- Date of Release: 08 August 2025
- Genre: Horror, Mystery
- Language: English
- Watch On: Theatres Only
Weapons
Introduction
There is something about a horror story being narrated that accounts for a psychological impact on the viewer. The voiceover at the start of the new English film Weapons, is of a child that highlights the fact that this is ‘a true story’ and that many people die in random and weird ways. It is a clever way to form an emotional hook from a viewer’s perspective, in a drama that essentially has the temperament of a fable. This notion is true for most Stephen King novels and their subsequent onscreen adaptations, wherein the world and the characters are enough to create a sense of an intrigue in the minds of the viewers. In that sense, the pitch of Weapons is staged between a Stephen King drama and a brothers Grimm horror. Weapons can be best classified as a horror mystery more than a horror drama, that chooses to focus on the atmospherics before zeroing on every character. The structure remains similar to the English film Barbarian (2022), that utilizes every character into revealing a particular piece of the puzzle, before moving ahead. And Weapons does this with some style!
Story & Screenplay
The prelude of Weapons is an interesting premise in itself – what seems like a regular Wednesday in the lives of people in a small and sleepy town, soon turns into a nightmare when it is discovered that 17 third-grade children suddenly wake up at 2:17 am and disappear in the woods. The grainy footages of the CCTV reveal a terrifying picture of helplessness – the disappearance of children is sudden and abrupt, an allegory that automatically applies to the real-world situation of how children are misguided or lured on the wrong path, so much so that even the ‘walls’ of parents can’t protect them long enough from this big bad world. But the makers don’t enunciate this concept – instead, the focus shifts to an even more terrifying picture of only child sitting in an empty classroom and welcoming their young teacher Justine Gandy (Julia Garner). And this is when the drama shifts to an episodic structure of narration with respect to its characters.
The episodic narrative style is an innovative way of understanding the characters and the world, whilst leaving enough clues that contribute to the overall puzzle of the drama. For instance, Justine is literally subjected to a witch hunt, with all the blame of the children’s disappearance directed towards her. A key addressing meeting in the film is similar to the newsrooms wherein the media would call panelists and direct all the hate towards a particular side. Justine is a loner too, struggling to cope with this new-found attention that acts as a driving force for her to take up the investigation (on the side too). She is also involved with a frustrated but married cop Paul (Alden Ehrenreich) who in turn runs into a local druggie James (Austin Abrams), ultimately leading both of them to a similar fate.
Along with a theme of resilience that is showcased by Archer (Josh Brolin), the father of a missing child who showcases some investigative skills himself, the alternate theme is also that of greed, which is exhibited by James who wants to earn the 50,000 dollar reward as a quick buck for his psychedelic purchase. It is interesting however, that the horror in the drama is consistently maintained through the atmospherics – be it Justine stumbling on a peculiar household, or surviving a late-night scare that includes a ‘paint-attack’ on her car, or even a random (but previously known) character attacking her in a full-bloom Shawn Of The Dead (2004) sequence.
In that regard, the writing is extremely polished for it to shift genres seamlessly – it switches from a mystery to a horror or even a dark comedy in a matter of scenes, without any one sequence sticking out like a sore thumb. It is the kind of a roller coaster that is increasingly unpredictable in a horror drama, that has the ability to become one-dimensional after a point. And the buildup is such that it makes you increasingly invested in the drama, given on how you can’t quite predict the next move of the writers. Even from the chapters point of view, it is loosely enabling a vantage point situation by only briefly showcasing an incident that is fleshed out later on from a different POV. It is kind of a wet dream for the fans of a puzzle, wherein each piece is used as a tease for a revelation at a later point in the drama!
When it comes to the allegory with respect to the title of the film, Weapons is symbolic for children being used as weapons in the real world. The underlying commentary is of the lack of attentiveness or protection by parents (in a scene, you see Archer trying to investigate with the help of another parent who gives him the cold shoulder in return), or a case of generational trauma as seen with one of the children in the narrative (that in turn makes him snap at Justine when she wishes to ask him questions). This allegory is showcased as a machine gun in one of the scenes, almost like a fleeting but horrifying shot that literally examines the term ‘weapons’ – a direct reference to the mass killings in America in the modern setup. Keeping this in mind, a late entry of a character was also symbolic of control, just like Madhavan from Shaitaan (2023) or Hiten Kumar from Vash (2023).
The events culminate into a final act that deliberately borders on a spoof-y dark comedy, wherein the drama goes into a full assault. It is gory, violent and tense – with all three traits coming together in play, following a horrifying flashback leading to the events of the ultimate crime. The jump scares are on point, and the chaos is even sweeter but I did wish there was a little backstory of the perpetrator (who suffered from a slightly half-baked characterization) to close the circle of the drama. Nevertheless, the finale will leave you gasping for breath, thereby making for a twisty screenplay that is an absolute winner through and through.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational and often fleeting, but they wonderfully account for the dynamics of the sleepy town, while working on the horror atmospherics in the drama. And I say sleepy because the lines lack urgent, and deliberately so, something that acts as an allegory of the care towards the missing children, much like what was highlighted in Anurag Kashyap’s Ugly (2015). The BGM is spooky, deftly adding a layer of an ominous threat that maintains a link through various scenes. It is playful with the sound design too, but also pin-point precise during the jumpscares, a trait that elevates the drama tremendously. The cinematography comprises of frames that either focus on a long wide shot that lets you in on a chilling detail, or even in first person towards the end that adds to the madness and chaos of the drama. And because there are multiple POVs involved, the frames needed to maintain a common thread of horror inflicting each character, something that it does extremely well.
The editing comprises of some superb match cuts that exhibit a dying technique on celluloid today. It is essentially for abrupt cuts and transitions when the nature of the drama is episodic, something that is beautifully accounted for by the editing pattern. Director Zach Cregger who had previously directed the incredible film Barbarian (2022), provides yet another reminder on how well he understands the horror genre. His style is different from Ari Aster or Jordan Peele or even James Wan, often allowing the world building and characterization to unfold hand in hand. That makes the drama a giant jigsaw puzzle, immensely unpredictable on how everything would fall in place, and that for me is the victory of the director. His horror bests along with traces of dark humour (that explains his comedy background) are on point, thereby summing up a stellar piece of filmmaking that consistently drives the narrative.
Performances
The performances are excellent by the members of the cast, with each 15 minute chapter being dedicated to each character. For the sake of avoiding spoilers, I will be keeping the characterizations vague! Amy Madigan as Gladys is fabulous to witness and she really rings all the beats of her character superbly. Austin Abrams as James is first rate while using his body language and expressions to his advantage, in a character that needed to exhibit his physicality (to an extent). Cary Christopher as Alex is a complex character having to account for different moods in an indifferent manner. And he handles the underlying emotions wonderfully well. Benedict Wong as Marcus is sincere and earnest until an astonishing transformation, that adds to the horror and comedy of the drama perfectly. Alden Ehrenreich as Paul is wonderful here as the frustrated cop, while using his body language efficiently towards the end. Josh Brolin as Archer shines in a few scenes although his character did seem to be a touch underwritten. His partnership with Justine was a unique combination, and it needed more scenes together. Julia Garner as Justine is outstanding here as a character who is aloof but hell-bent on proving her innocence. Her insecurities coupled with her fiery nature remain two important traits here, that are exhibited brilliantly here.
Conclusion
Weapons is a twisted horror drama filled with social allegories and backed by spectacular filmmaking that makes for a memorable theatre going experience. This is surely one of the better horror films to come out this year, that leaves a lasting impression, while lingering on for hours after the drama has ended. Available in a theatre near you and Highly Recommended!