Warner Bros. is a production company that takes risks on new writers, directors, and produces projects meant to make the audience sit and think. Their newest horror movie, Weapons, directed by Zach Cregger, comes out August 8, 2025. Starring Julia Garner (Justine Gandy), Josh Brolin (Archer Graff), and Benedict Wong (Andrew). In this horror-mystery, all but one child has gone missing from the same classroom. Something made the rest vanish all on the same night, and the community seeks answers.
Warner Bros. has produced many horror movies and will produce many more. What made it stick and become a staple in the horror community? Well, first, it doesn’t hurt to have a great lead in the film. In many Warner Bros. films, new, upcoming actors comprise the cast, eager to prove themselves. For example, before his role in Pirates of the Caribbean, Johnny Depp had his breakout role in Nightmare on Elm Street(1984). It questions what is real and what is not, the truth or what they want people to believe.
Their best stories are left ambiguous. They never give an easy path to what we want to know. The endings take hold, leaving the audience to rethink what they watched. It’s truly a Warner Bros. staple to leave the message up to one’s interpretation.
The bleak atmosphere we see in the trailer for Weapons is dark, almost terrifyingly so. A little town, while shining brightly during the day, hides a secret. Brolin’s character, as well as Garner’s, tries to find answers. Though it seems they blame Justine Gandy (Garner), as they have only disappeared from her classroom. This atmosphere is often seen in the form of the chilling house in Hereditary and the mysterious island in The Lighthouse. The characters, as if possessed by the world they live in, make choices that end with us talking to the screen. We tell them they’re going the wrong way, as if they can hear us.
The drama that unfolds is one we can relate to. What parent wouldn’t be upset, angry, and confused if their child went missing? It’s this emotion that anchors the movie and helps us better understand. To keep up with all that’s happening, we go back to the film’s main question: why did these children leave their houses willingly with no explanation? It is the main precursor for the rest of the story. Warner Bros. continues to bring transformations that are less about personal journeys and more about the writer’s manipulation of events.
Warner Bros. seems to reject the horror formula Hollywood has created. Instead, they opt for a niche effect that reminds us of the original slasher films, or, rather, something unknown. While Weapons doesn’t pay homage to any classics, it reaches that never-before-seen narrative. Warner Bros. films feed on the reaction of the audience, and whether good or bad, they take it in stride. When it comes to body horror, they are not afraid to shy away from the grotesque, unusual, and almost criminal acts.
Sometimes, style gets chosen over substance. They make the film black and white, or include exploitative scenes that leave some audience members questioning why. This is where it can stray away from the movie’s main plot. This distracts the audience, leading them to question its purpose rather than focusing on the intended message. There should be a good twist, and some jump scares now and again. The choice to focus excessively on the visuals deters us from the film. We notice that some films lack while others succeed and specialize in their genre, but we don’t speak for all audience members.
So, how should Weapons end? What would the twist be? Maybe the teacher did have something to do with the children’s disappearances. Maybe the most dangerous characters in the film are seemingly harmless on the surface, but are hiding something darker. In Weapons, it is all about what is hidden in the dark. We’ll have to wait and ponder what the twist ending will be.
More than anything, Warner Bros. presents a new wave of horror, and the narrative staples that live within their films are what make them so unique. Yes, you may find similarities with other films, but those naturally occur. It is the fact that they do not shy away from body horror, don’t stick to the cheap tricks, and always take chances on new writers, directors, and actors. While not every film becomes Warner Bros. best, the studio constantly chances the new. It’s something that I believe will make Weapons a must-see.
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