Weapons has change into certainly one of this 12 months’s hottest horror tasks, and consequently, discussions have already begun about bringing Zach Cregger again to make a prequel. The obvious character for a Weapons prequel is Aunt Gladys, the mysterious witch who entrances the kids of Maybrook along with her voodoo magic. Nevertheless, this potential Aunt Gladys prequel feels neither essential nor helpful.
It’s unclear precisely what a Gladys prequel would appear like, because the character has most likely been round for a lengthy time, however not one of the potential storylines handle to beat one main challenge. Any growth of her backstory would merely wreck the secrecy that Cregger managed to so successfully shroud her in. Though Amy Madigan hasn’t dominated the likelihood out, this can be a prequel that ought to stay on paper.
A Weapons Prequel Would Spoil The Thriller Of Gladys’ Character
Though it could undoubtedly be thrilling to study Gladys’ previous and see how far again her monitor report of witchcraft and demonism actually goes, this might finally wreck a variety of the thriller and secrecy that makes Weapons so compelling. The movie purposefully doesn’t provide an excessive amount of backstory on this character, leaving it as much as the viewers’s creativeness to fill within the blanks.
This may usually be even scarier than something Cregger may have personally provide you with, as viewers can substitute the reality of Gladys’ character with no matter they discover essentially the most scary, and there’s nothing to say that’s not true. Exploring her backstory in an excessive amount of element would wreck this aspect of non-public worry, shedding mild on a personality that thrives at midnight.
Weapons leaves many questions unanswered about Gladys: how lengthy has she been possessing folks? Is she truly associated to Alex in any respect? Will her spirit one way or the other outlive her bodily physique? There’s little doubt it could be satisfying to get the solutions to those questions, and there’s even much less doubt that Cregger would ship the story in a satisfying means, however it could basically undercut Weapons’ thriller.
Within the earliest draft of Weapons, there was reportedly a chapter proper earlier than Alex’s that might have adopted Gladys’ perspective via key occasions within the story. Nevertheless, Cregger finally scrapped this concept as a result of he believed it was scarier coming from Alex’s perspective, and seeing it first via Gladys’ eyes would wreck a lot of that fright issue. That is precisely the issue with a Weapons prequel.
The one means a Weapons prequel may feasibly work with out ruining the thriller of Gladys’ character is that if it wasn’t advised from her perspective. She must be a facet character, very similar to in Weapons, whom audiences don’t actually see till it’s too late. This might undoubtedly be an fascinating angle, however the primary drawback is… that’s mainly simply Weapons once more.
The rationale Weapons works so nicely is as a result of it’s a self-contained story. There’s no express point out of crimes which have occurred up to now, and every little thing is neatly resolved by the point the film is over. The whole lot of the motion takes place throughout the confines of Weapons’ two-hour runtime. Apparently, this isn’t the case for Cregger’s earlier film.
Barbarian Units Up The Excellent Prequel By means of Frank’s Character
If Cregger actually desires to make a prequel for certainly one of his unique tales, Barbarian is a way more promising candidate. Not solely does the movie explicitly leap backwards in time and tease a entire different thriller that audiences don’t actually get to see on-screen, however this thriller facilities round certainly one of Barbarian’s facet characters – not the primary villain, like Gladys.
Half-way via Barbarian, the story jumps again in time and introduces Frank, a silent legal who captures youngsters from their mother and father and raises them in his underground complicated beneath the now-Airbnb. He’s certainly one of Barbarian’s least likable characters, however he’s additionally the right anchor level to proceed this story into the previous.
In contrast to with Weapons, the viewers already is aware of the vast majority of Frank’s backstory. His actions are defined by Andre shortly earlier than his violent loss of life, so exploring Frank’s previous crimes wouldn’t wreck any of Barbarian’s thriller. It’s the right steadiness of figuring out how issues find yourself, and nonetheless desirous to see the small print of what makes Frank tick as a personality.
Moreover, it’s simple to think about a Frank prequel that takes place from one other character’s perspective, maybe the mother and father of one of many youngsters he stole. This might be a very separate story that’s tangibly related to the occasions of Barbarian, however doesn’t really feel prefer it’s encroaching on floor that’s already been coated. It’s tougher to think about how that might work for a Gladys prequel.
There have additionally been a number of theories about Barbarian and Weapons being related, so it’s attainable {that a} prequel set on this universe may observe one other character completely, whose storyline interacts with each films. This might be a really bold enterprise, but it surely may simply find yourself creating one of many boldest and most fun trilogies in current reminiscence.
Weapons
7/10
- Launch Date
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August 8, 2025
- Runtime
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128 minutes
- Director
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Zach Cregger
- Writers
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Zach Cregger
- Producers
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Roy Lee, Miri Yoon, J.D. Lifshitz