Instagram/@joshbrolin
A new teaser for the macabre Weapons has ignited hoarding questions and chillingly whispered confusions into the winds.
Advertisement
It was posted on the movie’s official Instagram page and consisted of a 15-second clip featuring a guy repeatedly saying the phrase “I’m not going to be able to do it” twelve times, with different panicky variations. There was no clear indication as to what he was talking about. There was no jump scare either. There was just an almost psychically induced gloom in the atmosphere ready to burgeon into one psychotic trip.
Release date August 8, the caption just calls it “The horror event of the summer” and encourages people to buy tickets. If it were not for that bizarre audio loop driving one crazy, one would probably dismiss the promotion as empty marketing jargon.
Visually, nothing even comes close to being disturbing; these recordings just creep under your skin. They will go on your nerves just like the irritant fuzz found on a woolen sweater.
Reactions in the comments ranged from awe-struck to downright terrified. Some comments read: “A horror Masterpiece coming soon,” followed by numerous fire emojis, and “Tremendously proud of you brother,” followed by praying hands. But one, in particular, was a real standout in almost too precise a description of the atmosphere:
“You stroll into the Weapons premiere like a bloke who’s not here for the flash – just the graft. One of the last guv’nors still doing it proper.”
That’s just about the perfect summation of the tease’s power. Modern horror trailers have become a vomiting arena where all scares are revealed beforehand or else they give themselves a few cheap jump scares with an old wall smashing instead. Weapons seems to want to build slow. No splash. No gore or monsters (yet). Just that slow creeping-into-your-soul realization that something is terribly, terribly wrong. This kind of horror will stick with you months after the Credits roll.
Very few glimpses into what’s happening and that just raises more questions. Given the production company behind it, this could be an intriguing addition to their sizzling string of psychological thrillers, but from the looks of it, it’s their first pure thriller. No news about the cast yet, though speculation on whether the panic-stricken voice belongs to a famous actor or some brilliant unknown shoe-in would definitely make for a nice little game for fans to slice and dice until August.
Horror lovers have been yearning for something fresh after a summer with months full of rehashes and sequels. If Weapons delivers on the promise of this teaser, then it might be just what the genre needs to shake up. That repeating-line text is deafeningly simultaneous. A confession and a challenge. To the audience. To the filmmakers, To anyone big enough to buy the ticket this August.
Polarization over whether that repetitive audio is annoying or extraordinarily creepy is rife in the comments section. The sheer existence of those opposite perspectives should tell us, at least, that the picture has something going for it. An awesome horror film should make some people roll their eyes and others stay up all night. Judging by these early reactions, Weapons just might be that.
Advertisement
Only time will tell if Weapons delivers the payoffs. For now, that little phrase, uttered over and over, has done wonders raising the question: What exactly won’t they be able to do? And why does that question make you want to claw the walls? For some, August cannot come soon enough. For others, the wait for August had better be swift so they can promptly forget about it.