REVIEW: 'Weapons' is a masterful exercise in horror
Weapons opens with a terrifying premise: At 2:17 a.m., 17 children leave their homes, sprinting towards an unknown target. That they disappear without a trace is traumatic enough, but the fact that they all came from the same grade school class shakes the small town of Maybrook to its core.
With a dearth of clues, parents begin taking their frustrations out on the children’s teacher, Justine (Julia Garner). When one father (Josh Brolin) decides to investigate on his own, what he uncovers will change the lives of everyone in Maybrook forever.
Writer-director Zach Cregger’s latest film is a slow burn that blends tension with scares in a film that’s almost entirely unlike what its trailers would have you believe. Like Cregger’s previous effort, Barbarian, the film is presented in a non-linear fashion as the central mystery unfolds.
By cycling through multiple points of view, the audience is taken on a narrative journey where every revelation adds to the horror in a rare instance where knowing more doesn’t detract from the experience. Through smart pacing, the wait for characters to catch up to what we, the audience, already know enhances the overall sense of dread.
Thematically, there’s lots to unpack here, as the parents’ grief-stricken actions recall all-too-familiar news cycles of domestic gun violence, to the point that the film straight up spells it out in a dream sequence. Also at the fore is the undue pressure placed on school teachers to serve as secondary parents, mentors, caregivers, and even therapists for their students in a society where education is constantly underfunded and de-prioritized.
The teacher in question, Justine, is shown almost immediately to be fallible, succumbing to alcoholism and other bad decisions as she takes the brunt of Maybrook’s ire. While her heart’s in the right place, she’s far from the typical horror movie “final girl” as her coping mechanisms keep her from being entirely objective in her quest for the truth. Let’s just say that it’s probably not the best move to go on a stakeout when you’re the unwilling owner of the town’s single most-recognizable vehicle.
Brolin’s Archer Graff, while equally flawed, goes into his investigation with a somewhat clearer head, employing logic and deductive reasoning to cut through his angst in his quest for the truth. Along the way, he even finds it in himself to make amends with Justine before (fellow-MCU alum) Benedict Wong’s Principal Miller brings the mystery directly to them in a memorably bloody fashion.
There is some levity to be had, as Cregger punctuates his sequences with notes of jet-black humor, reminding the audience that this is a movie, after all. This is most evident in nearly every scene featuring Alden Ehrenreich’s slow-witted police officer and Austin Abrams’ perpetually unlucky drug addict. In a film that hinges on such a horrifying premise, their encounters provide unexpected juxtaposition while doubling as a backhanded commentary on the general state of American law enforcement and poverty.
Overall, Weapons puts up more questions than it answers, but does so in a way that doesn’t leave the viewer feeling short-changed—this is a full-on horror experience that’s sure to go down as a classic. Indeed, by the time the film plays its final, unflinchingly brutal card, you’ll either be fully on board or searching for the exit, as climax follows climax for a denouement you’re unlikely to forget.
Between Sinners, Final Destination: Bloodlines, Together, and Weapons, 2025 is shaping up to be a breakout year for original entries in a genre that was—for the longest time—wallowing in sequels, spin-offs, and retreads.
Hype aside, it’s best to avoid spoilers and go in with zero knowledge for this one; suffice it to say, in the hands of an emerging filmmaker like Zach Cregger, these kids are most definitely all right.
