Weapons

Cregger’s 2022 debut film, Barbarian, did well enough to keep him in play, but it is more morose and traditionally grim, lacking the outrageous glee of pure mayhem in Weapons. The audience in the screening I attended laughed and gasped aloud more than in any horror film in recent memory. There is a scene featuring a Ferris Bueller-esque run through the neighborhood backyards that had everyone howling with laughter. Knowing that the filmmaker is willing to be funny in a scary movie adds an element of unnerving dread to the experience. It creates the sense that this mf is willing to do anything, so there are no guardrails on what might happen. It is a short jump from laughing to screaming. There is no safe space. Cregger has a refined sensibility for identifying the core irritations in ordinary life and amplifying them into anxiety, escalating to terror. 

Originally, Pedro Pascal was cast to play Archer, the role that ultimately went to Josh Brolin. Cregger spoke about this in an interview with Men’s Journal. “I had a whole different cast for this movie, and then we had the strike, and then Pedro Pascal’s schedule threw us into turmoil. I had to recast the entire movie.” Brolin is a quality actor and made the role his own, but it would have been interesting to see where Pedro went with it. On the other hand, there’s been a lot of Pascal lately, so this is likely a good thing for all concerned. 

Julia Garner as Justine Gandy begins to realize something is very wrong.

“…It’s a short jump from laughing to screaming…”

Amy Madigan owns this movie as Aunt Gladys, an old woman with secrets who comes to live with the Lilly family. She has been relegated to lesser roles in recent years, but her full acting power comes to bear in Weapons, and she is incredible. There’s an award owed to her for this performance. 

While nothing particularly innovative happens, Cregger has scored a massive accomplishment with this film for turning the banal into the extraordinary and artfully delivering a pure roller coaster of emotions. Weapons is this year’s Get Out, and you will be hearing a great deal about it. This film is deservedly going to get a lot of press coverage and discussion, so do yourself a favor and go see it before all the great bits are spoiled for you.