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Zach Cregger's upcoming movie Weapons has made horror fans sit up and take notice for its intriguing premise. A random Wednesday quickly turns horrific when a group of children from the same class go missing at the same time, leaving their homes in the dead of the night. A grieving town and one remaining child are all that's left in the aftermath. What happens next?
The upcoming film's bone-chilling teaser cuts have already gone viral on social media. The movie, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, is set to be released on August 8, 2025. As reported by Vulture, New Line Cinema has won the bidding war for a whooping $38 million, securing its rights. Before watching Weapons, here is a horror movie binge list curated to get fans excited.
Disclaimer: All opinions in this article belong solely to the writer.
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Barbarian, IT, and other movies to watch before Weapons
1) Barbarian (2022)
A double booked rental home, with Tess and Keith stuck in a decaying neighborhood that harbors a secret. Viewers can expect this and more in Zach Cregger's debut writing and directorial stint, Barbarian. The movie is a genre hotpot. There's gore, dark humor, and suspense that has one looking over their shoulder hours after watching it.
To understand Cregger's vision and directorial touch before Weapons, fans must check out his debut. In an interview with Vulture published on April 30, 2025, Cregger spoke about his new venture.
“The movie will fork and change and reinvent and go in new places. By the midpoint, we’ve moved on to way crazier sh*t.”
So, his first movie sets the expectations for what's to come. Moreover, a Tess easter egg can be spotted in the first teaser of Weapons, which redirects fans to a website called "Maybrook News", where an article about Tess and the rental property made the news. So, it looks like both movies might be in the same universe.
Where to watch: Netflix
2) IT (2017)
Something creepy and mysterious is afoot in the small town of Derry, Maine. With missing children and the unexplained tragedy of his little brother dying, 12-year-old Bill Denbrough (Jaeden Lieberher) and his rag tag group of friends decide to investigate. The movie is based on the 1986 novel by Stephen King.
Weapons and IT have a similar premise, but the former promises to go down a completely different path. Fans looking to get into a child-centric horror sub-genre will enjoy this Andy Muschietti directorial, which became one of the highest-grossing horror movies of all time.
Where to watch: Max
3) Magnolia (1999)
Mutliple storylines about deeply flawed characters looking for life's meaning converge into one in this sweeping drama set in San Fernando Valley. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Magnolia is a microscopic view on the intricacies of being human. From a misguided former quiz kid to a police officer investigating a murder and falling in love, the audience gets to meet a kaleidoscope of humans.
An article by World of Reel, published on March 11, 2025, highlights that the multiple storylines and structure of Zach Cregger's Weapons is inspired by Magnolia. So, fans who want to get a whiff of what's to come might want to check this Tom Cruise starrer.
Where to watch: Prime Video
4) Searching (2018)
Searching focuses on a missing daughter, a distraught father, and a digital trail that might have the answers. This project is Aneesh Chaganty's directorial debut that navigates the horrors of the premise with an air of mystery. With a tight script, little clues scattered throughout the movie, and a strong performance from John Cho, the movie made waves upon release.
At its core, Zach Cregger's Weapons is also about a father's (played by Josh Brolin) search to find his missing daughter. While the plot focuses on multiple missing kids, it zooms in on the grief and suspicions of this one man.
Where to watch: Prime Video
5) Alone (2017)
In Weapons, all students from the same classroon go missing, except one. Something similar happens in this French sci-fi movie, Alone, that centers around 16-year-old Leila, who wakes up to find the entire world missing. When she runs into four other teenagers and scientific phenomena beyond her understanding, she must do what it takes to survive.
Zach Cregger's newest feature promises witchcraft and missing children. Swap those out for masked knife weilders and an entire population missing, and fans have a thrilling entertainer in their hands. Directed by David Moreau, the movie explores the intense grief of a new reality.
Where to watch: Apple TV/Prime Video
6) A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
A few teenagers become the target of a mysterious slasher named Fred "Freddy" Kreuger (Robert Englund), a hunter who targets them in their dreams. Exploding with teenage promiscuity, death, and a surrealistic landscape between dreams and reality, the Wes Craven cult classic is considered one of the greatest horror movies ever made.
Before watching New Line Cinema's latest horror venture, fans might want to go back to their roots. This is one of the first films the production house invested in, and its success earned them the nickname "The House that Freddy Built." Viewers can expect a premise like Weapons but with a slasher, instead of witchcraft.
Where to watch: Prime Video
7) The Quiet Earth (1985)
What begins as a normal day in New Zealand quickly goes south when scientist Zac Hobson wakes up to find a world devoid of human beings. Claiming himself to be the "President of this Quiet Earth," he tries to figure out if it was his company's experiment and "The Effect" that resulted in this apocalypse. But life changes when two other survivors, Joanne and Maori, appear.
What happens to the survivors after people go missing? That's one of the angles Weapons focuses on, similar to this science fiction movie directed by Geoff Murphy. Fans will enjoy the anthropological sneak peek into a survivor's mind after going through a major event with no explanation.
Where to watch: Tubi
Weapons fans can also check out dramas true crime documentaries like Missing 411 to understand real-life tragedies about missing children.
