After announcing himself as a horror filmmaker to be reckoned with following his bold 2022 debut Barbarian, it’s understandable that audiences may be entering Zach Cregger‘s sophomore scarer Weapons with a certain level of expectation. Of course, the rather ambiguous trailers have only added to the overall dread the film suggests, and the trivia nugget that Jordan Peele fired his longtime managers after losing out an auction on the script further plays into its scorching commodity as a genre standout, but even without such production lore – or previous success – Weapons would still emerge as one of 2025’s most impactful outings.
With a nastier sense of humour than many will be prepared for and adopting a mentality that brings to mind Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia, Weapons interconnects its characters and their trauma, slowly building its central mystery before unleashing a cavalcade of unnerving bloodshed on both its unsuspecting players and the sure-to-be-locked-in viewers.
Cregger’s hook here is that, at 2:17am one unsuspecting morning, 17 children, without seeming prompt or motive, all rose from their slumber and disappeared into the darkness of the night, never to return to their homes. It appears random, but they all have one thing in common, which is that they are all students to Justine Grady (Julia Garner). She’s just as baffled as the parents, but her concern only makes her more suspicious to the community, who have channeled all their anger and worry about their children towards her; Josh Brolin leading the charge as one of the highlighted parents who can’t fathom why it’s only her classroom that was affected.
Much like Barbarian, which threw its audience for a loop with its mid-section narrative reveal, Cregger’s story here is never neatly telegraphed. It’s fragmented, gradually revealing a fuller picture like puzzle pieces finally coming together, with it reveling in how unknowable it all appears. The way the film details each of its characters – Alex (Carey Christopher), the only child to not disappear, Paul (Alden Ehrenreich), a police officer sharing a complicated history with Justine, Anthony (Austin Abrams), a drug dealer, and Andrew (Benedict Wong), the school’s principal – may test the patience for those expecting something instantly, gratifying horrific, but Cregger demonstrates beautiful purpose in how he structures his darkly fantastical tale; it’s a slow-burning descent, designed to reward the stoical, intelligent audiences who appreciate the genre beyond the physical.
To even suggest anything further could run the risk of unintentionally revealing Weapons‘ ultimate modus operandi. It’s another example of the genre delighting in big, bold swings, proving both emotionally nuanced and deliciously nasty in how it executes its ultimate vision.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Weapons is now screening in Australian theatres, before opening in the United States on August 8th.
