Weapons is a 2025 American mystery-horror film written, directed, and produced by Zach Cregger. The movie features an ensemble cast, including Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, and Alden Ehrenreich. Weapons was released theatrically in the U.S. on August 8, 2025, through Warner Bros. Pictures, and is now available to stream on HBO Max.
The film centers on a disturbing case in Maybrook, Pennsylvania, where seventeen third-grade students from the same classroom mysteriously vanish after all running away at exactly 2:17 a.m. Only one child, Alex, remains, and he shows up to school the next morning as if nothing happened. Their teacher, Justine Gandy (Julia Garner), is immediately placed on leave as suspicion grows that she may be involved in the disappearances.
Growing increasingly worried about Alex’s well-being, Justine follows him home, only to discover that the windows are covered in newspaper and his parents are sitting eerily motionless inside. Alarmed by what she sees, she begins her own investigation, one that slowly unravels the mystery and reveals the unsettling truth behind the children’s disappearance.
This was a truly unique and original story, and I appreciated the dark humor woven into the unfolding mystery. The acting across the board was superb, and the suspense, small-town setting, and creative cinematography all worked together to hold my attention from start to finish. I especially enjoyed the shifts between different characters’ perspectives, as well as the scenes shown from multiple angles, which added depth and insight into their experiences.
However, I didn’t get the terrifying horror masterpiece I was expecting. Instead, the film plays more like a dark comedy wrapped in a horror costume. The premise itself is fantastic, an entire classroom disappearing at exactly 2:17 a.m., leaving behind only one student, but the story begins to fall apart in the third and final act.
The main villain, an elderly woman named Gladys who somehow controls people through a magical tree, feels strangely out of place. We’re never given a clear explanation of why she does what she does, whether it was meant to prolong her life as she was dying, or something else entirely. Her motivations remain vague and unsatisfying. Ultimately, all the buildup leads to a conclusion that just doesn’t add up, leaving the mystery feeling underwhelming.
Overall, the film comes across more as a dark comedy with horror elements rather than a straight-up horror movie.
