New Weapons teaser shows Zach Cregger isn't just doing The Leftovers

The eerie new teaser follows a few equally creepy clips that emerged on social media earlier this month.

New Weapons teaser shows Zach Cregger isn't just doing The Leftovers
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The Leftovers doesn’t necessarily have a monopoly on stories about people vanishing into thin air at the exact same time, but the logline for Zach Cregger’s Weapons really did sound like The Leftovers. “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,” it reads. 

There’s something very different going on in the town of Maybrook, however, which a newly released trailer illustrates in just about the creepiest way it could have. Those kids didn’t just vanish, but left their houses and sprinted, arms outstretched, across the neighborhood. We don’t know why or to what end, but Cregger—who also helmed the nightmarish 2022 film Barbarian—sends a salient message in this very short clip: if you think one horror movie child is bad, try 17. They’re way scarier in packs.

The teaser doesn’t give any answers to the film’s many questions, but it does link to a clever, lo-fi companion site that provides a bit more context. “A chilling mystery has gripped the small town of Maybrook after 17 children voluntarily left their homes Wednesday morning. Authorities are baffled by the inexplicable disappearance, which has shaken the community to its core,” begins a fake new article on the homepage. It goes on to link to some (equally creepy) “front door camera footage” from the night of the disappearance, which circled on social media earlier this month. 

Barbarian fans will also recognize another link at the bottom of the page discussing the news of an “Underground Prison Discovered in Rental Home.” Whether the two films actually have anything to do with each other or this is just a fun Easter egg remains to be seen, but one thing does seem certain: like its predecessor, Weapons seems bound to keep its audience glancing around corners long after the credits roll.

While none of them are shown in the teaser, Weapons stars Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan. The film runs into theaters August 8.

 
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