The last few years have been an incredible ride for horror fans. From the bloodlust gore of the Terrifier franchise, to Robert Eggers’ chillingly atmospheric Nosferatu, and Oz Perkins’ double-feature of Longlegs and The Monkey, those seeking something to make the nights a little darker have been on the ultimate winning streak. Now, Zach Cregger is following up his rug-pull turn with Barbarian with another movie that is about to change the face of horror again – Weapons. First reactions to the movie were good, and now the movie’s Rotten Tomatoes score has landed with a perfect 100% result, setting up what could be the best horror movie of the year.
Cregger took a little time after the release of his 2022 movie to work on the animated comedy, Mars, and produced the sci-fi smash, Companion, but with Weapons he has come back to an arena that he clearly excels in. One thing that has been very clear from the first run of reviews is that Cregger has, as Shakyl Lambert of CGMagazine put it, “took what worked in Barbarian and tightened up the things that didn’t.”
So far, there has been no hint of negativity around Weapons, from its ingenious marketing campaign, to the “truly special” execution of the final product. There is still almost two weeks until audiences get to see the movie, and the reviews are only going to drive anticipation even higher than it already is.
What Have First Reviews Said About ‘Weapons’?
One unanimous thread running through all of the reviews of Weapons is the belief that Cregger is a filmmaker who is already at the level of many of his contemporaries but is still on the rise. Germain Lussier of io9.com said, “A constantly surprising and often horrific mystery that blends drama and scares in a way that creates something truly special.”
For Josh Korngut of Dread Central the film is a “shocking, satisfying and certain to surprise even the most jaded of horror fans.” Others have added that the movie is “captivating,” “the most WTF?! movie ever,” and, that old compliment, “the best horror movie of the year.
It is clear that Weapons is a movie that is going to be very enticing to those looking for something a little darker this summer. If July was all about the big blockbusters filled with bright superheroes and fearsome dinosaurs, then August is going down a very different route with movies like The Naked Gun expected to deliver big laughs this weekend and Weapons ready to terrify audiences the following week.
Despite the trailers and online viral content released for the movie, it is still hard to work out exactly where Weapons is heading. What we do know is contained in the synopsis, which reads:
“When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.”
Weapons stars Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan. The film will be released in cinemas on August 8, 2025.
