After shocking audiences with 2022’s wildly unpredictable Barbarian, writer-director Zach Cregger is back with Weapons - and if the newly released trailer is any indication, he’s doubling down on the dread, the ambition, and the pure chaos. New Line Cinema has unveiled the first look at the upcoming horror-thriller, and it’s already shaping up to be one of the most talked-about films of the year.
Plot details have been kept tightly under wraps, but the trailer paints a fragmented and chilling picture. Described by the studio as a “multi-story horror epic,” Weapons appears to unfold across multiple timelines and perspectives, hinting at a central event - a mysterious, possibly supernatural occurrence in a small town - that sends ripples through time. It’s Magnolia by way of It Follows, anchored by a star-studded cast and Cregger’s now-signature tonal whiplash.
Josh Brolin leads the ensemble, looking every bit the haunted man grappling with something far larger than himself. Alongside him are Julia Garner (Ozark, Wolf Man), Alden Ehrenreich (Solo, Oppenheimer), and rising star Austin Abrams, each featured in flashes that suggest interwoven, increasingly disturbing storylines. There’s a police investigation, missing children, flickering lights, and something lurking just offscreen - Cregger never shows his hand, but the unease is palpable.
What made Barbarian so effective was its unpredictability - a movie that reshaped itself every 20 minutes. With Weapons, Cregger appears to be wielding a much larger canvas without losing that unpredictability. The trailer is tight on plot but drenched in atmosphere, with moody cinematography, stark framing, and an ominous score that builds toward something we can’t quite see.
Cregger has cited Paul Thomas Anderson and Bong Joon-ho as influences on the film, and you can feel that reach in the trailer’s scope - this isn’t just another horror flick, it’s a full-on epic of fear and human folly. He's clearly betting big, and if Weapons lands, it could cement Cregger as the next genre auteur to watch.
'Weapons' arrives in theaters August 8th.
