Is Weapons Based on a True Story?

Zach Cregger’s horror drama film ‘Weapons’ chronicles an inexplicable event wherein kids from Justine Gandy’s classroom disappear mysteriously post midnight, leaving no trace. The community housing the school is pulled into a nightmarish and traumatic journey to unravel the mystery of the event. The film explores the ideas of trauma, childhood, and secrecy. As the teacher and the other adults go on a tumultuous journey of revelations, the children face certain death as the clock begins to run out.

The narrative delves into the complexities of the relationships between kids and adults, while also exploring the darkness behind the human psyche. As the community fights to resolve the situation, it finds that the disappearance is linked to something greater. The nucleus of the narrative lies in the insecurities experienced by people at the prospect of death and danger when a loved one disappears. Despite being called a horror film, it is a multi-layered commentary on greater issues.

Weapons is Partially Inspired by Events and Influences in the Director’s Life

Though ‘Weapons’ is a fictional tale, it is partially inspired by Zach Cregger’s own experiences. The director, who also serves as the writer, took inspiration from happenings in his own life, which eventually led him towards the development of the script. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the filmmaker opined that he had a great tragedy in his life, wherein someone extremely close to him passed away. The grief gave him the strength to approach the heavy subject of the film. He commented that the movie wasn’t a very ambitious project, but a means to cope with his own emotions. He quoted, “There are certain chapters of this that are legitimately autobiographical that I feel like I lived.” This proves that the narrative was born from an extremely vulnerable place, making the story a more grounded take on tragedy.

In order to provide a more meaningful experience to the viewers, he refused to address the particular tragedy deeply, feeling that it would deny the viewers the ability to form their own opinions. In an interview with Polygon, the filmmaker opined that the works of David Lynch inspired him during the creation of the film. He quoted, “I’m a huge fan of the David Lynch process of transcendental meditation.” This proves that the surrealism of the film possibly had its origins in the works of the legendary director. In a conversation with The Next Best Picture Podcast, Cregger revealed that Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Magnolia’ had a real impact on him. He stated, “Well, Magnolia was a big inspiration for this movie. And the cold open of Magnolia is another montage with really energetic camera moves and zooms on a dolly, and all kinds of swinging, and it’s just never stationary.” Thus, the movie stands on the shoulders of many giants.

The Narrative of Weapons Comments on the Tragic Reality of Missing Children

The disappearance of children is the core plot point of the film, but it originates from real cases of missing children and the kind of impact such cases have on society. According to a 2024 report from the US Department of Justice, a six-week national mission, led by the US Marshals Service in collaboration with federal, state, and local agencies across several areas in the country, successfully located and saved 200 missing children. These children included runaways and those who had been forcefully held or kidnapped by strangers. The trauma of missing kids is the emotional nucleus of the film, as parents and adults try to hopefully rescue the kids before time runs out. The trauma experienced by parents in real life finds a poignant yet unsettling representation in the film.

In reality, missing children are often dragged into sex trafficking and are also exploited and abused by strangers. Despite being characterized as a “horror” film, the real fear isn’t that of ghosts or supernatural beings, but the experience of uncertainty and dread when a child goes missing. According to a report from the Child Crime Prevention & Safety Center, a child is either kidnapped or goes missing every 40 seconds in the US. This highlights the gravity of the situation from which ‘Weapons’ takes inspiration. With increasing tensions in society, children only find themselves in greater danger, without many officials or responsible adults to care for them.

Weapons Touches Upon the Horror of the Image of the Vietnam War

For those who are well-versed in history, it is a known fact that one of the most horrifying photographs ever taken is that of a panic-stricken young girl named Kim Phúc fearfully running on a road after a napalm attack during the Vietnam War. The picture taken by Nick Ut became instrumental in driving American public opinion against the violence of war in Vietnam. The film features children running away in a style that’s extremely similar to the way children affected by the war ran in real life. This becomes an instrument of narration wherein the director conveys the tragedy of the children by comparing it to war. Though the horrors of real war are different from the plot of the film, the symbolic representation of the famous photograph sheds light on the intention of the movie.

Interestingly, in an interview with Entrainment Weekly, Cregger opined that there’s something inherently troubling about the particular posture where children stretch out their arms and run, reflecting the tragedy in Vietnam in the past. He quoted, “There’s that terrible photo of that girl in Vietnam with the napalm burn. I think that image is so awful, and the way she’s holding her arms out just killed me. I think there’s something really upsetting about that posture. If I had to guess, that might be where the seed is from. I don’t know. But there was no second-guessing that pose. I knew that they would run that way.” This revelation from the filmmaker also touches on a deeper issue, which is that horror is not always about jump scares or thrills, but can also be about very real issues in the past or present that continue to influence how we approach social issues. ‘Weapons’ manages to deliver that responsibly.

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