After the surprise success of 2022’s “Barbarian,” Zach Cregger’s sophmore feature “Weapons” has been one of my most anticipated films of the year. I actively worked to avoid all trailers and online discourse in hopes to go in as blind as possible. This proved to be the right move, as Cregger once again proves that the less you know about what he has in store for you the more effective his thrills and chills become. “Weapons” is a massive step up from his previous outing – both in scale and scope – pushing the limits of ambition and and bringing to life his own very twisted mind. What unfolds is a dark, unnerving, constantly engaging blend of horror and humor, perfectly balanced on a tight wire that only someone with the Cregger’s confidence and distinct visual style can even begin to pull off. It’s best to talk around “Weapons” rather than talk about “Weapons,” so as not to spoil anything or clue you in to what awaits you in the dark.
Even more than his previous outing, Cregger wears his inspirations on his sleeve. “Weapons” might be one of the best Stephen King film adaptions that isn’t actually adapted from King’s work. Its blanket suburban town might as well be set in the supernatural ridden Maine that fuel most of King’s stories, with “Weapons” firmly planting its stake in that quiet, “nothing bad ever happens in the suburbs except when it does, kind of all the time” kind of town. Addtionally, he injects the film with a dash of Lynchian undertones, anchoring the narrative on the sort of communal trauma vs status quo of hillside nestled suburbia. Dark secrets lay beneath the simple veneer, and “Weapons” rips through the illusions with gnarly violence and haunting visuals. When we talk about leveling up as a director, Cregger approaches his material with the craft of a savoy veteran, always knowing exactly where to put the camera for maximum effect.
Sweeping track shots, unflinching lingering, shadows, dim lights, and close ups paired with practical effects make “Weapons” one of the sharpest looking horror films in a while. Larkin Seiple’s stellar cinematography delivers an arresting visual feast that demands your full attention as you scan each frame looking for clues. It’s so engaging all the time, and you simply can’t look away as you try to put the pieces together. “Weapons” is an unrelenting pressure cooker, and even as its starts slow it it constantly moving. Once it grabs you, it never lets go and keeps you in its grasp until the final shot. The fractured, non-linear storytelling is a testament to Cregger’s experimentation, improving upon his previous film and making chaptered perspectives much more intentional this time around. It’s a risky trick that pays dividends over time, and feels kind of like a horror coded “Magnolia” with how many different people we follow that eventually all become connected by the strange occurrence. It keeps the mystery of “Weapons” close to the chest, revealing nothing until the final act when all the scattered pieces finally come together.
“Weapons” follows multiple people reliving the same few days after 17 children inexplicably disappeared in the middle of the night and never returned. All of the children were in Justine Gandy’s (Julie Garner) class, leaving one single student Alex (Cary Christopher) left. Of course, the town and parents blame her for their children’s disappearance despite Justine being just as confused and distraught as the rest of them, the town of Maybrook needing a scapegoat for the unknown. Archer (Josh Brolin) leads the charge in the crusade against Justine and a search for answers, taking it upon himself to be his own sleuth and find his son who disappeared into the dark night. This leads him to form a shaky alliance with Justine, and together they seek to uncover the mystery of the missing children as dark forces begin to take hold of people around them and stop everyone from finding out the truth. “Weapons” also stars Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Benedict Wong, Amy Madigan, Whitmer Thomas, and Toby Huss.
I’m hesitant to call “Weapons” the scariest movie of the year; hyperbole that has only ever created false expectations and unnecessary disappoint. It’s more unnerving and unsettling and downright creepy than outright scary, and while Cregger isn’t above a well timed jump scare, he leans far more into the frightening atmosphere of the unknown rather than filling the frame with “horror” things. Make no mistake, “Weapons” has some truly visceral imagery that is sure to fester in your brain and keep you up at night, but those looking for more straightforward horror will need to look elsewhere. Here, the mystery IS the juice, the journey of building the puzzle more intriguing and engaging than the picture said puzzle ends up making. “Weapons” plays a lot close to the chest, and once the dust settles and things become clear your milage may vary on how effective its conclusion is for you.
It’s many bold choices rolled into one, and I would argue that “Weapons” provides some rewards for sitting with the fragmented story but seldom answers the right questions. The final 20 minutes are Cregger at his weirdest and genuinely funniest, packing it with grotesque violence and borderline slapstick comedy. I’m talking laugh out loud humor mixed with the macabre, something very few can even attempt let alone pull off to any kind of success. “Weapons” genuinely sports the best use of “What the fuck?” from both characters on screen and the audience themselves, a beautiful marriage of our surrogates knowing as little as we do at any given time. It’s refreshing to not feel so far ahead of our characters, and this allows Cregger to explore complex themes of grief and trauma and culturally relevant fractures of blame and communal struggle without ever feeling pretentious or talking down to his audience.
“Weapons” is also propelled by a game cast – namely Garner and Madigan – who all seem to know exactly what movie they’re making and feel completely dialed in to Cregger’s twisted sense of mystery and humor. Garner continues to demonstrate her immense talent on screen, and Madigan (though she arrives late) enters the fray with electric energy so quirky you’d think she was filming something else entirely. Cregger though, makes it work and fits her perfectly into the “Weapons” framework, oscillating from sheer, edge of your seat terror to gut busting laughter as a frequent tension reliever. Austin Abrahams is also a stand out performer though not a focal point of the story, and the rest of cast is up for the challenge but not as prevalent or as memorable as Garner and Madigan.
I’m not ready to call “Weapons” a masterpiece, but I am ready to call it an evergreen brain worm that – if you’re willing to let it – stays with you indefinitely and will be a film we talk about for a long, long time. Cregger cements himself as a new, distinct voice in the horror genre, and while I did take some issue with the landing that doesn’t quite stick, he’s 2 for 2 for me. I am all in on whatever he does next, and will stand on business to say we need more voices like Cregger, ones willing to take big risks and trust themselves and their audiences.
I can’t even end this with some clever play on words, as anything I can think of would venture into spoiler territory for “Weapons” which I won’t deprive anyone of having a completely blind experience.
So ya, I guess pack up your potato peelers, load up on cheap vodka, and never trust an aunt that needs a place to stay.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
“Weapons” is in theaters August 8th. You can watch the trailer below.
