Zach Cregger’s horror film Weapons has been gaining attention for its unsettling narrative and eerie visuals, largely influenced by Denis Villeneuve’s 2013 thriller Prisoners. The atmospheric style of Prisoners, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman, served as a blueprint for Weapons’ haunting tone and look.
Cregger described Prisoners’ cinematography as
“so gorgeous. It’s like washed-out, somber, cloudy, rainy movie,”
and noted his intention to replicate this style in Weapons.
“And I really, really wanted to, like, evoke everything visually that that movie evoked. And it’s very lived in too… The mess in the people’s homes and all that stuff. It’s great,”
he said in a Letterboxd interview.
Parallels in Narrative Themes and Characterization
Prisoners centers on a grim search for two missing girls in a bleak, rain-soaked town, with a mood reflecting the emotional depth of the story. Similarly, Weapons explores dark, hidden evils lurking within everyday life. Both films feature villains who remain unnoticed, blending into their surroundings until their true nature is revealed too late.
Beyond Villeneuve’s influence, Cregger drew narrative inspiration from Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia. The multi-layered storylines and the character of police officer Paul, played by Alden Ehrenreich, were shaped by Magnolia’s complex interactions. Cregger explained,
“Magnolia, masterpiece, epic. All these different characters interacting, spiralling around one weird central miracle. I love it. I kind of fashioned Alden after John C. Reilly.”
Additional Inspirations Behind Weapons’ Haunting Elements
Another cinematic reference point for Weapons was Peter Weir’s enigmatic 1975 mystery Picnic at Hanging Rock, a film focused on unexplained disappearances and the unsettling behavior of children. Cregger reflected,
“It’s about bizarre behaviour of children and a disappearance, and you’re left to just grapple with why. And it’s really, it’s an upsetting movie. It’s hard for me not to think about that movie when I think about this movie.”
Most significantly, Cregger acknowledged Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining as a foundational influence.
“I lift directly from The Shining in this movie. I’m not even ashamed. I mean, it’s obvious,”
he admitted, adding,
“It’s the first movie that made me fall deeply in love with horror… that scene with the twins in the hallway, it just annihilated me. And I have been hunting that feeling ever since.”
The Impact of These Inspirations on Weapons’ Reception
With its blend of visual style drawn from Villeneuve’s Prisoners, complex character arcs inspired by Magnolia, and unsettling themes reminiscent of Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Shining, Weapons offers audiences a richly layered horror experience. The film’s textured atmosphere and emotional intensity reflect the diverse cinematic DNA carefully woven throughout.
Currently playing in theaters, Weapons challenges viewers to uncover these influences while confronting its chilling story, reinforcing Cregger’s place in contemporary horror as a filmmaker deeply affected by past masterpieces.
