Weapons: A subversive horror flick that is made sharper by the risks it takes

There are certain expectations Weapons will exceed, and there are others that it will not even meet, and that's what makes it such a compelling movie. If you're in the mood to watch what's being called one of the best horror releases this year, and you expect the usual horror package — the jump scares, the fright, a haunting story — Weapons delivers that to some extent. But not entirely, which is why a lot of people are disappointed and don't quite understand the hype. The truth is, Weapons was made to deliver something more different in a simpler way.

The story is what the trailer shows: missing children who all left their house one night and were never seen again. It's a simple story that's unsettling because watching children in horror is already a scary prospect, but Weapons takes this further by narrating the tale through a child's perspective.

To break it down, it's important to understand that Weapons isn't just a horror movie. In fact, there were just as many gasps and laughter as there were screams, which is the strange part: why are we laughing at a horror movie? This is not because it fails, but because Zach Cregger, the producer and writer, sets it up that way.

There's something to admire in a film that uses humour intentionally but still manages to make the audience anxious. It's a balanced risk most filmmakers wouldn't take, because horror is usually made only to scare, yet Weapons is deliberately multi-dimensional.

One undeniable thing about this movie is Zach Cregger's filmmaking. The film follows a non-linear narrative, structured in chapters, each one showing different characters' perspectives. This choice is one of the most interesting aspects and keeps you on your toes the whole time.

Read more

The Fantastic Four: First Steps finally does justice to Marvel’s first family

The movie is told from the perspective of different characters, and it relies on them to carry the weight of the narrative, which the incredible cast is able to shoulder. There wasn't a single actor who didn't add to the film. As the plot unravels, each character's backstory also floats to the surface, weaving itself in the story. 

The main letdown, though, is that the ending is rather simple. The dots are simply not connected. This gap cannot be attributed to simply the plot, but rather to the way it has been constructed. It does, however, work for me because it's a story about answering the riddles, even though the stones are left unturned.

Although the film fails to deliver on certain fronts, it doesn't take away from the entire movie. If anything, Weapons is just not your typical movie. It is compelling not because it fulfils typical horror expectations, but because it deliberately chooses not to. It's risky, different, and unsettling in a unique way, which makes it memorable, even though it might not appeal to everyone.

Tinath Zaeba is an optimistic daydreamer, a cat mom of five, and a student of Economics at North South University. Get in touch via mailing to [email protected]