Shadows on the Wall

Weapons

dir-scr Zach Cregger
prd Zach Cregger, Roy Lee, JD Lifshitz, Raphael Margules, Miri Yoon
with Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Amy Madigan, Austin Abrams, Benedict Wong, Cary Christopher, Toby Huss, June Diane Raphael, Whitmer Thomas, Callie Schuttera, Justin Long
release US/UK 8.Aug.25
25/US Warners 2h08

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With a fiendish premise, Zach Cregger follows his auspicious debut Barbarian with this even more assured horror romp. Because the characters are nicely established with specific quirks and obsessions, the extreme gross-out yuckiness is balanced by both emotion and blackly comical absurdity. So it's the kind of over-the-top, nasty movie that keeps the audience both disoriented and entertained. And the freaky mystery at the centre keeps us gripped.

In a small town, all but one child in a sixth grade class fail to turn up for school, having fled their homes at 2.17am. Naturally, teacher Justine (Garner) is the target of suspicion, but she's as confused as everyone else. When the principal (Wong) tells her to take time off, she decides to look in on Alex (Christopher), the only boy left in her class. Meanwhile, Archer (Brolin) is determined to find his missing son. And local cop Paul (Ehrenreich) is struggling to resist both alcohol and Justine, while chasing junkie hobo James (Abrams).

Dreams within terrifying dreams jolt Justine awake, as she struggles to get a grip on what's happening. Eventually, she and Archer begin to work things out. The story is told through shifting perspectives that circle around and intersect, creating strong suspense as events build into each other, offering us glimpses of danger around the next corner. Then a more humorous kick arrives with a seriously unhinged woman named Gladys (Madigan), who shifts everything up a gear, revealing the story's secrets in ways that are both goofy and much, much scarier.

Garner grounds the film with her emotional honesty as a teacher who genuinely cares about her students, worrying about what has happened to them while being unjustly hounded by the community. Her open performance helps us accept the more obvious scripted elements (another bottle of vodka?). And her interaction with Brolin's laser-focussed Archer is fascinating. Ehrenreich and Abrams add a blast of enjoyable haplessness in their scenes. And with her pancake clown makeup and wide-eyed nuttiness, Madigan walks off with the whole film.

Underneath the hideously inventive grisliness and brain-bending horror are several resonant themes, including pointed comments about the state of an education system that limits how involved teachers can get with students. And there's also a rather vicious commentary woven throughout the story about the fear of ageing. But Cregger's main goal is clearly to keep the audience laughing nervously while we wait for the next gruesome shock.

themes, language, violence, sexuality 5.Aug.25

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