Zach Cregger has found a perfect way to mix horror with audience expectation. His debut film, Barbarian, is one that still has fans gushing about it. And now Weapons has cemented his talent as one of our best new horror directors.
As was the case with Barbarian, every time I thought I’d figured out what was going on, I was proven wrong. With Weapons, the mystery of an entire class of children going missing weighs on you as you watch Justine (Julia Garner) trying to process what happened to her class. This movie, while still terrifying, is a different ride than Barbarian but it was still just as captivating.
Cregger’s film is told to us in chapters. It starts with Justine’s version of the aftermath and goes to Asher (Josh Brolin) and beyond. Filled with characters like Alden Ehrenreich’s Paul and the poor principal of the school, played by Benedict Wong, Weapons finds itself as a less contained horror film than Cregger’s first film but a movie that leans into the strange feeling its premise provides us.
The problem with talking about Weapons is that I just want audiences to experience the brilliance of it all on their own. Going into this movie with as limited of knowledge as possible is the better move than if you were trying to read up on the movie itself. Because I was so captivated by everything going on that I allowed myself to be taken up in the mystery without trying to guess what was going to happen.
But even when the movie is weird and out there, it has a lot of heart and is emotional, especially with Archer trying to find his son and what happened to all these children who just decided to run out of their homes at 2:17 AM.
Cregger uses comedy in a fantastic way
Zach Cregger comes from a comedy background and while there were “lighter” moments of Barbarian, I do think that Weapons uses comedy in a very fun and exciting way. With all the mystery and the darkness of this story, it is harder to find lightness in what is going on. Especially when Justine keeps drinking to try and feel better about the situation and Archer is watching his family and business fall apart.
But when Weapons does lean into the humor of a situation, it ends up being some of my favorite moments. At one point, Archer is trying to just get out of a fight and a character keeps popping back up and the amount of times that Cregger uses that bit within the scene felt both relatable and hilarious in the midst of the tension of the moment and it was beautiful to watch.
Garner’s Justine is a breath of fresh air because she’s not perfect, she is brash and angry but she’s also just a teacher trying her best. And to see this imperfect lead taking us on this mystery that feels both all consuming and impossible, I loved to see this story through her eyes.
Everything about Weapons has captivated me. I’ve been thinking about it ever since I saw it and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon. But that’s what makes Cregger’s work so magical. They stay with you and I cannot wait to see how audiences react to Weapons.
(featured image: Warner Bros.)
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
