^{By: Amanda Guarragi}

The horror genre has been thriving for decades, with new filmmakers producing modern horror classics for audiences. The conventions will always be similar, but it’s up to the filmmakers to be innovative to present these scares. The beauty of horror lies in the small moments that build suspense. For those who love the genre, the anticipation and the atmosphere play an important role in constructing a perfect horror experience.

In Zach Cregger’s Weapons, the story begins through the voice of a child retelling a horror story they’ve experienced in their small town. The black screen has the audience envision the harrowing tale through the lens of the child and sets the tone immediately. The perspective constantly changes throughout, with the disjointed narrative highlighting each adult involved in finding the missing children.

The editing plays a massive part in assembling the pieces in finding the missing children, as Cregger omits certain scenes in sections only to have them be more effective in other areas. Cregger fills the gaps in each section for each adult, making well-rounded characters with depth concerning their connection to the children.

The first section focuses on Justine (Julia Garner), the teacher whose class disappeared, all except for one. Alex (Cary Christopher) is the only child to survive the abduction and is targeted by law enforcement. He becomes quieter than usual, and the adults attempt to question him. Justine claims she has a special bond with her students. She wants to be the one to uncover what happened because of the target on her back.

Cregger shows how she handles the stress of the situation by resorting to alcohol. We see her connection to Paul (Alden Ehrenreich), who is a police officer on the case and an ex-fling. On the surface, we see Justine’s loneliness and desperation to feel a human connection, even with the children. She wants to help, but sometimes she crosses boundaries she shouldn’t.

The narrative plays within twenty-four hours, analyzing the whereabouts of every adult and how they stumble upon young Alex’s home. When the perspective shifts to one of the parents, Archer (Josh Brolin), this is where most of the clues are presented. The footage of the children running from their home and the perimeter of where the children could have possibly gone. Cregger utilizes cell phones and security footage in the modern age to effectively make the viewers uncomfortable when watching the children run from their homes, especially with the physicality of their arms outstretched by their sides, running as if they’re not in control.

He also integrates dream sequences with each of the adults to amplify their nightmares. At first, the title of the film can mean the use of weaponizing the children for personal gain and conditioning them to one belief system, but it becomes layered with the adults in the narrative. It can be perceived that the adults have their vices, which interfere with how they live. Justine, Paul and James (Austin Abrams) all abuse substances, while Archer has a streak of mishandled anger. Cregger doesn’t go too deep with the metaphorical language of the film, but it’s still effective when trying to connect the lifestyle of the adults with the title of the film.

What makes Weapons a modern horror classic is the love of the genre itself, and Cregger pays homage to his favourite filmmakers. From the execution of the scares a la Michael Myers slow-walk, to breaking down the door Stanley Kubrick style. Those small references while crafting an original horror film are something Cregger has done well in both of his films. He didn’t overuse the jump scares and focused on building a creepy atmosphere for his characters. It felt unsettling once Alex’s (Cary Christopher) chapter arrived.

Alex’s chapter tied the film together as all the questions are answered. We find out what happened to Alex’s parents, his home and most importantly, where his classmates went. You felt the genuine fear from Alex, and his performance was grounded, even though supernatural elements are woven into the missing children. Even when Alex was interacting with his aunt Gladys (Carol Madigan), he matched her level of intensity, which made for a satisfying ending for both.

Weapons is an instant horror classic from Zach Cregger. He impressed audiences with his original horror Barbarian and has been a filmmaker to look out for in the genre. The ensemble worked well together, and the disjointed narrative was effective in piecing all the important moments needed to solve the mystery of the missing children. It takes some time to settle into the pacing, but once it gets to Archer’s section, it picks up and plays more of a mystery than a horror. Cregger wanted to make a campy supernatural horror comedy, and he succeeded.