Movie Scene: Stephen King without Stephen King

This week’s review is a rarity for me – it’s a horror. Long-term readers of this column will be aware of my love-hate relationship with the genre, so I won’t go into it here, but I thought I’d give one a go for old time’s sake. So, let’s talk about Zack Cregger’s ‘Weapons,’ his follow-up to horror hit ‘Barbarian.’

Plot description will be slight so as to avoid spoilers. A small-town community is rocked when, one night at exactly 2:17 am, all the children from one class – except one – mysteriously get up, open their front doors, spread their arms, and run away. To where, no one knows. The only one left behind is Alex (Cary Christopher).

Told in chapters, ‘Weapons’ follows teacher Justine (Julia Garner); parent Archer (Josh Brolin), convinced Justine is at fault; head teacher Marcus (Benedict Wong); cop Paul (Alden Ehrenreich); junkie James (Austin Abrams); and Alex – Rashomon-style – as each individual reacts to the disappearance. The interlocking narratives gradually piece together exactly how it all pans out. Cregger’s chosen method isn’t a bad one, but not all segments feel necessary. Paul’s section could have been elongated while James’s could have been cut entirely, and Marcus’s backstory didn’t add much.

Drawing inspiration from Stephen King and the later ‘Paranormal Activity’ films, Cregger’s script is well structured and keeps accusations vague, letting the pieces of the mystery slot into place for the final segment, all of which is anchored by an extremely creepy turn from Amy Madigan. There are also a series of tonal shifts, moving from jump-scare horror to mystery, thriller, and – especially at the climax – laugh-out-loud comedy. My screening was cackling through the last ten minutes. Some may feel the ending over-explains, and maybe a little mystery is no bad thing, but for me it explained just enough while still leaving a few questions hanging.

Performance-wise, Garner, Brolin, and Ehrenreich are all excellent despite their characters not being fully fleshed out, while Wong does good work in a small role. The standout, however, is Madigan, stalking the screen like a garish, technicolour Raggedy Ann doll in a role I won’t spoil here.

Horrors might be ten-a-penny, but Cregger has found a way to make the familiar feel a little bit fresh. If you like your Stephen King without Stephen King, ‘Weapons’ is worth a look.