Weapons has a premise right out of a classic urban legend. The kind that the camp counselors would tell around a fire to scare the bejesus out of the younger kids. As a chilling narrator explains, seventeen children from the same classroom ran from their houses at 2:17 AM, vanishing into the night. Now, all eyes are on two people: the class’ teacher Justine (Julia Garner) and Alex (Cary Christopher), the only child who didn’t go missing. There are several others caught in the middle of this mystery, although some don’t realize it yet.
Like Zach Cregger’s previous film, Barbarian, the less you know about Weapons going in, the better. Cregger has made an unsettling, unpredictable, and unexpectedly hilarious film. Both of Cregger’s movies also have a basement in common, although it never feels like he’s repeating himself. Where Barbarian was a haunted house movie, Weapons expands the terror to a suburban area going mad. Some will question the meaning of the film’s title. While little is spelled out, the film taps into the evils we conceal behind closed doors.
To the community, especially Josh Brolin as a father of a missing child, Justine is a witch with a dark secret. While Justine is a borderline alcoholic, Justine genuinely cares about her students. Principal Marcus (Benedict Wong) argues that Justine cares too much, telling her not to get involved with the families, especially Alex’s. Justine senses that something isn’t right about Alex’s home life, however. If she doesn’t intervene, who will? Sometimes, it’s better for a teacher to cross that line than allow tragedy to unfold.
While Garner is reliably great, this isn’t just her movie. Cregger’s script takes a Rashomon approach, switching perspectives as the story unfolds. Despite his rough exterior, Brolin earns our sympathy as a father experiencing every parent’s worst nightmare. Justine has a fling with Alden Ehrenreich’s Paul, a pathetic police officer who has a knack for making bad situations worse. Lurking around the neighborhood is Austin Abrams’ Anthony, a burglar looking for a big score. The reward money for some missing kids will do.
The scene-stealer is Amy Madigan as Alex’s Aunt Gladys. Madigan is an actress you might know as Kevin Costner’s wife in Field of Dreams or John Candy’s girlfriend in Uncle Buck. You most certainly won’t recognize Madigan here, hidden under a garish red wig and Joker lipstick smeared across her face. From the moment this character makes her grand entrance, we know something is seriously off. To find out what, you’ll have to take a closer look at your own risk. Madigan has created a new horror icon whose ghastly appearance is only made more menacing by a voice that creeps up our necks like a spider.
Cregger came from a comedy background, getting his start with The Whitest Kids U’ Know. Like Jordan Peele, he’s seamlessly made the transition to horror with back-to-back classics. Cregger doesn’t abandon his comedic roots with laughs that sneak up on you, along with the scares. As funny as Weapons can be, the inspiration stemmed from a place of tragedy. A few years ago, Cregger lost fellow WKUK founder Trevor Moore. Cregger laces his film in grief, an emotion many of us strive to hide. Grief can be ugly, but the longer it’s locked in the basement, the more likely it’ll destroy us from the inside.