In WEAPONS (2025), the children attending a single classroom at a local elementary school get out of bed at home and disappear into the night–all except one. The result is top-notch horror.
Created by Zach Cregger, whose BARBARIAN was a nicely surprising horror movie, WEAPONS elevates itself with some interesting elements. You’ve got the core mystery of what happened to the children–the kids disappearing into the night with their arms splayed is super creepy. You’ve got the very real fallout of this bizarre situation tearing the community apart, shown through the eyes of an ensemble cast of characters with interconnecting storylines. And you’ve got a powerful horror element slowly unveiled in creepy reveals.
What I liked: Almost everything. This is horror done right, focusing on character and teasing the horror with mystery that slowly unravels to a shocking finish. The PULP FICTION/MAGNOLIA-style rotation through the character points of view gives the film an almost literary sense of depth. The characters are flawed and real, the horror elements are surprising and shot with a matter-of-fact, almost cinema verite style, and the ending is terrific. It doesn’t lean too hard on jump scares, which I usually find more grating than scary.
What I didn’t: There is a narrated beginning that I would have loved to have been shown instead of told, and the rotation through the ensemble cast bordered on bird walking at times, diffusing the tension a bit too much here and there. But these are quibbles.
Overall, WEAPONS was a lot of fun. I loved this one and recommend it.
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