On August 8th, eager horror movie fanatics and “Barbarian” fans, anticipating a second blockbuster hit, sat with hearts beating fast in theaters across America. These movie-goers fled to theaters to see the release of Director Zach Cregger’s second horror movie, “Weapons.”
The “Weapons” promo gave us the first taste of the movie’s mystery. Instead of the typical teaser format, initial promotion for the film consisted of eerie security camera footage. This footage showed what would become the premise of the movie. One random night, nearly an entire class of 3rd grade students all ran out of their homes and into the darkness at 2:07 am. The next day, only young Alex showed up to class. The town’s residents’ front door cameras caught footage of the children leaving home, but not where they went. As the movie progresses, teachers, neighbors, and parents grasp at straws to find the children and bring them home. Soon, things become suspiciously supernatural. Each time a character got close to discovering the unexpected truth, the story reset to a new point of view. Near the end, the plot quickly escalates, revealing the mastermind behind the disappearances, Alex’s alleged aunt, Gladys, who has come to stay with the family. Gladys is nothing like what she seems, with comically clown-like makeup covering her incredibly aged face, and a bright orange wig to conceal her balding.
I’m not much of a horror fan; I find that they often have predictable plot points, lack depth, and are driven by basic jump scares, blood, and gore. However, “Weapons” has broken my streak of feeling unsatisfied with horror movies raved about by family and friends. Don’t get me wrong, “Weapons” certainly stays consistent with classic horror staples. The blood, the gore, the jumpscares, but it uses those things strategically. What truly sets “Weapons” apart is its unique storytelling approach, comedic aspects, constant cliff-hangers that keep you on your toes, and an unsettling ending.
“Weapons” had a unique storytelling format that made it that much more entertaining. The film jumps between the points of view of different characters over a few days as they face the mysterious disappearances and attacks. This approach keeps the audience on their toes as each character’s point of view ends with a cliff hanger. Each character’s point of view slowly reveals context and details of moments that happened earlier in the film. This film leaves you going ‘what!?’ one moment and ‘ohhhhh!’ the next, and that’s what made it so engaging. The cliff hangers that are established through this story-telling approach make you feel like you are solving the mystery of the disappearing children along with the characters.
One of my favorite parts of this film is also its comedic undertone. Zach Cregger is a former comedian. His history in comedy is very present in his directing style. “Weapons” is Cregger’s second horror movie, and it is similar in its comedic aspect to his first, “Barbarian.” When “Barbarian” was released, critics raved about the crossovers between horror and comedy. “Weapons” is no different. I’ve never heard so many laughs and gasps in a theater during the span of one movie. One of the most hilarious parts of this movie was the comicality of the characters. Each one of the characters had
Since its release, Cregger has announced that a movie about the antagonist, Gladys’ story, is in the works. However, Cregger has expressed that he wants the movie to stand on its own as opposed to acting as a “Weapons” prequel.
Zach Cregger’s unique approach to horror directing that combines elements of comedy and mystery makes “Weapons” one of my top movies of 2025 and definitely a recommended film to anyone who enjoys any one of these genres. “Weapons” is a horror movie for everyone, whether you like witty or physical comedy, gore and jump scares, or an eerie mystery. “Weapons” is sure to keep an audience engaged the whole way through.
