Zach Cregger’s follow-up to his surprise horror hit Barbarian (2022) – which was a wildly original premise, that, despite some flaws, ensnared its audience, finds Weapons (2025) doing the very same thing. . . coming up with a mesmeric premise that is sure to impress fans of the genre.
Told in a most engaging way, for some modern viewers it may come across as a tad lethargic, but it better helps grow the mystery, suspense and thrills of this slow-burner of a story – as its non-linear approach may answer a question or two, while also adding more questions along the way.
Opening with an eerily haunting premise, this modern set feature finds seventeen of eighteen students disappearing after running out of their respective homes at the same time in the middle of the night. . . Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher) the only one to arrive in Justine Gandy’s (Julia Garner) grade three class the next morning. With no easy answers, the police are flummoxed, the parents distraught, the community spooked.
Slowly unfurling by way of observing a different perspective and then resetting to a certain time in the past for another, after seeing Ms. Gandy’s distraught, alcohol-fueled reaction, we then jump to the viewpoints of: a grieving and angry father, Archer (Josh Brolin); a recovering alcoholic police officer named Paul (Alden Ehrenreich) – who has a past with Justine; the Principal of the school, Andrew Marcus (Benedict Wong); a drug addicted homeless drifter named James (Austin Abrams) – who has had a rough encounter with the cop; which is then wrapped up by following Alex, and lastly his aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan – near unrecognizable as the girlfriend of Uncle Buck).
Like with Barbarian, the film is best experienced without knowing what is coming next, so I won’t be mentioning much else. It might bring slight flashbacks to horror films like Village of the Damned (1960), The Orphanage (2007 – reviewed here on Filmizon.com), The Crazies (1973) or 28 Days Later (2002), but only loosely, as, like his last feature, it’s a truly original and unique picture.
Delving into themes of grief/trauma, problems with alcohol (i.e. addiction), the loss of innocence (something we’re sadly seeing with children a lot nowadays), as well as several other topics which won’t be mentioned to avoid spoilers, like with Cregger’s previous effort, it might have some issues. . . for instance, its style of story telling allows less time with some of our intriguing characters, while others might not love the finale, but it’s a truly unique horror spectacle that deserves to be seen in an era of sequels, remakes, and cookie cutter ideas.
Most definitely putting Cregger on the map as an up and comer horror maestro, Weapons is a spooky sophomore effort that is more refined, more focused, and more nuanced than Barbarian. Bound to reverberate within your mind long after its conclusion, its haunting narrative combined with its dark visuals are truly something to behold. Lastly, also keep an eye out for a short cameo from Justin Long – who played a big part in Barbarian. So, be ready for something wildly wicked, even though you might not see it coming.