

Christine McConnell is the artist behind some of the Internet’s most inventive desserts (check out these mischievous Gremlin cakes she baked in June), as well as viral photoshoots like her recreation of seven generations of family photos. McConnell will be a weekly columnist for Upvoted, where she’ll share one of her delightfully twisted creations every week.

As my favorite time of year rolls around, I thought it would be fun to resurrect some of the women who’ve shaped who I am today. From classic horror movies to camp TV, each has at different points over the last 100 years cemented her place in our pop culture—making the shadows seem like a pretty neat place to hang out!

In each photo, I’ve tried capturing as much of the original character as possible, from costumes and makeup to the setting. I made all of the outfits shown over two days without a pattern. I shot everything in one day using a timer and a room with controlled lighting at my house (i.e., I put tin foil in the windows to block out any natural light… pretty fancy stuff).

You might notice that there’s one classic “mistress of the dark” missing from this group, and that’s simply because Elvira is still very much Elvira. My fear of having an evil hex cast on me prevented me from trying to fill the shoes of a woman who’s still wearing them!

The Bride of Frankenstein

In classic Halloween tradition, I cut up a bed sheet to make this costume and you don’t want to know how tricky that hair was to pull off.

Christine McConnell/Upvoted

Lily Munster

This was my favorite costume to make and was clearly the most fun to wear.

Christine McConnell/Upvoted

Morticia Addams

She is hands down my favorite of the bunch, which is why I shot two individual pictures of her.

Christine McConnell/Upvoted

Christine McConnell/Upvoted

Vampira

Yes, I’m wearing a corset—and no, I can’t breathe… I think I almost cracked a rib on this one.

Christine McConnell/Upvoted

The Gathering

I’ve had this picture in my mind for a long time and it’s neat to see it come to life!

Christine McConnell/Upvoted

McConnell’s first book—a collection of recipes called Deceptive Desserts: A Lady’s Guide to Baking Bad!—will be released on March 22, 2016. You can follow her work on Reddit, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.