A new horror movie recently hit theaters and has already successfully terrified audiences. Zach Cregger’s film ‘Weapons’ immerses us in the grim atmosphere of a small town in Florida where children are disappearing one by one. One night, an entire classroom mysteriously vanishes, and the only survivor is a student named Alex. While the whole town tries to find the missing kids and figure out who is behind it, surveillance cameras reveal an even more chilling story.
Many viewers who have seen the film wonder if this terrifying plot is based on a true story. Although the movie has elements that suggest a real-life history, Zach Cregger has said that it is not. And yet, the film is not entirely made up. The director admitted that he put his own personal experiences into it.
A true story or a personal tragedy?
Cregger said that he started writing Weapons to cope with his grief after the tragic loss of his friend and actor Trevor Moore in 2021. According to him, writing script was not driven by ambition but by the need to process his emotions. Cregger also revealed that the film contains autobiographical elements, especially in its ending, as well as scenes inspired by his childhood with an alcoholic father. In his words, a foreign substance can turn an entire family upside down, making the home a frightening place.
Although Weapons is not a true story, the director does not deny that he was inspired by other sources. Zach Cregger wanted to show paranoia, violence, and fear from different points of view. He said that he was inspired to write the script by Paul Thomas Anderson’s film Magnolia. This helped him go beyond a simple thriller about missing children and create a truly deep and terrifying horror movie.
