WEAPONS: A Darkly Funny, Bizarrely Entertaining Horror Film

When Barbarian first premiered in 2022, it was clear that Zach Cregger was someone to look out for in the horror scene. The film’s unique method of blending both gut-wrenching horror and over-the-top antics made it a truly enjoyable watch. Now, with Weapons, Cregger has evolved even more, creating a film that transcends genre horror and has something more profound to say, while also being just as thrilling of a ride. Just be sure to strap in.

An Intriguing Premise

Weapons takes place in a small town in Pennsylvania. The story concerns a classroom of children led by Justine Gandy (Julia Garner), who appears in school one day only to realize that all but one of her children did not show up to class. In fact, they are all missing after they mysteriously left their beds the night before and wandered out to an unknown location. The film subsequently walks us through the various people involved in this mystery, including Justine, Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), the father of one of the missing kids, police officer Paul Morgan (Alden Ehrenreich), local drug addict James (Austin Abrams) principal of the school Andrew Marcus (Benedict Wong), and finally the only boy who didn’t disappear from class, named Alex (Cary Christopher).

The film’s method of displaying these narratives individually before eventually weaving them together is an effective way of making this web of mysteries even more alluring. Something bizarre will happen to one of the characters, such as Justine being attacked, and before we see that event conclude, we see the lead-up from the attacker’s perspective. It’s the type of narrative flow that isn’t often used, especially in the horror genre, but it works well within this storyline.

Haunting Atmosphere

Besides its intial mystery, what may really draw the viewer into Weapons is its method of filming and some twists on typical horror tropes. The film has a flowing style of camerawork and editing, often following from a character’s perspective such as weaving in and out of aisles at a liquor store, putting us right in their point of view. The film will be quite loud at times, especially during some jump-scares, but this is then juxtaposed by some extreme silence, in which you can almost hear a pin drop and never quite know what is going to happen. It’s the type of film that will keep you on the edge of your seat, not quite sure what is around the next corner.

Speaking of jump-scares, Weapons does occasionally lean into this trope a few too many times, but it’s often effectively unpredictable, as opposed to a series like The Conjuring in which jump-scares can easily be anticipated. Here, it’s used as a way to unsettle you further, as opposed to letting the audience know exactly when to be scared. More often, the film relies on its sometimes brutal moments, in which you may witness something extremely unpleasant and are not allowed to look away.

There are times when the brutality is sometimes so extreme, or a certain character reacts a certain way, that it provokes a humorous response as opposed to being horrifying, in this way making Weapons much like Cregger’s previous film Barbarian. The final sequence of this movie is a prime example of this, which for spoiler reasons I won’t get into to, but suffice to say it is perfectly representative of the insane shenanigans that had come before it.

An Ensemble Cast of Talent

There are many characters stretched across this film, yet there is just enough time to get to know at least some of them. Julia Garner is the first standout as Justine, seemingly the nice, carefree teacher figure until you get to know her more as the film progresses. Same goes with Archer (Brolin), who intially starts off as a headstrong father figure looking for his son, until he softens later on. Benedict Wong has his moments, including one absolutely brutal scene that is amongst the film’s hardest to witness.

Alden Ehrenreich shines as a conflicted local police officer, as does Austin Abrams as a charismatically likable drug addict. But it is Amy Madigan (character redacted) that is amongst the film’s real highlights, imbuing the film with both its funniest and darkest moments. Overall, Zach Cregger has created an idyllic cast for Weapons, and everyone holds their own even with some limited screentime.

Final Takeaway

Movies that are mystery-based can often be reliant upon their twist, and it’s here that Weapons seems to come up short. Once we discover what happened to the kids, it adds even more questions than answers, and it also feels both too simple and yet inconclusive. It makes sense in the context of the film, yet at the same time just isn’t completely satisfying.

Yet, appearances can be deceptive. Weapons doesn’t necessarily want to provide answers; instead it wants to provoke its audience. Each character in this film has their own inner demons, and makes some questionable decisions throughout. Yet, each is likable as well, showing the wide spectrum of qualities that make up a person. The firm aspect that unites them all is the act of being a human trying to navigate in an absurdly violent world, where bad things happen to good people, and good people sometimes make bad choices; and we have to somehow make sense of it. There can be varying theories as to what the events of this film are really supposed to mean, or if it even means anything at all. But above all, Weapons is a movie then asks these questions, and it’s all the better for it.

Conclusion

Weapons is many things: an entertaining genre film that is both funny and horrifying, an acting showcase for its talented cast, and above all a display of how violence affects people in various ways, and how we navigate a world in which terrible things can happen. Above all, it’s a wild ride, and one well worth taking.

What are your thoughts on Weapons? Are you a fan of this type of horror?

Weapons is now playing in theaters.