The New Weapons Trailer Is Unnerving, Ambitious, and Deeply Strange

Jun 25

The second full trailer for Weapons, the upcoming horror film from Barbarian director Zach Cregger, has arrived—and it’s safe to say the buzz was justified. Leaning into a haunting blend of mystery and psychological dread, the trailer peels back the first few layers of what’s being teased as an epic, multi-strand horror experience.

The trailer opens with a child’s eerie voiceover recounting how every student in Mrs. Gandy’s fifth-grade class woke up at 2:17 a.m., left their homes, and disappeared without a trace. The only exception? A single child who remained behind—alive, but clearly altered by something unseen. That premise alone is enough to creep out most horror aficionados, but it’s the way the trailer holds its silences and lets its unease linger that makes it genuinely disturbing.

Julia Garner takes center stage as Justine Gandy, the teacher at the heart of the incident, whose world begins to unravel under suspicion and mounting paranoia. Josh Brolin plays Archer Graff, a grieving father whose growing desperation morphs into a quiet rage. Their dynamic is tense (obviously) with early glimpses suggesting the film will explore both public hysteria and personal guilt in the wake of the children’s disappearance. Also in the cast are Alden Ehrenreich as a conflicted local cop, Benedict Wong as the school principal, and Cary Christopher as the sole surviving student.

Visually, the trailer evokes the same creeping dread that made Barbarian a standout, but with a much more expansive scope. Grainy CCTV footage, slow dolly shots down sterile school hallways, and stark suburban stillness all help cultivate a tone that’s equal parts Prisoners, Donnie Darko, and a touch of It Follows. There’s a rich attention to atmosphere here too—where the sound design leans heavily into low hums, creaks, and silences that feel weaponized in their own right.

While the plot remains deliberately vague, Cregger has hinted that Weapons is more than a single horror story—it’s a layered, shifting narrative with emotional and psychological twists. And with a theatrical release locked for August 8, 2025, it’s shaping up to be one of the most anticipated horror films of the year.