In recent years, it seems like we’ve seen an uptick in people known for comedy dipping their toes into horror. Most famously, Jordan Peele won an Oscar for his debut feature as writer-director, Get Out, but Kevin Smith and Bobcat Goldthwait both ventured into smaller-budget horror films, John Krasinski found great success with A Quiet Place, and Danny McBride co-wrote the recent string of Halloween films. It shouldn’t be a surprise: both comedy and horror are about building and releasing tension, delivering a punchline or a scare at the opportune moment for maximum effectiveness, and toying around with the audience’s reaction. It’s no coincidence that we often laugh after a great scare, and a brilliant joke can take us by surprise. But maybe the most surprising comedian-turned-horror-director was Zach Cregger, a member of the comedy troupe The Whitest Kids U’ Know, who shocked everyone with his 2022 horror hit, Barbarian. The film was a jarring, unpredictable vision that ended up making over 10 times its budget thanks to great word-of-mouth and rave reviews. Barbarian was the type of film that left people proclaiming Cregger an exciting new voice in horror — and for good reason. But it’s with Cregger’s Barbarian follow-up, Weapons, where he absolutely earns that designation. More than even those other filmmakers (yes, even more than Peele), Cregger shows with Weapons how perfectly he can balance horror and comedy in equal measure, always walking the line between these two in a film that is both unsettling and deeply funny. Because of this, Cregger has made what might end up becoming the best horror film of 2025.
What Is ‘Weapons’ About?

Teacher Justine Gandy (Julia Garner) arrives at her classroom one morning to find that all but one of her students is absent. The night before, at 2:17 A.M., seventeen of her eighteen students got out of bed, left their homes, and ran into the darkness. The only remaining kid, Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher), seems just as confounded as Justine by what happened, and weeks after the incident, the small town is no closer to finding answers as to what happened to these children. The town has turned against Justine, who believes she had something to do with the disappearances. Primary among these concerned citizens is father Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), who is understandably frustrated and wants to get to the bottom of what Justine knows. Part of what makes Weapons so fun is the structure that Cregger uses, in which we jump between characters, see events from different perspectives, and constantly find new questions to ask as Cregger doles out answers. Cregger has said he was inspired by Magnolia, and the film’s influence is certainly felt throughout the film. For example, we follow Paul Morgan (Alden Ehrenreich), a local mustachioed cop who makes poor decisions and has an uncertain past relationship with Justine, who can’t help but remind us of John C. Reilly in that Paul Thomas Anderson film. We also see this story from the eyes of Justine, Alex, Archer, Justine’s principal, Andrew Marcus (Benedict Wong), local druggie James (Austin Abrams), and several others. Each time we jump into a different viewpoint, Cregger pulls the rug out from under us, playing with our expectations, as we scramble for the pieces to come together.
Zach Cregger Knows How To Play With Tension and Comedy Beautifully

Image via Warner Bros.

Weapons has many of the elements we saw Cregger playing with in Barbarian: changing perspectives, the slow burn of suspense that keeps us on the edge of our seats, playing with what we think is coming around the corner, hell, there’s even unsettling basement moments. But Weapons takes this all to a whole new level, and it’s truly impressive to watch him juggle all the parts of this narrative. In many ways, this is a story of community and how community can come together or be torn apart, and because of this, Cregger must tell the story of Weapons from the viewpoint of many. Every time a switch occurs, it’s an exciting prospect, but the format of the film means repeat viewings will be even more rewarding than the first. Cregger’s influences are clear, but fitting throughout Weapons. The uncertainty of lost children and the town’s fear leading to action is akin to Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners, which Cregger has also said was an influence, and there are very obvious references to The Shining in some of the film’s most haunting moments. This is a feature of Weapons and not a bug, as it’s clear where Cregger’s inspirations are coming from in many cases, but it only makes it all more spectacular when we see how these disparate references work together to make a remarkable new landmark in the horror canon. Much like Barbarian, Cregger is great at using the placement of the camera to make moments almost impossibly stressful. Cregger and Everything Everywhere All at Once and Beef cinematographer Larkin Seiple often keep the actors close with the camera, so that we don’t know what is within their surroundings. Other times, Cregger’s camera will place us perfectly so that no one else knows what’s coming, but we know that danger is imminent. Each situation is a great new opportunity to play with what we know and don’t know, and how Weapons is directed is key to that mystery.

Each new character we follow in Weapons changes the feel of the film. Garner makes a great horror protagonist here, a nice surprise after The Wolf Man from earlier this year (although Garner did do a different kind of horror extremely well in 2023’s underrated The Royal Hotel). She wants answers more than anyone, but we can also see that she pushes the limit of what she should and shouldn’t be doing to find those answers, to the point that just watching her maneuver through this world is tense enough. Brolin’s Archer is also a fantastic role for the actor, as he tries to find whatever clues he can and uses the tools he has at hand to try to solve this case. Archer is a bit like a softer version of Brolin’s Llewelyn Moss, quiet, but clearly working out the best plans in his head. Weapons is a film of many leads, and despite its episodic structure, each segment is equally exciting and essential in how it moves forward this mystery. This is a great presentation of what actors like Ehrenreich, Abrams, and Wong are capable of, but one of the standouts here is Cary Christopher as Alex, the kid left behind. His story largely relies on us reading what’s going on in his head through his eyes and reactions, and for such a young performer, Christopher does a phenomenal job. But giving the most tremendous performance of Weapons is Amy Madigan, and without saying too much about her role, she’s integral to this story, and gives a splendidly weird performance that is one of the best recent roles in horror. Cregger also casts plenty of actors who are more well-known for their comedic talents, but makes great use of them here. June Diane Raphael has a small but fun role, while Toby Huss is a delight as the police captain who’s just trying to do the best he can. Abrams’ segment as James is often so ridiculous it’s hard to laugh, while Whitmer Thomas’s role as Alex’s father is small but memorable, especially in the short scenes between father and son. The casting throughout Weapons is exceptional, and considering that the film had to almost completely start over in that regard, it only makes the final result even more superb. Weapons is an inventive, clever, and satisfying second horror film for Cregger, and the ways it plays with both horror and comedy reinforce that Cregger is indeed an outstanding and exciting up-and-coming filmmaker — and not just within the horror genre. In just one film, Cregger is able to craft a compelling mystery, present some of the most disturbing horror elements you’ll see in a film this year, while also providing huge laughs that will take you by surprise, all of which comes to a fantastically dark conclusion. Weapons is ambitious in everything it’s trying to accomplish, and somehow, Cregger pulls it all off ingeniously. Weapons is now playing in theaters.

Weapons

With Weapons, Zach Cregger expertly mixes horror and comedy to make one of the best horror films of the year.

Release Date

August 8, 2025

Runtime

128 minutes

Director

Zach Cregger

Writers

Zach Cregger

Pros & Cons

Cregger is great at walking a fine line between terrifying and hilarious.
This entire cast, especially Amy Madigan, is tremendous.
Weapons manages to pull off its many twists and turns beautifully.