The writer-director of the film “Weapons” is Zach Cregger, and right out of the gate, he relates the mystery, which is like a bizarre urban legend.
Seventeen children living in a normal suburban neighborhood have disappeared in the middle of the night, with security-cam footage showing they got out of bed at the exact same time and ran off into the darkness, arms out like little airplanes. The missing kids make up the entire roster of Miss Gandy’s elementary-school class, save for one boy left behind, Alex.
From there, the film shows us the perspectives of six characters. Justine Gandy (played by Julia Garner), the teacher scapegoated by a baffled, frustrated community, falls back into some bad habits. Paul (portrayed by Alden Ehrenreich) is a cop with some anger-management issues. Josh Brolin plays Archer, a bullheaded parent who tries to play detective after getting nowhere with the sluggish local cops. We’ve also got a flustered school principal (played by Benedict Wong), an opportunistic junkie (portrayed by Austin Abrams) and lone survivor Alex (played by Cary Christopher), silently holding on tight to a secret.
The stories of the characters overlap, repeat or collide (sort of in the manner of “Pulp Fiction”) and these people are flawed enough that they’re often haunted by their own baggage, never mind the supernatural.
I won’t reveal details. Let’s just say the mystery is unraveled, aided by some spooky cinematography by Larkin Seiple, and a generous serving of “WTF” moments, big and small.
At the center of it all is a creepy clownish character named Aunt Gladys — played in a movie-stealing performance by Amy Madigan, an 80’s icon remembered for middle-American characters in movies like “Field of Dreams.”
Gladys might well become a horror icon — or at least a costume you see at future editions of FanX.
The film has some bloody moments, including a climax that is both gruesome and funny — but the gore doesn’t dominate the story.
“Weapons” rates four-and-a-half goosebumps out of five.
