‘Weapons’ Review: Zach Cregger’s Bolder, Bloodier, and Bumpier Horror-Mystery Follow-Up

After the breakout success of Barbarian, Zach Cregger’s highly anticipated follow-up Weapons finally lands — and it’s a nightmarishly ambitious ride that fuses supernatural horror, social satire, and psychological mystery. The setup is chillingly simple: at exactly 2:17 a.m., 17 children from the same third-grade class leave their homes and vanish into the night. What follows is a slow-burning investigation into a surreal event that leaves an entire town gripped by paranoia, rage, and a hunger for answers.

Zach Cregger’s Weapons immediately grabs attention with its haunting premise, elevated by a fractured narrative told from multiple viewpoints — including a shattered teacher (Julia Garner), a grieving parent (Josh Brolin), a jaded cop (Alden Ehrenreich), and a reluctant witness (Austin Abrams). The disjointed timeline and shifting perspectives may remind audiences of Prisoners or even Magnolia, both of which Weapons subtly references in tone and structure.

Much like Barbarian, Zach Cregger’s horror thrives on unpredictability. From eerie suburban imagery to disturbing glimpses of smeared clown makeup, every frame buzzes with dread. Cinematographer Larkin Seiple crafts a grim yet immersive atmosphere, and the pounding score feels engineered to keep viewers on edge. Weapons often toys with the audience’s perception, feeding us just enough information to keep the mystery alive while never fully tipping its hand.

Still, the Weapons film isn’t without its faults. And while Weapons gleefully avoids the overt trauma tropes haunting modern horror, it can feel emotionally distant. The film leans hard into stylish spectacle, sacrificing depth for shock value in its final act. The result? A finale that’s more chaos than catharsis.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Fandango (@fandango)

But what Weapons lacks in narrative clarity, it makes up for in cinematic confidence. Barbarian’s Zach Cregger pulls a stunning late-game twist with the introduction of a grotesquely memorable character — played to perfection by a yet-to-be-named actor — who will almost certainly become a Halloween mainstay. This villain injects a deranged energy into the final act, blending humor and horror in a way few films dare attempt.

More than a conventional horror movie, Weapons is a sociopolitical fever dream. It examines the paranoia of modern parenting, the failures of authority, and the dangerous hunger for simple answers in a complicated world. Whether it’s a metaphor for media hysteria, cult behavior, or societal collapse is up to the viewer — and that’s part of the fun.

In short, Weapons is a cinematic Rorschach test: you’ll see what you want to see. It’s flawed, ferocious, and undeniably fascinating — a horror movie that might leave you shaken, confused, or strangely exhilarated with Julia Garner and Jos Brolin.