Stephen King in 1999. ©ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection
Every year, we horror fans debate the film that deserves the title of “scariest of the year.” Recent candidates have ranged from the likes of Oddity to When Evil Lurks and the underrated Incantation. All are quite different. The universe of what scares each of us contains multitudes. One viewer’s nightmare is another’s stroll through the park.
Still, there are those movies that manage to reach a consensus of terror. Films that scar our minds with imagery we just can’t shake. They tap into a cultural moment of fear that resonates like a scream in a dark house. You can go ahead and add Barbarian director Zach Cregger’s Weapons to the list, a shocking piece of horror that’s now on HBO Max.
What’s Weapons About?
At exactly 2:17 am, all but one of the students from Justine’s (Julia Garner) classroom got out of bed, ran outside, and disappeared. Where they went, no one knows. Archer (Josh Brolin) and the other parents place Justine at the center of their witch hunt. Why only the kids from her classroom, they wonder? Tensions bubbling up in the town, the teacher and others set out to uncover the truth behind the missing children. What they discover is a supernatural terror far stranger and darker than they could’ve possibly imagined.
Weaponized Nightmare Fuel
Critics and audiences alike have deemed Weapons one of the most frightening horror films of the year. Even master of the macabre Stephen King weighed in on Bluesky. You can see his take below.
In terms of scares, Weapons has it all. Creepy kids with unnerving grins. Intense scenes of shrieking violence. A strange figure that appears out of nowhere for a good “boo” like Pennywise the Clown. Just like Barbarian, Cregger’s latest excels at building skin-prickling tension before exploding into horrific madness. What makes the film truly scary, though, is its portrayal of the culture built for our youth. One where parents rage at teachers and scapegoat them for any perceived issues with their kids. Where a child can walk into an empty classroom, classmates taken by gun violence. A society threatening to crumble under the weight of hate, induced by shadowy figures in the background, sucking the life from us like parasites.
Some have criticized Weapons as having nothing to say. Clearly, I disagree.
Doom and gloom as those themes are, this is Zach Cregger we’re talking about. Meaning that while the horror of the premise slips under the skin like a dirty needle, there’s plenty of dark humor to keep things entertaining. Austin Abrams’ portrayal of a junkie who stumbles into the terror reflects the hilarious disbelief I imagine many of us would feel. And Amy Madigan’s giddy yet vicious performance as Gladys should cement her as one of 2025’s more memorable horror characters. Not to mention, an ending that had my audience losing their minds.
I can’t guarantee that Weapons will scare you into sleeping with the lights on. Different things scare different people. But I can promise a memorable horror film that has Stephen King singing its praises. So, if you missed it in theaters, now’s your chance to watch one of the most talked-about movies of 2025 on HBO Max.
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