Weapons (2025)
Weapons: Comedians Get Horror | 4/5
Written by Noah Dietz: 8/16/2025
When my friends dragged me to see Barbarian in 2022 I had no idea what it was about. I remember thinking it was going to be something in the ballpark of “oh, there’s an underground society of barbarians” or something similar, because I truly knew not a single thing about it other than that camera shot down into the basement stairway. Color me surprised when I actually watched it and saw the twists and turns the story decided to take us. Frankly, in a year of solid horror entries like Nope, The Menu, and Skinamarink, Barbarian managed to more than earn a spot in the top set of the year. When I saw the first trailer for Weapons I was thrilled. Zach Cregger was back with another horror film? Sign me up. The trailers looked bleak and didn’t give us too much to go on, but it came from the “twisted minds that brought [us] Barbarian” so I was ready to be there regardless.
The first thing you should know going into Weapons is… Whatever expectations you had set by Barbarian are probably correct. Much like Jordan Peele, Zach Cregger has hit the horror scene with a great energy that uses a comedy background to build tension in a fantastic way. From the moments where we slowly peek around corners with a POV camera to the still, held shots of inky black corners, this film manages to build and hold tension in ways that work fantastically. The deftly handled ebb and flow of the scenes both build the tension and only partially release it with touches of comedy to keep you on edge. You’ll find yourself watching the background, even when you don’t feel like there’s a real reason to be concerned like that. It’s shocking to see a man hit the scene with this clear a visual style that’s also incredibly different from his work before horror.
You’d be forgiven for thinking this was going to be a straight-up, unrelenting horror movie, but don’t let the level of humor included distract from the more open messaging here. The conversation about what a school shooting could do to a community is undeniably the primary focus here. More than just the parents of the children, an entire community will be shaken by such an act. Blame gets thrown around wherever it can stick, and it doesn’t matter who it hurts. Even our one child who didn’t vanish into the night isn’t free from these problems, with very few people taking his feelings into account while trying to learn why he was the only survivor. It’s upsetting at times for reasons completely unconnected to the plot. From pitchfork-wielding families to a police force that has decided they just can’t afford to care on a personal level anymore, we see a whole swathe of emotions on display.
There are some scenes that go on a little long. Told in a nonlinear format with multiple points of view, you might find yourself a little bored with where things are leading at times. Personally I enjoyed some of the more meandering moments. I’ve seen it compared to “moments of interest interspersed with the reading of the wikipedia summary of the film”, and I feel that’s a little unfair. I’m generally a big fan of a film that allows the world to breathe a little, even if it’s at the slight expense of the pacing. We have enough important characters here that I would rather they all get a moment in the spotlight than force through an ending.
This is a film best watched in the dark, even if you’re not able to make it to the theater for it. The dark doorways and miserably shadowed woods punctuate the daytime scenes, leaving you waiting for what’s coming next. Treat yourself to the movies this week, enjoy something that feels like a more contemporary horror take on Roald Dahl’s The Witches, and support a new horror visionary in the making.