From the creator of “Barbarian”: The horror “Weapons – The Hour of Vanishing”
Following his success with "Barbarian," director Zach Cregger brings another horror film to theaters with more confidence. The review.
The nighttime streets of a small American town. The detached single-family homes are lined up like white monuments on the lawns. The digital displays of the alarm clocks inside the houses show 2:17 a.m. Suddenly, a few of the doors open and children run out, arms outstretched as if they were about to fly away into the night sky. A scene as wondrous as it is eerie. Like something out of a dream, a dark fairy tale.
Are the children embarking on a new journey of freedom, of adventure? And aren't they actually much too young for that? A childlike narrator reveals that seventeen children ran out of their parents' homes that night and have since disappeared without a trace. An event that shakes the small town of Maybrook. The anger of some parents is directed at the teacher, Mrs. Grady (Julia Garner). Because all the missing children are from her class. Only the introverted Alex remains.
There's not much more to say about "Weapons," Zach Cregger's new film. Because, as in his surprise hit "Barbarian" (2022), the plot takes a few unexpected twists and turns and doesn't follow a classic three-act structure this time. As a viewer, you're thrown into the events in Maybrook, characters are introduced, but nothing is explained. This feels good; you can sit in your cinema seat and feel like a responsible person, without being told by Hollywood who's doing what and for what reasons, and how you, as a viewer, are supposed to feel about it. Julia Garner plays her role as the sensitive yet tough teacher Justine brilliantly.
Is she intrusive and unprofessional, or committed and devoted, when she seeks contact with Alex, the boy who, strangely enough, didn't disappear on the night in question, despite the principal's prohibition? And why does the young woman enjoy pouring herself a drink so much? Is this simply due to the acute stress situation, or does the teacher have a history? The scenes between her and police officer Paul (Alden Ehrenreich) are no match for high-quality dramas like "Magnolia" (1999), whose narrative structure inspired Zach Cregger.
Do we really pay enough attention to victims of bullying?Thus, the story of "Weapons" is actually told in chapters, each dedicated to a different character and their perspective, until everything gradually comes together and the mystery is resolved in a tangible catharsis. The first segment, focusing on Justine, is so powerful that the subsequent ones can't quite generate the same pull. In other words: The film falters a bit in the middle. However, just when the film seems to be losing its way in the perspective of junkie James, it finds its way back to the narrative, picks up speed, and then offers a finale that should make most horror fans salivate. However, you'll need a bit of a sense of the absurd.
As with "Barbarian," Zach Cregger used the "discovery writing" method when writing the screenplay. He started with the (nightmarish) opening sequence, without initially knowing where it would lead. This way, he surprised himself while writing. Regarding this development process, Cregger said in an interview with film magazine Deadline (#112): "Of course, it doesn't always work. Sometimes you reach a dead end. But sometimes things happen that you couldn't have achieved with any planning."
The calculation, which Cregger didn't even make, works. Despite its somewhat less compelling middle section, the film is exciting, interesting, entertaining, and packs a few rude shocks. And although the film has no message and no pretensions to profound meaning, it does make a few interesting references to social issues: Are we losing our children to forces we don't understand? Do we really pay enough attention to victims of bullying? Do we always have to blame someone when we're confronted with unexpected pain? Does a giant AK-15 always appear in the night sky in the USA sooner or later?
A special film. For horror fans, and people who can imagine becoming one. Even if only for 128 minutes.
“Weapons”, horror, in cinemas on August 7, 2025, 2 hours 8 minutes, directed by Zach Cregger, written by Zach Cregger, cast: Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich.
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