Weapons review: A slow-burning horror that pays off in the end
Zach Cregger burst onto the horror scene in a major way in 2022 with the acclaimed Barbarian. There’s no sophomore slump problem here as Weapons is another solid horror, although it suffers from the same structural issues.
It revolves around an intriguing concept: At 2:17 am, 17 of the 18 children in Justine Gandy’s elementary school class mysteriously wake up, flee their homes and disappear into the night, never to return. The parents – led by Archer Graff (Josh Brolin) – are convinced Justine (Julia Garner) is responsible and it becomes dangerous for her to live in the fictional Pennsylvania community. What happened to the children? And why didn’t it affect her one remaining student, Alex Lily (Cary Christopher)?
Cregger tells the story through chapters that focus on a different character. This technique helps prolong the mystery as we slowly put the puzzle pieces together. He abruptly cuts and switches chapters just as we’re about to get to the good stuff – or something crazy has just happened – with a character, leaving us hanging.
I found this structure frustrating because it felt like every time it got somewhere, the story stopped and jumped to a different person. It killed the forward momentum and story progression and made the pace feel so slow. For some characters, I wondered why we needed a chapter on them – such as the homeless drug addict James (Austin Abrams) – but as their section progresses, you discover that they’re actually an integral part of the mystery. It all makes sense in the end, even if it is maddening watching it slowly come together.
We learn a little more and more with each chapter, and the horror and mystery build and build. This delayed gratification keeps us guessing until the final chapter, which fills in the remaining gaps. The final act is so horrifying, nerve-shredding and insane that it almost makes up for how long it took to get there. Almost. As much as I enjoyed the spectacle of it, I wasn’t fully satisfied with the resolution because I wanted a better explanation.
There is plenty in here to keep horror fans happy. Some gross body-horror moments made me wince, a couple of jump scares really got me, there are two disgustingly violent moments, and it’s generally very creepy and unsettling. It’s not just saved for the end either; there are scary moments peppered throughout the film, although the finale is where Cregger dials the notch up to the max. You will not be ready!
With reliable turns from Garner and Brolin and an impressive child performance from Christopher, Weapons is a slow-burning and surprisingly funny horror that rewards your patience in the end.
In cinemas from Friday 8th August