Weapons (2025) Film Review: An eerie horror/mystery tale with masterful execution

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Zach Cregger, the creative visionary behind a truly memorable horror debut with 2022's Barbarian, returns with his highly anticipated second feature.

An ambitious screenplay presented in an episodic format featuring several interconnected chapters and characters, Weapons (2025) tells the story of a class of seventeen schoolchildren who mysteriously run away from their homes at exactly 2:17 AM, with only one child and their teacher remaining.

The town's community is left questioning who, or what, is behind the children's disappearance and whether there is a malevolent, supernatural force at play...

A very high contender for the best horror of the year, Cregger solidifies his status as a true pioneer for modern cinematic horror, delivering a genuinely remarkable film that showcases impeccable standards of filmmaking and exceptional performances across the board. The movie also presents one of the best screenplays in recent memory, with a unique storytelling framework that chooses to shoot from many different characters' perspectives in the aftermath of the children's disappearance, laying the foundations for a very effective mystery plot.

Julia Garner's Justine, a small-town school teacher, becomes a scapegoat of society as grief-stricken parents desperately try to find out what has caused the disappearance of their children

Acting as both director and writer for the film, Zach Cregger deserves much praise for crafting a deliberately meticulous, expertly executed dark, fairytale-like portrait of urban horror. An intelligent, enigmatic, and subversive narrative offers a true masterclass in successfully capturing a foreboding sense of heavy dread and suspension. Viewers are treated to plenty of clues and connections throughout the interconnected storylines, raising ambiguity as well as providing hints about what really happened to the children.

An intended slower pace and multiple changes of perspective will certainly not be for everyone; however, this chosen method of storytelling does a wonderful job at breathing a tangible sense of life into the setting and grounds the town and its people in an authentic feeling of reality.

The film's outstanding technical aspects match the high quality of its engrossing screenplay. Cregger consistently utilises thoughtful panning and tracking shots with his audience in mind at all times, often revealing something sinister occurring in the background of a shot and heightening the potent creep factor lingering throughout the picture.

A chilling score and effective sound design also do a sublime job at enhancing the fear factor, with Cregger knowing when not to include a musical soundtrack to simply allow a scene to speak for itself, complementing the film's twists in tone perfectly.

The enigma surrounding the disappearing children forms a central component of the film's narrative, as well as traditional horror elements

Similar to Barbarian, Weapons does feature the potentially polarising, irreverent blend of dark, disturbing humour with more traditional horror elements. Whilst this may be a confusing element for some, the sheer ridiculousness and inexplicable events that take place in the narrative lead to some absolutely priceless reactions from the cast. Despite only seeing a small snippet of their lives, we gain a good understanding of each character's personality and motives, with their hilariously relatable reactions adding another appreciated level of authenticity to the film.

Performers such as Julia Garner as Justine, the classroom teacher who becomes the victim of a blame game at the hands of many emotional parents, Josh Brolin as Archer, a guilt-ridden father of one of the children, and Alden Ehrenreich as one of the town's cops, all radiate a natural believability in each of their respective roles. Austin Abrams, in particular, was a notable standout amongst an already brilliant cast, playing a drug addicted homeless youth who is unintentionally caught up in the crazy situations involved in the town's mystery, and his role provided the majority of the film's twisted comedy.

Each character genuinely feels like a real person one may be able to identify with or recognise from someone in their own lives, largely in part due to the convincing performances of a stellar ensemble cast.

A special shout-out must also go to young Cary Christopher, who plays Alex, the only child not to have disappeared in his class. 2025 has so far proved to be a standout year for incredible child performances in horror films, and Christopher is truly fantastic in this movie. He carries the final chapter of the narrative on his shoulders with remarkable confidence and skill, rising to the challenging, horrific subject matter with the ease of a veteran professional and becoming a significant part of the emotional fallout of the film's cathartic climax.

Weapons (2025) exhibits gorgeous cinematography and delicately planned direction throughout

It is definitely recommended to go into this movie blind, as the mystery pay-off and clarification regarding the possibility of an evil presence is an absolute delight for horror fans, leading to one of the best final acts to grace our screens this year. Cregger orchestrates a fantastic blend of genuinely unsettling, terrifying horror with shameless hilarity, making for a thoroughly entertaining romp at the cinema when viewing the film with others.

All in all, Weapons certainly has all of the potential to become a future modern horror classic. Atmospheric, chilling, nasty, ludicrous - Cregger's second feature is quite possibly the absolute peak of cinematic thrills and scares. Whilst its unique story structure and absurd tonal changes will not be to everyone's taste, it is difficult to deny the sheer talent on display behind and in front of the camera here. If you were a fan of Barbarian, chances are you will love this follow-up in Cregger's already impressive filmography.

Definitely check this one out at the cinema if you get the chance!

Check out the trailer for Weapons (2025) below, and please let me know your thoughts in the comments!