Zach Cregger, the director whose 2022 film Barbarian caught much attention, is back with his much-taunted second horror venture, Weapons. Writing, directing and producing, Cregger seems determined to stamp his style further into the face of horror. The film is set in a town shaken by the sudden disappearance of an entire class of children and lays open a dark and multilayered mystery that draws the viewers downward into a chilling vortex of fear, loss, and chaos.
The early buzz around the film suggests that it might just be one of the most disturbing horror outings of the year, with kudos showered on Cregger’s bold directorial choices, unpredictable pacing, and deep emotional gravitas. Cregger’s unique ability to weave genre tropes with psychological depth has firmly cemented him as a new voice in modern horror.
Ensemble That Does and Then Some
While Weapons was originally designed for Pedro Pascal, equity went to Josh Brolin for his first time, an apparent coup in the end. Brolin’s intensity, tempered by Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, and Amy Madigan, hit the right note; both grounded and chaotic. The basis of interest goes to Garner’s performance, which stands out for most viewers as the soul of the film.
One person commented, “Weapons is 100% HOLY HELL BATSHT BRILLIANT,” in response to the movie. Scary, humorous, heart-stopping, devastating, completely unique, and full of reverent, genre-bending tribute. Filmmaker Zach Cregger is a master. It’s true that the hype is real. Enter as blindly as you can.”
Weapons is 100% HOLY HELL BATSH*T BRILLIANT! Scary, funny, heart-pounding, heartbreaking, fully original, and rich with respectful, genre-busting homage. Zach Cregger is a master filmmaker. The hype is real, the hype is real.
Go in as blind as you possibly can.#weaponsmovie pic.twitter.com/wsR9UUzGbw
— Randy Shulman (@RandyShulman) August 6, 2025
“Weapons may be the most bizarre film you’ll see this year,” someone else posted. Total madness. It’s as shocking as Longlegs or It Follows, but with Barbarian’s tumult and tone. Some of the terror imagery is already ingrained in my memory, and each scene is more surprising than the one before it. CRAZY HAUNTING. I’m willing to put up with Cregger’s strange behavior.
#WeaponsMovie might be the craziest movie you see all year. Complete insanity. It’s shocking in the way It Follows or Longlegs are, but with the tone and chaos of Barbarian. Each sequence is more unexpected than the last, and some of the horror imagery is now burned into my… pic.twitter.com/kp9TMAZY0r
— Jones Vibes (@jonesvibesonly) August 6, 2025
Critics on social media have likened the tone of the film to a cocktail mix of It Follows, Longlegs, and the sheer madness of Barbarian. Weapons can easily mingle psychological dread and pitch-black humor together for an experience that is spectacularly disturbing and exhilarating at the same time.
A Story That Disturbs Long After the Credits
The disappearance of children without a trace serves an emblematic function of the metaphor of community breakdown and collective fear. Reviews suggest that while some sequences feel random, imbalanced, or uneven, the film meets its transgressive ambitions. Some found it scary in ways few horror films achieve others critiqued it for faltering at moments within the narrative. But even the critics concede: Weapons leaves a mark. With its Indian release on August 8, the film offers an intense experience for high-concept horror fans who dare to be different.
ALSO READ: ‘Freakier Friday’ and ‘Weapons’ Gear Up for Late-Summer Box Office Face-Off
