Final Verdict: 4 out of 5 Buckets of Popcorn
Zach Cregger might just be the most casually unhinged filmmaker working today. After the curveball that was Barbarian, I walked into an experiential screening of Weapons expecting another horror rollercoaster. What I got instead was a slow-moving, tangled, and oddly meditative thriller that messes with your sense of time and slowly turns up the pressure until your brain starts sweating.
The film begins with one of the most bizarre cold opens I have seen in years. A group of school kids disappears without warning in the middle of the night. The details are vague, the tension is real, and yes, they run like anime characters. From that moment, the film unfolds through overlapping character perspectives, each reliving the same event from a different angle. Somehow, it all fits together like a strange jigsaw puzzle that reveals a different image depending on who is looking.
Julia Garner plays the teacher connected to the disappearance. She is raw, vulnerable, and completely believable as someone emotionally wrecked by survivor’s guilt. Josh Brolin plays a father trying to find answers, and while Pedro Pascal was originally eyed for the role, Brolin owns it. He brings a weary strength that adds weight to the mystery.
Alden Ehrenreich also makes a surprise appearance that actually works. The film takes the risk of bouncing between characters and timelines, but it never becomes confusing. In the hands of a less capable director, this could have been a narrative mess. Instead, it is a story that pulls you deeper every time the camera shifts perspective.
Visually, the film is beautiful in a cold, unsettling way. The cinematography finds tension in ordinary places. A hallway, a door, a lingering silence. Every shot seems designed to make you ask, “What am I missing here?” It is not just creepy for the sake of being creepy. There is an attention to detail that keeps you locked in.
As for the ending, well, it is a bit of a coin toss. Some will find it brilliant. Others might feel like the story hits a wall and then just stares at it. Personally, I was left wanting a bit more. Not because the journey was not worth it, but because the destination did not land with the same punch as the build up.
Still, this is one of the most effective missing person thrillers I have seen since Prisoners. It does not rely on cheap scares. It is all about atmosphere, pacing, and a steady drip of dread.
Final Verdict: 4 out of 5 Buckets of Popcorn
Weapons is not a horror film in the traditional sense. It is more of a slow-burning thriller that rewards patience, challenges your attention, and lingers with you after the credits roll. Strange, tense, and worth watching if you’re looking for a different kind of horror experience.
I was lucky enough to attend an immersive screening of the film at The Rosette Performing Arts Theater inside the historic Baker Center in Austin. The film was introduced by FANGORIA’s creative director Jason Kauzlarich and his wife Alyssa Vidales, a multimedia producer.
The event plunged guests directly into the unsettling world of Weapons, featuring an eerie school setting complete with a haunting clock stopped at 2:17 AM, mirroring the film’s timeline. Horror themed moments were scattered throughout the experience. Guests received Campbell’s soup cans upon entry, their chilling significance revealed by the film’s end.
A synchronized ring of custom Weapons school bells signaled the start. For one last scare, we were all met by sprinting, grunting school children as we exited for a final jolt of terror to send us home for the night. I honestly got a good laugh out of it, but can only imagine some of the attendees might have possibly been a little scared.