Weapons
A killer hook: at 2:17am one night, seventeen children from the same class all leave their houses, run off into the night and disappear. I went into this totally cold, but having experienced Barbarian, I was a little more prepared for the distinct Zach Cregger mix of creeping dread and Looney Tunes. This time it was much more balanced throughout rather than a cut to Justin Long in the middle signaling a complete change of tone.
Justine is the teacher of the class that (almost all) disappeared, and a lot of people think she knows something. Archer is one of the parents. There’s also a cop, Paul, a meth head, James, and the one remaining child, Alex, in a “what if Magnolia, but horror” style of differing perspectives on the same events. What can I say, the creeping dread is scary and the Looney Tunes is hilarious. One minute we’re seeing dark figures lurking in the shadows, the next someone is getting their face potato-peeled. Every time someone goes into Alex’s house, it’s scary as hell, until it’s Josh Brolin punching James as he pops up screaming again, again, again. The flock of children ending is glorious, hilarious and incredibly gory.
I’m not totally sure what “Aunt” Gladys’ plan was. She’s using these kids as some kind of life-sustaining force, but they’re also potential - check out the title - weapons. Can you be both at the same time? Did she plan to fire them at anyone at some point? Was she terminal or just stopping over in a new place to absorb some new life energy. I guess it’s not that important, the main point spends half the movie written on the side of Justine’s car: WITCH. Very clever of Alex to notice how the magic works and turn it back on her.
I will complain about the voiceover and tagline which said the kids disappeared and “never came back”, which in fact they did do a month or so later.