An Unsettling Journey into the Shadows in this Weapons Movie Review
Zach Cregger, the director who gave us Barbarian, returns with Weapons and makes it clear from the opening fade to black that this is not a popcorn horror movie. It is not gore-driven spectacle, but a creeping dread that burrows into your subconscious. If Barbarian was audacious and playful, Weapons is sharper, rawer, and more devastating.
The film opens in a quiet, idyllic American town suddenly gripped by an ominous mystery. 17 out of 18 children from one class run away in the middle of the night. No kidnapper in sight but all that cameras capture is the children leaving home at 2:17 AM and running wildly into the night. Only one child and the class teacher are left behind. What begins as a seemingly random act soon reveals a more insidious and supernatural force at play. As the town unravels, a small group of characters finds themselves at the centre of the mystery, forced to confront a terror that has come to claim their loved ones.
Structure: A Rashomon of Terror
Zach Cregger takes a bold risk with narrative design. The story of this horror movie unfolds across single days, told from different characters’ perspectives. It is non-linear but never gimmicky. Each retelling layers in detail, each shift sharpens the tension, until the final picture emerges, horrifying precisely because it feels lived-in rather than staged.
Performances That Cut Deep
Josh Brolin brings raw intensity, anchoring the supernatural chaos with brute emotional heft. Julia Garner is luminous as ever. Her quiet resilience radiates throughout, grounding the film in something achingly human. Cary Christopher who plays Alex (the one remaining child) delivers one of the film’s most unforgettable performances. Watching a child portray unimaginable terror with such vulnerability makes the horror doubly effective. Alex is not just a victim, he is the emotional core, the lens through which dread feels most personal.
Around them, a stellar ensemble delivers textured performances. Alden Ehrenreich adds complexity in his limited but potent screen time, while the enigmatic figure of the Witch, brought chillingly to life by the commanding presence of Amy Madigan, becomes the film’s most unforgettable presence. She looms over the narrative of this horror movie, haunting without tipping into cliché.
Horror With Restraint
Jump scares here are earned, not cheap jolts. They punctuate unbearable tension instead of disrupting it. Seemingly mundane details, like the odd way the children run or the unnerving recurrence of soup cans, are breadcrumbs scattered throughout. When the larger picture finally clicks, you realise the clues were all there, hidden in plain sight.
Zach Cregger also threads in streaks of dark humour, a throughline from Barbarian. But here, the comedy does not relieve dread, it twists it tighter.
The Nature of the Horror Movie: A Parasitic Dread
While the film presents the horror as a form of possession, the breadcrumbs scattered throughout point to a more unsettling, biological terror. The evil in Weapons is less demonic and more parasitic. The “possessed” are not just spiritual shells; they are hosts for an organism that consumes them from the inside out. This is hinted at through subtle but key details: the unnerving way the possessed children move, which feels more like an involuntary, shambling gait than a typical demonic dance, and the way the possessed stand stock still before being “commanded”. The film draws a chilling parallel between a parasite consuming its host and the loss of self, a theme that feels both ancient and sickeningly modern. The horror is not in the jump scare, but in the idea of an unseen agent silently hollowing out the people you love.
Subtext That Hurts
What separates Weapons from your average supernatural psychological thriller or horror movie is its allegorical core. Possession here is a powerful metaphor for addiction, specifically alcoholism. This is a theme Zach Cregger has spoken about, drawing from his own experiences watching his parents struggle with the disease. The “possessed” parents are not cartoon villains. They are hollowed shells, painfully believable in how their humanity has been consumed. The film masterfully depicts the disease’s insidious nature, showing how it isolates the afflicted while also consuming everyone around them. Julia Garner’s character, a recovering alcoholic, is a crucial vessel for this theme, as she finds herself succumbing to her old demons once the town turns on her. Her cop lover is shown to be easily pulled back into his own bad habits as well, highlighting how addiction’s ripple effect can corrupt even those who are not directly afflicted. The film’s horrifying take on possession perfectly captures the feeling of losing a loved one to their demons, of watching the person you know disappear, leaving behind a terrifying, unrecognizable vessel.
The much-discussed school shooting motif feels less tightly integrated, surfacing briefly in dream sequences and visual cues. Still, it adds an unsettling thread of modern dread, reminding us horror is not just folklore, but society’s real terrors reflected at us.
Final Verdict
This Weapons movie review is of the opinion that the film is not designed to entertain in the traditional sense. It is designed to haunt. It is intelligent horror, layered with metaphor, unafraid of leaving you unsettled. If Barbarian showcased Zach Cregger’s talent for subverting expectations, Weapons proves he can sustain tension, build allegory, and craft something both terrifying and profound.
4 out of 5 stars: Weapons is a must-watch horror film for fans of indie horror who crave stories that make you think, squirm, and confront the monsters we live with, seen and unseen.
If you enjoy watching thrillers, I highly recommend this TV show (for fans of procedurals!) while K-drama stans will prefer this. Or if gaming is more up your alley check out two of my favourite horror/thriller picks: The Darkside Detective Series or Kathy Rain 2.
This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla
in collaboration with Mads’ Cookhouse.
‘Weapons’ is a gripping horror-thriller that masterfully blends mystery, suspense, and supernatural elements. The film’s nonlinear storytelling keeps you on edge, offering unexpected twists and deep character explorations. Julia Garner’s performance is particularly compelling, adding depth to the chilling narrative. Highly recommended for fans of thought-provoking horror.
I do love Julia Garner and Amy Madigan’s acting skills, but I just can’t take jump scare. Still the themes and undercurrents make me want to gather the courage to watch it.
Sounds like a great movie from your review, Meetali. I steer clear of violent movies or series as I live alone, and I stick to ROMCOMS so that I feel good. I know it is a strange theory but that is how it is.
Weapons sounds like a wild ride! The mix of horror and dark humor, plus that unsettling final chapter, has me intrigued. Definitely adding it to my watchlist. Thanks for the rec, Meetali
I loved reading your review, Meetali. However, this genre is not my cup of tea, I am too chicken to enjoy it.
I can’t sit through a horror movie without screaming so loud that I could scare and entire block. This movie with its plot twists and terrifying premise certainly isn’t for me. My son would love it though, it’s more his type.
I agree!!!!!Weapons is haunting, smart horror that lingers long after the credits. The performances, especially Alex and Julia Garner, are gripping, and the parasitic dread metaphor hits deep. Not just scary—it’s unsettling, thought-provoking, and brilliantly crafted. A must-watch.
This is the sort of film I would never want to skip…metaphorical and impactful. loved reading your review.
Next on my TBW!
well we’ll dear read the review it’s brief but still gave me a fair idea about the movie but still not sure if I will enjoy watching it or not. let’s see
I didn’t know about this but will definitely check it out. Seems interesting after your review.
I stopped watching horror after I conceived, so it’s been 11 years now. This movie looks haunting, so will recommend it to my husband and give it a miss myself.