mosaku are both likely candidates based on their performances in Sinners. Having two or three Best Supporting Actress nominations be from horror movies is almost unheard of, hurting Madigan’s chances.
In general, Sinners poses a threat to Weapons‘ award standing. Ryan Coogler’s period vampire epic has been the year’s biggest sensation, earning rave reviews across the industry and becoming a box office success story that few could’ve predicted. If the Academy only opts to spotlight one horror flick, Sinners has cemented itself as the likeliest choice.
However, Weapons‘ release date may help. Since Cregger’s film came out several months after Sinners, it may be fresher on the minds of Academy members when voting time comes. Recency bias has always been a big problem at the Oscars, and while movies from the latter half of 2025 could hurt Madigan’s chances, the August release could be one of Weapons‘ biggest ᴀssets.
