Dir: Zach Cregger
Cast: Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Benedict Wong, Amy Madigan
Weapons tantalises its audience, weaving a Rashomon-inspired structure that pulls you headfirst into Zach Cregger’s wild labyrinth of mystery and comical horror
Just when it seemed 2025 had already delivered its fill of horror gems, writer-director Zach Cregger has unleashed a true showstopper. In a year overflowing with spine-tingling releases, “Weapons” managed to ignite buzz months ahead of its August 8th debut, thanks to a tantalisingly cryptic trailer that revealed little beyond its chilling premise. Cregger first crashed onto the horror scene in 2022 with the genre-defying rollercoaster “Barbarian”, a film that twisted the concept of motherhood and upended genre expectations by delving into social hierarchies and male entitlement, all while pulling off one of the most jaw-dropping rug pulls in modern cinema. If you have seen “Barbarian”, you know the exact moment Cregger delivers this masterstroke. For those who have not, I urge you to watch it with as little prior knowledge as possible to savour its full impact.
Like many rising stars in horror, Cregger’s roots are in comedy. He co-founded the American comedy troupe The Whitest Kids ‘U Know in 2000, and their first feature film, the raucous sex-comedy “Miss March”, hit screens in 2009. Cregger’s journey mirrors that of other comedians who have discovered the thin, electric line between laughter and fear, both genres tapping into our most primal reactions as characters face danger, whether it provokes a scream or a laugh. In recent years, the horror landscape has been electrified by comedians-turned-horror auteurs like YouTube siblings Danny and Michael Philippou (“Talk to Me”, “Bring Her Back”), John Krasinski (“A Quiet Place”), and, perhaps most famously, Jordan Peele (“Get Out”, “Us”, “Nope”).
Like the best in the comedy-horror game, Cregger demonstrates a razor-sharp ability to weave laughter and terror together, never letting one drown out the other. While “Barbarian” delivers plenty of chills, its flashes of humour transform the film into a wild, unforgettable ride. With “Weapons”, Cregger once again masterfully blends genres, this time adding layers of mystery, drama, and fantasy to his signature mix of horror and comedy.
Anyone who has glimpsed the marketing for “Weapons” already knows its chilling premise. The trailer, voiced by a young girl whose innocence is laced with something deeply unsettling, sets the stage: on a seemingly ordinary Wednesday in the sleepy town of Maybrook, Pennsylvania, seventeen children—every one a student of third-grade teacher Justine Gandy (Julia Garner)—vanish without a trace. At exactly 2:17 am, they slip from their beds and disappear into the night. With all the missing children linked to Justine’s classroom, suspicion falls heavily on her. Though there is no evidence against her, she is swiftly cast out by the community. Archer (Josh Brolin), a parent driven by anguish and suspicion, becomes her most relentless pursuer as he searches for his lost son.
What truly surprises viewers about “Weapons” is its masterful, non-linear storytelling. The film weaves together the lives of six pivotal characters, their stories colliding and overlapping across a tense few days as the mystery deepens. Alongside Justine and Archer, we follow Justine’s ex-boyfriend and police officer Paul (Alden Ehrenreich), local drug addict and vagrant James (Austin Abrams), school Principal Marcus (Benedict Wong), and Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher), the sole third-grader from Justine’s classroom who did not vanish.
For nearly twenty years, I have immersed myself in the world of film, but never have I witnessed a year so overflowing with extraordinary horror releases. This year’s offerings have not only been plentiful, but each has dazzled with its own unique visual flair and storytelling voice. “Weapons”—with its “Rashomon”-inspired structure—carves out a place all its own in a fiercely competitive field. Some of my current favourite releases of 2025 include “28 Years Later”, potential Oscar contender “Sinners”, and “Companion”, which even boasts Zach Cregger as a producer. Yet, what Cregger achieves with his second solo feature is nothing short of astonishing. The film’s core mystery, centered on the unexplained disappearance of seventeen children, instantly draws you in. Its suspenseful atmosphere evokes Denis Villeneuve’s “Prisoners”, with Josh Brolin’s volatile Archer stepping into the role of a desperate father determined to seek justice when the authorities fall short.
Cregger has openly drawn inspiration from Paul Thomas Anderson‘s sprawling epic melodrama “Magnolia” for his web of interlocking narratives, guiding us through the tangled lives of his characters as we plunge into the wild, darkly comic world of Maybrook that he has so vividly imagined. It is a screenwriting feat to unravel a mystery with such natural grace and restraint that it never feels contrived or reliant on cheap thrills. The way Cregger seamlessly blends genres, whether it be horror, mystery, comedy, or fantasy, sometimes all within a single scene, cements his status as a creative force, echoing the daring and creative minds of filmmakers like Bong Joon-ho.
What truly distinguishes “Weapons” is its fearless devotion to pure storytelling, sidestepping the heavy-handed social or political messages that have dominated the genre since the dawn of “elevated horror”. While many modern horror films rely on shock and spectacle to hammer home their themes, “Weapons” invites viewers into a gripping mystery, with each segment ending on a revelation more spine-tingling than the last. The film delicately explores issues such as alcoholism, grief, and social injustice, allowing these themes to emerge subtly beneath the surface for audiences to discover. Some critics have detected the faint pulse of real-world tragedies, such as the aftermath of school shootings in small-town America, where entire communities are left haunted and searching for meaning. Through Larkin Seiple’s brooding and masterful cinematography, Cregger crafts a visual language that lingers in the mind, leaving just enough ambiguity as to what the film is truly about beneath its blood-drenched final act.
The performances are nothing short of electrifying, with each ensemble member peeling back the layers of their characters to reveal raw vulnerability, even as they maintain a composed facade in the wake of tragedy. Abrams shines brightest as the weary, down-on-his-luck James, whose obliviousness to the town’s heartbreak sets him apart and makes him the source of most of the film’s dark humour. Amy Madigan also delivers a small but unforgettable supporting turn that will linger with viewers for years to come. Though she lacks a dedicated title segment, her presence is so powerful that movie bloggers are already rallying online for her to be recognised come awards season.
The Verdict:
“Weapons” showcases Zach Cregger’s talents as a writer and director, not only as a horror filmmaker but also a comedian, as he once again straddles the line between the two genres in this intertwining mystery. Some genuinely shocking moments, topped with some eye-popping bursts of gore and laugh-out-loud moments of levity, have seen “Weapons” become a smash hit with audiences and critics, and this contemporary Grimm fairytale may go down as one of the most memorable films of 2025.
Weapons is now showing in UK Cinemas
Dan Loves Film 