We’ve seen plenty of good horror movies this year, but there’s one that’s been on the tip of everyone’s tongue since it was released in theaters this past summer. While its plot is admittedly terrifying, its messages and intentions will chill you to the bone. Now, 2025’s best and most-talked-about horror movie is coming to HBO Max, so you can finally join in on all the chatter.

Already considered to be the year’s best horror movie, Weapons is a uniquely horrific flick you must see to believe. Let’s break it down and find out why.

What Is Weapons About?

In a word, Weapons is about trauma—specifically how trauma, along with other societal issues, can weaponize people against one another. In this case, the impetus for our multi-narrative story is the mysterious disappearance of 17 schoolchildren.

Overnight, a small town is overtaken by a malevolent force when all the kids from Mrs. Gandy’s classroom get out of bed at the same time, run out into the street, arms akimbo, and vanish without a trace or an explanation. Of course, suspicion falls on the teacher, who is, herself, at a total loss, and as parents, colleagues, and administrators lash out and blame her for something she doesn’t even understand, whispers of something supernatural begin to surface.

However, just as the tension crescendos, chaos erupts when the children return home, but they are not themselves. They move in packs and seem wild and disoriented. Their faces are smeared with theatrical makeup, and they neither speak nor stop. It’s clear that something happened to them, and whatever it was is not over, not by a long shot.

The Weapons Cast

Weapons is written and directed by Zach Cregger, who is the man behind 2022’s hit horror flick Barbarian. The film also features a fabulous cast of actors, who each add their own layer of visceral emotion to this disturbing story.

Ozark’s Julia Garner stars as our troubled teacher, Justine Gandy, and Josh Brolin stars as Archer, the father of a missing kid. Supporting cast includes Benedict Wong (3 Body Problem) as school principal Marcus, Alden Ehrenreich, of Oppenheimer, stars as local cop Paul Morgan, and Amy Madigan, of Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, plays Gladys Lilly, the aunt of the only kid who didn’t disappear. Also featured are Barbarian’s Justin Long as parent Gary Kramer, June Diane Raphael (The Morning Show) as Paul’s wife Donna Morgan, Toby Huss, of MaXXXine, and Euphoria‘s Austin Abrams.

Is There a Tie to Barbarian?

While the same writer-director is attached to both Weapons and Barbarian, the two films are not directly connected per se. There is a loose connection in that they establish a shared cinematic universe or thematic connection, but Weapons is not a direct continuation of the Barbarian plot, nor is it a sequel. So, where did the speculation that the films are connected originate?

According to Slash Film, part of the marketing tactics for Weapons are responsible. Efforts included a viral website called Maybrook News, which is a fake local newspaper with various stories related to the plot of Weapons. One specific story on that website caught some attention: “Underground Prison Discovered in Rental Home.” The names and details in the story revealed themselves to be the same as those in Barbarian, leading many to believe the films are directly connected. They are not.

Where Barbarian shocked audiences and reinvigorated the genre by pushing the boundaries of fear and suspense, Weapons is much more ambitious in that it involves the supernatural. Barbarian fans will find loose connections, though, that do deepen the mystery and extend this viscerally terrifying universe the director has begun constructing.

Did You Know Weapons Is Based on a Personal Tragedy?

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Cregger talks about the film originating as the result of a low point in his life: “I was working on post-production on Barbarian when my best friend died very suddenly in a really awful accident.”

To navigate his grief, the filmmaker began what he called “a blitz of writing, over about two weeks or so… I just started, sentence one: ‘This is a true story. Half of my hometown, all of these kids bailed.’ You know, I’m writing this cold open, and I don’t know where the kids went. I’m just like, ‘OK, let’s go. Let’s see if I can solve this. What happened? Who were they? What was left behind? What does it feel like?’”

Cregger said he soon realized that it felt like channeling “a palpable sense of loss.” In that sense, it allowed him to address and process his grief and trauma in what he called outrageous ways. He noted that he wanted to write something honest but didn’t want Weapons to be another horror movie serving as a metaphor for grief. The more he kept writing, the more he found that he identified with those he was writing about, which allowed the script to function as more of a diary for his inner turmoil.

That’s one of the things that makes Weapons such a great movie: Its writing comes from a pure place of pain, horror, and tragedy, which is where the best art originates, and it’s brutally evident in Cregger’s sophomore film.

Why You Should Watch Weapons

Not only is Weapons an expertly crafted story with intense, thought-provoking themes floating through unrelenting suspense, but it’s also a moody, immersive experience with chilling imagery that will leave you inherently disturbed. It’s not just the most-talked-about horror movie of 2025—it’s also one of the best horror movies of the year, with the most glorious climax. It ensnares you from the get-go, but you certainly don’t have to take our word for it. The film’s noteworthy 93% Rotten Tomatoes score speaks for itself.

Aside from some powerful performances, Weapons is a genre-bending, Magnolia-esque, character-driven odyssey with hints of Stephen King. The film is also scary to the point that, at times, you will be peeking through your fingers. Oh, and if you’re a fan of jump scares, Weapons firmly checks that box but is careful not to overdo it. It also features a hefty amount of dark humor, which is where the catharsis bleeds in.

As a terrifying mystery chock-full of emotional intrigue, the film comes from a place of genuine pain, which propels the film to new heights. Cregger has said that the final chapter of the movie, with Alex and the parents, is autobiographical, and when armed with this information, perhaps watching for a second time on HBO Max, it changes the perspective of what you’re experiencing on-screen.

When and Where You Can Watch Weapons

Less than three months after its theatrical release, Weapons is finally making its streaming premiere on Friday, October 24, 2025, on HBO Max. It is also available to rent on VOD.

With the intense levels of FOMO floating around today, you certainly don’t want to be the only one in your social group who hasn’t seen the year’s biggest horror hit. Once you finish watching Weapons, stick around on HBO Max and catch the season premiere of the highly anticipated Stephen King prequelIt: Welcome to Derry or see what else is new on the platform. Happy Halloween!