****
The horror genre has felt slightly stale recently, and there has been an infatuation with trauma as its thematic engine. Much in the way that The Naked Gun felt like a breath of fresh air for the comedy genre, Weapons accomplishes the same feat for horror.
Director Ari Aster of Hereditary (2018 ) and Midsommar (2019 ) fame is probably the best example of someone who has been able to conjure disturbing horror elements that worked in tandem with thematic ideas to deliver memorable films. Other films such as Smile (2022 ) and Talk to Me (2023 ) were not quite as elegant with their executions.
But where The Naked Gun proved successful by simplifying comedic execution, and avoiding over-focusing on narrative or emotional elements, Weapons goes in the other direction completely, transcending the genre’s recent outputs by feeling wholly original, intricately thought-out and unwilling to submit to tropes.
Weapons opens with a haunting narration by an unnamed girl. She chronicles the night that all but one of the students from Mrs Gandy’s class got out of bed at 2.17am, and left their houses on foot, with no explanation. In the aftermath, Mrs Gandy comes under intense scrutiny from the bewildered parents, as her innocence is called into question.
I think that is the ideal amount of information to know before going in to see this film. To be honest, Weapons should be seen knowing as little as possible because you are likely to have one of your best cinema experiences in recent memory. The trailers and promotional materials are foregrounding this as a creepy, fairytale-like story that will leave you shuddering with fear.
What they do not show is the incredibly ambitious storytelling that this film has. I should have known from director Zach Cregger’s debut, Barbarian (2022 ), to expect the unexpected. Where part of that film’s charm came from the attention given to the characters and unexpected shifts in perspective, Weapons continues this approach, and improves on it by being much more expansive.
This has more characters, a wider setting, more perspectives, dimensions and personality given to each primary character (and there are many ). Cregger does not rest on his laurels, and I could not be more impressed. He refuses to follow the patterns and unoriginal narratives of his contemporaries. Instead, the film feels like a reinvention of the genre: it truly keeps the audience wondering what will happen next, making something that is actually difficult to properly categorise. I think that has to be one of its most admirable achievements.
The film begins ominously, just like most horror movies, before surprisingly turning into a complex character drama with a fantastic Julia Garner performance as the teacher at the core of the mystery. It mutates again and again until the very end.
I really liked the characterisation of Mrs Gandy. She is reckless, aggressive and difficult; the opposite of what you expect when you first see her character. It really felt like I was watching a character study rather than another horror movie.
That is just the first of many subversions that this film has to offer. In two hours, Cregger builds this fascinating world of characters, each with their own desperate situations, making bad decisions but decisions that feel true to their characters. It is a tricky road to navigate, but Cregger does so gracefully.
But this is still a horror movie - or so it is labeled - and it needs to shock its audience.
There are some frightening images here for sure. They feel familiar, but the magic of this film is in the moments where sinister elements mix with comedy, leaving you unsure whether to laugh or gasp. Austin Abrams, a relative newcomer, might be the standout of the film because a major slice of the film’s impact rests on his shoulders, and he does not place a foot wrong.
In addition to the excellent character writing, creepy horror and unexpected comedy, there are some great action sequences, including a car chase and bare knuckle brawls. The relentless pace does give way to something slower and more measured which may be slightly jarring for some, but that is a minor gripe.
This film honestly has it all and Zach Cregger has cemented his reputation as an immensely talented director with a delightfully playful and inventive approach to storytelling.
In cinemas across Galway now
