Weapons: Redefining the horror genre
Zach Cregger joined the comedian-turned-horror filmmaker club along with Jordan Peele in 2022 with Barbarian. Since then fans of the genre have been waiting for his next project. Buzz began in the following year as Cregger started parading his next movie titled Weapons for distributors. This buzz crescendoed when Peele ‘fired’ his management team after they lost the bidding war for the film to Universal Studios. Since then expectations for this movie reached unattainable heights.
Expectations were absolutely met. Though they were not exceeded–unfortunately–Cregger has managed to deliver yet another all-timer for this new era of horror. 2025 has been a phenomenal year for the genre, and Weapons stands amongst the upper echelon. The plot follows an unsuspecting town where all but one student from a classroom goes missing at 1:27 am on a random Wednesday. This puts into motion a 120 minute thriller that takes after the small-town-missing-person vibes of Twin Peaks, and the bizarre imagery of The Shining.
This premise is admittedly not novel, but Cregger implements a Rashomon style narrative to keep the entire runtime engaging. Josh Brolin and Alden Ehrenreich are standouts, while Julia Garner delivers a career-best. However, child actor Cary Christopher steals the show. Children are often always central in horror stories, thus making child actors quintessential in this genre.
I went into this movie blind without having seen a single second of any teaser. If you live under a rock and are unaware what Weapons is, you are blessed. The experience is elevated with no prior knowledge of the premise. Star Cineplex is playing the movie across all their chains. Go out with your friends this weekend (you may even help save theaters in the process.)
