Ep. 105: Thesis ➡
Episode 104: Zach Cregger’s Weapons (2025)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
A classroom empties at 2:17 a.m., a town wakes into panic, and a smiling aunt named Gladys quietly takes control. We unpack Weapons with a focus on what makes its daylight horror so unnerving: ordinary streets, ring camera footage, and fights that look messy because real people don’t brawl like stunt teams. From the opening sequence to the last chase, the film swaps cheap jolts for sustained dread and pays it off with performances that leave bruises.
We dive into the layered structure—how replayed scenes shift with each perspective, how a longer hug or a shakier line reading builds character without exposition dumps. Josh Brolin’s grief anchors the story in routine and denial, Benedict Wong’s possession turns purpose into a weapon, and Amy Madigan’s Gladys steals every frame with a grin that curdles. The set pieces hit hard: the infamous headbutt, the hair snip at the car door, the basement turn when every child looks up at once. We connect those moments to the film’s larger ideas about control, momentum, and the horror of bodies moving with borrowed will.
Craft lovers will appreciate the sound design and score—heartbeat rhythms that surface only when needed, glass and bone that sound uncomfortably real, and a mix that breathes like a theater even on living room speakers. We also talk tropes worth retiring, details hiding in plain sight, and why the humor via James the junkie keeps the tension elastic without breaking tone. By the end, we land on strong watchability scores and a case for Weapons as a modern horror standout that earns its hype.
Sinister Sips
Mind Eraser
From: Liquor.com
Recipe:
2 oz Coffee Liqueur
2 oz Vodka
Club soda, chilled, to top
Add the coffee liqueur to an ice-filled rocks glass.
Slowly layer the vodka on top of the coffee liqueur
Top with the club soda, and serve with a straw
Plot Summary:
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. (taken from IMDb)
Watchability Scale
We gave the film a score of 9 on the Watchability Scale. Mike gave it the ever-elusive 10, but a few issues for Sam and Chad dropped it down on the scale.
Links
Movie Trivia (TV Tropes)
Movie Review (Time Out)