‘Weapons’ Movie Review: Zach Cregger’s Suburban Horror Tale Knocks You On Your Ass
Photo from Warner Bros.
From Jeremy Kibler
What is it about people in comedy who just know how to make horror movies? One is Jordan Peele, and another is writer-director Zach Cregger, who achieves greatness with a follow-up to his already pretty-great feature debut, Barbarian. That 2022 horror film was constantly surprising and resulted in a commanding feat in tone and layered, unpredictable storytelling, while still being a diabolically fun horror movie that made audiences equally distrustful of Airbnbs and men. Now meet Weapons, a wickedly inventive horror fable of evil in mundane suburbia that will knock you on your ass.
The mere premise is a total corker, and it’s what opens the film like the most unsettling bedtime story narrated by a soft-spoken little girl. In the wee hours of the morning at exactly 2:17 am in the town of Maybrook, 17 children got out of bed, left their respective houses, and ran into the darkness. They are declared missing, and all 17 children—except for Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher)—happen to be the third-grade students of elementary teacher Justine Gandy (Julia Garner). Justine becomes every parent’s prime suspect, and she experiences what is essentially a witch hunt, even though the authorities can’t pin her on anything. Everyone wants answers, including grieving father Archer (Josh Brolin). Sorry, that’s all you’re getting; the less you know, the better.
Daring and thrillingly creepy, Weapons is confidently crafted with dread and horrific intensity, strong characterization, and a weird streak of crowd-pleasing humor. Zach Cregger takes another ambitious storytelling approach, much like Barbarian, allowing the central mystery to unfold deliberately through an absorbing, perspective-shifting structure. It manages to leave just enough breadcrumbs for what’s to come, wisely choosing never to overexplain the whats and whys, and economically flesh out no less than six characters to make us care.
Julia Garner is outstanding as Justine Gandy, who’s likable and sympathetic but makes mistakes out of anger and sadness (her way of coping is drinking). Josh Brolin also does terrific work here, still finding notes of humor as a father in mourning. Rounding out the cast is Alden Ehrenreich, as reckless police officer Paul; Austin Abrams, as junkie James; and Benedict Wong, as school principal Andrew, and they all carry out exceptional work with personality and nuance. The secret weapon, though? Amy Madigan. As Aunt Gladys, Madigan’s cheerfully unhinged turn is one for the ages, and that’s not hyperbole.
One minute, Weapons has one covering their eyes with the anticipation of something going bump in the night, and the next, one will be cackling with glee. Either way, you never know where it’s going, and that’s a treat for a movie lover. Be prepared for a batshit-crazy finale that’s simultaneously scary, hilarious, gory, and just entertaining as hell. On a technical level, Cregger’s film is aces. He and cinematographer Larkin Seiple mine so much mood from nearly every composition, and you better believe there’s more than one nightmare-fuel image to count. The score by Cregger, Hays Holladay, and Ryan Holladay is always effective and propulsive, mixing eerie strings, atonal sounds, and percussive beats.
Quite simply, Weapons is not just one of the best horror movies of the year but the best movie of the year so far.
Rating: 5/5
Weapons hits theaters on August 8, 2025.
