Admittedly, I’m not the biggest horror person. However, the premise of a small town grappling with the mysterious disappearance of a group of kids that willfully left their own homes was an engaging enough plotline to draw me in. Beyond the mystery that’s presented and the characters we end up following, no other context clues are shown in the advertising for this film that would lead you to draw any plausible conclusions, which is honestly how more films should go about their advertising. The director of this film, David Cregger, also directed another horror movie that was completely shrouded in mystery by the name of Barbarian. Once again, my desire to unravel this mystery overpowered my fear of horror. Where that film ended up going was something I never would’ve expected, and Weapons was a very similar experience. The film is split into different chapters, following the perspectives of different characters. Through these different perspectives, we get insight on how the kids’ disappearance affected them all in different ways. One character, a teacher who the town thinks is to blame for the disappearance due to her class being the only one that disappeared. Another character, a drug addict who only wants to find the children for the $50,000 reward. Each character is wildly different, and although I think this style of storytelling would better fit a miniseries rather than a film, this type of character exploration was quite an unexpected and relatively welcome element to get in a horror film. This film’s writing also has a very sharp sense of humor that I wasn’t expecting. Speaking of the horror aspect, it was most definitely present. As this mystery unravels, the violence and the scares ensue. Coupled with the film’s creative direction and cinematography, things do get pretty bloody. However, despite its gruesome nature, I can’t help but give props to the unsettling set pieces and the practical effects used. I won’t spoil any significant story details, but I can guarantee you that the directions this film’s story goes won’t be easy to predict. Even if you’re not a horror fan, I still recommend giving this movie a watch for the mystery thriller elements alone. Score: 8/10
