Directed by: Zach Cregger
Distributed by: New Line Cinema
Written by Alexander Reams
95/100
In 2017, Jordan Peele of “Key & Peele” fame unleashed “Get Out” to the world, and a new horror icon came into the fray. His films have since morphed into event releases, culminating in “Nope,” his most recent effort, a big, spectacle film that aimed to bring audiences back to theaters following COVID. In 2022, Zach Cregger of “The Whitest Kids U Know” fame made his sophomore film, “Barbarian.” While not a hit on the level of Peele’s debut, he did draw the horror maestro’s attention, and when Cregger’s follow-up, “Weapons,” hit the market, everyone went nuts. Studios went into a bidding war, and rumors of Cregger’s crazy script about witches and abducted kids spread like wildfire. The two directors had similar paths, and Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions almost won the rights; instead, New Line did, and Peele parted ways with his team. If they were let go due to the failed signing, it seems the correct decision. “Weapons” is Cregger’s coming-out party as a new icon in the genre, masterful, terrifying, and brilliant.
The logline is impressively simple, but dense enough to fill a horror epic: 17 children ran out of their house at 2:17 A.M. and never came home. We witness the event as the cold open to the film, and it’s downright terrifying. The child performers employed embody this lack of control, and seeing it play out through intercuts of RING cameras and security tapes makes it feel all the more real. In this “Magnolia”- like horror tale, we follow a smattering of characters, including the teacher of the missing class of kids, Justine Gandy (Julia Garner), who is a subject in the first of several chapters in this film. She is quickly subjected to questioning from the police, the school, and, most frightening, the parents. Her life is turned upside down, and she’s stalked like she’s the one who took the children. All of it plays out as if it would in real life; every single parent is scared and looks for somewhere to put their fear, and Garner holds that weight as the emotional anchor of the film, and Cregger smartly ties her to the physical anchor of the film, the one child who didn’t disappear and showed up to class, Alex Lily (Cary Christopher). His chapter is much later in the film, but Alex and Justine’s narratives are where the story then expands. One of the parents most affected by this event is Archer Graff (Josh Brolin). He and Justine become pseudo-partners in their investigation into the disappearance after being at odds until he saves her from a shocking attack by a seemingly possessed man.
It’s after this collision of characters that the film expands and explores its tertiary characters, schlubby cop/philanderous husband Paul (Alden Ehrenreich), who harasses James (Austin Abrams), whom he pigeonholes as a drugged-up miscreant. At the same time, Paul’s affair with Justine is revealed to his boss Ed (Toby Huss), who also happens to be his father-in-law. Amy Madigan has been nowhere near the marketing for the film, but when she shows up as Gladys, it’s her show. Throughout all of this, Cregger and his crew fire on all cylinders, from Larkin Sieple’s camera that never seems to take a break, which keeps the feel of the film at a steady pace. The audience should always expect something to come into frame at any moment. Sieple’s use of the Alexa 35 is in contention for some of the best digital cinematography of the year and is easily among the best uses of the anamorphic format. The widescreen feels useful to the overall effect that Cregger is creating, rather than a studio-mandated choice.
“Weapons” is one of the finest films of 2025, in a year that has started to feel like an embarrassment of riches. The man, 20% responsible for the funniest Abe Lincoln sketch, has crafted an opus that cements him as the up-and-coming maestro of horror.
“Weapons” Trailer
You can connect with Alexander and see more of his work on his website: http://alexanderwreams.com/