A small town teacher finds herself vilified by her community when seventeen of her students all flee their homes at 2:17am. The community doesn’t know it, but losing the kids just might be less traumatic than understanding what happened to them.
Zach Cregger surprised me back in 2022 with the release of Barbarian, a horror film that kept me guessing only for every one of my theories to get gunned down in the best ways possible. The WKYK alumni stepped out of the world of comedy, and brought its charm and energy into the world of horror. Where his film Barbarian made audiences disgusted on a visceral level, Weapons aims to create a “whodunnit” scenario with an unexpected outcome. Cregger has gone all-in on his concepts, writing and directing both of his breakout horror stories.
Weapons has the kind of pacing seen in such films as Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, with the narrative jumping back and forth in its own timeline to showcase the different perspectives from each focal character. Julia Garner, hot on the heels of her premiere as Shalla-Bal in Fantastic Four: First Steps, leads the charge as the story follows Julia, the teacher who comes to school one day to find only one of her students had shown up. Parents refuse to believe that Julia knows nothing about their disappearances. Most vocal among them is a distraught father, Archer, who demands answers. Played by Josh Brolin, Archer is one of the few horror characters I’ve seen who did nearly everything I would do in such a scenario. Brolin’s energy in Weapons rivals some of his best cinematic outings throughout his extensive career, as he taps into the mind of a man who’d do anything to bring his kid home.
Julia and Archer aren’t the only locals to get wrapped up in the mysterious disappearance. Paul, a local officer and Julia’s ex, is pulled in by pure circumstance brought on by a drug addicted vagrant. Alden Ehrenreich, of Solo: A Star Wars Story fame, finds himself disinterested in his day-to-day life while the vagrant, James, lives only for his next fix. James is played by Austin Abrams, who’s previous horror outings include Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and two seasons of The Walking Dead. On opposite sides of the law, Paul and James are woven into the narrative in a way that both advances the story and eases the tension that Weapons initially instills.
The cast also includes the likes of Benedict Wong as the school’s principal, Marcus. Benedict Wong is of course best known for his role as Wong in such MCU offerings as Dr. Strange, Shang-Chi, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. His most recent work includes 3 Body Problem, and the 2024 movie, Bad Genius. Marcus strives to get Julia to leave the only remaining student alone, but can’t help but get involved when he believes the well being of the child is in question. The remaining student, Alex, is reserved and soft spoken, offering no help in the ongoing investigation brought on by the small town. He answers the questions the authorities throw his way, and is simply placed in another class when the school reopens. His quiet nature and the cause for it, make him much more than just some annoying kid in a horror film. This is thanks to his portrayal by young actor, Cary Christopher, who’s range comes from his experience growing up with roles in such shows as American Horror Stories, NCIS, and Days of Our Lives. Weapons is his first credited cinematic role, and one to be proud of.
As previously mentioned, Weapons jumps back and forth throughout the narrative. Normally I’d find such a thing to be tedious, or perhaps daunting, but Weapons does it in a way that gives us just enough time with each character to fully understand their motives. It isn’t often that a horror film gets me invested in the characters’ lives. Usually there’s a final girl and cannon fodder, but not here. The time we get to spend with Justine, Archer, Paul, James and Marcus independently gives the audience an idea of who each person is at their core. Not unlike 2004’s crime thriller, Crash, the daily activities of every one of these people overlap and ultimately culminate in an ending that rewards you for investing your time with each character.
Anyone familiar with Barbarian can expect the unexpected. Much like his previous horror outing, the final act delivers something completely out of left field. While the narrative in Weapons doesn’t take as long to tell the audience what’s going on, the ending is far more memorable than that of Barbarian. Thanks to his second horror jaunt, I officially have no idea what to expect from Zach Cregger’s work moving forward, but I know I’m invested. His next project is a Resident Evil title that he claims isn’t an adaptation, but a story that fans of the games could see happening in that world. Weapons did such a solid job of getting me invested with the characters, stressing me out with moments of tension, and getting me to root for the ending I received, that I now find myself excited for a Resident Evil movie for the first time since the original came out. It did it by being one of the most original horror films I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in theaters for years.
Weapons is currently in theaters. Anyone looking for more of Zach Cregger’s original work should seek out Barbarian and episodes of WKYK (Whitest Kids You Know), both of which are available on streaming services.