What is happening to the people in the mysterious town of Maybrook?
Zach Cregger, writer/director/producer of horror/thriller “Weapons” – dubbed by some critics as a “horror masterpiece” and an “instant classic” – was adamant that each chapter of the film be told in a hyper subjective way – that the audience is squarely in the character’s experience. This was especially applicable to cinematographer Larkin Seiple’s placement of the camera – the lens sees the world directly from the perspective of the character, and so for example, with Cary Christopher’s Alex, the only student from Miss Gandy’s class who doesn’t go missing – everything is shot from his third-grader height.
“This is a movie that starts weird and I think it ends way weirder, but it also stays both feet on the ground as much as it can,” says Cregger. “It’s a movie that obeys the rules of its own universe so it’s not going to spiral into some bizarre, hallucinogenic nightmare or anything like that. But it is a twisty, turn-y movie. I mean, it’s a movie that reinvents itself about every 20 minutes while still staying true to the central engine. But it’s also a fun movie. It’s funny, it’s scary, it’s inviting. It’s not a big, grim, morose slog, and yet, the story it tells is really f***ed up.”
In “Weapons,” 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, with Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan.
Watch the trailers here and here.
Get to know the characters of “Weapons,” the new horror/thriller from the writer/director of the 2022 cult hit “Barbarian.”
Josh Brolin as Archer in “Weapons”
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Archer
Archer, played by Academy Award nominee Josh Brolin, is the father of one of the 17 elementary school students who disappeared into the night. When he feels that not enough is being done to find his son and the others, he begins to investigate on his own.
Says Brolin of the good year the horror genre is having, and of working with Cregger: “This is the horror cycle, and I like it. I love being involved with somebody who I think is really good.”
Julia Garner as Miss Gandy in “Weapons”
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Justine Gandy
Justine, played by Emmy winner Julia Garner, is an elementary school teacher who walks into her classroom one morning and finds all of her studios missing, except for one. Out of compassion for her students and with her personal reputation on the line, she begins to look into the disappearances on her own.
For Garner, “Weapons” is not just a horror movie; it’s also a love story. “And what I mean by love story,” she says, “is that it’s about people having the desire to connect but not knowing how.”
Paul
Paul, played by Alden Ehrenreich, is a police officer who gets inadvertently drawn into the investigation of the elementary school students’ disappearance while struggling with his own personal demons.
Ehrenreich is a fan of director Cregger’s previous hit, “Barbarian.” It was an easy yes for him to join “Weapons.” “It’s such a full meal,” says Ehrenreich of the stories of “Weapons.” “You get so many different characters, different dynamics and different stories. And the structure of the story is just so wonderfully done. So, I’ve been very genuinely excited to be a part of it.”
Alex
Alex, played by Cary Christopher, is the only student in Justine Gandy’s class who didn’t disappear.
On watching “Weapons” in the cinema compared to filming it, the 9-year-old Christopher says, “It’s different, because if you’re just watching a movie, it can be really scary because you don’t know what’s going on. But when you’re filming that same movie and you see it, it’s not scary to you. In fact, it’s funny. But since I know that it’s fake and it’s not real, we’re just all actors, it just gets pretty funny.”
Marcus
Marcus, played by Benedict Wong, is the principal of Maybrook Elementary, where Justine Gandy teaches. Once the children disappear, he finds himself caught between his friendship for Justine and his responsibility to the community.
Wong is excited about the movie because it’s unique. “It was original, unpredictable, and I could immediately tell it had the potential to be genuinely terrifying,” he says.
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Watch the mystery unfold when “Weapons” opens only in cinemas and IMAX August 6. Join the conversation and use #WeaponsMovie and visit MaybrookMissing.com for more information.
Photo & Video Credit: “Warner Bros. Pictures”
