Weapons

Exceeding all my expectations, "Weapons" is an incredibly powerful film where Zach Cregger masterfully blends tension and dark humor to a new level of sharpness.

The mystery of a mass disappearance and its impact on a small town unfolds in a mesmerizing, layered way, giving each character a chance to shine. The story is divided into several nerve-wracking chapters, ending with a gripping finale.

Special credit goes to Josh Brolin and Alden Ehrenreich, though the entire cast delivers strong, harmonious performances that brilliantly maintain the balance Cregger has created.

Weapons delivers a bold and refreshing take on horror. The cinematography is sharp, the casting is spot-on, and the jump scares are genuinely effective. Major credit to the writers - they've crafted a horror film that feels inventive and daring.

Director Zach Cregger continues to prove he's not afraid to break the mold, following up Barbarian (2022) with another unpredictable, non-traditional narrative. The story starts off familiar, but quickly evolves into something far more layered and unsettling.

I especially appreciated the decision to split the narrative across multiple characters - it added depth and gave the audience a clearer view of the bigger picture.

My only real critique is the ending - it was a bit abstract and left me slightly unsatisfied. Still, it fits the film's overall tone and ambition.

Highly recommended for fans of horror that challenges the norm.

A Pennsylvania teacher's nightmares begin when her entire classroom vanishes, leaving only one disturbed boy.

The trailer caught my attention, and I went in expecting a decent movie; I wasn't expecting to be as entertained as I was. Weapons absolutely delivered on all levels.

The storytelling was amazing; it was like an onion being peeled back, layer after layer. It was so clever. There were so many creepy moments, and the scenes inside the house were at times chilling and really unsettling.

Great characters; Gladys was an absolute riot and deserves to return in whatever format. Amy Madigan was fantastic, and credit goes to the makeup team as well. This is the most different and creatively imaginative film I've seen in ages. I loved it.

Out of interest, this is a challenging movie for snacks at the cinema, there are multiple silent scenes, you'll hear every slurp of coke and every crunch of popcorn. I'll never take pringles again.

8/10.

1) I love horror movies.

2) I avoided all trailers, marketing and reviews, so I am not a victim of overhyping.

3) I felt like this would be another example of a movie that will be unanimously praised and lauded as the best/scariest horror movie of the year. That seems to be the case.

4) Six stars is a positive score, but this review will be mostly negative as I try to explain why I didn't like this more.

5) The mystery is built masterfully. But once we find out who or what is behind the horror, all I could think is, "That's it?" I hoped there was more to the story or somewhere interesting the plot could go from there. But there really isn't.

6) They keep telling us more about the flawed characters, and have them involved in drama, which I enjoyed as it happened. But it doesn't come into play even a tiny bit, not with the story or any character arcs.

7) There are some really good horror elements and jaw-dropping moments. But I ask myself if I would watch this again, and the answer is... probably not.

8) It's a good movie, but I can't help but feel underwhelmed.

(1 viewing, opening Thursday EMX 8/7/2025)

I liked Creggers' Barbarian a lot, but he didn't entirely stick the landing for me. Weapons is his sophomore effort, and you can see the confidence in direction and story telling is more refined. I had a blast watching this, as much as i love serious horror, Weapons wasn't afraid to inject some huge laughs to release the tension. Its gonna be hard to choose between this and 'Bring her Back', as my fave horror of the year thus far...