Zach Cregger, director of the 2022 horror film “Barbarian,” released “Weapons” on Aug. 8, and his clever concepts and story follow into his newest release.

Although “Weapons” is classified as a horror-mystery film, fragmented storytelling is really the main character. The “horror” mostly comes from the film’s early flurry of jump scares, which do their job for the first 30 minutes of the movie. As for the mystery aspect of the movie, the audience is taken along multiple characters’ perspectives, each promising to answer the big question of what happened to the 17 missing children who vanished overnight.

But honestly, the uncredited genre might be comedy. From characters making blatantly obvious mistakes — “Yes, let’s try to break into the taped off house, what could go wrong?” — to the cartoonishly bizarre Aunt Gladys, suspense in the theater was often replaced with laughter. Safe to say by the end of the movie, no one was ‘glad’ she was there.

Set in the small town of Maybrook, Pennsylvania, the film opens with a child’s eerie narration following the chaotic scene. Picture this — a third-grade teacher arrives at school to find every single one of her students missing, except timid little Alex, who instantly earns the audience’s pity. With suspicion pointing straight to the teacher, Justine, played by Julia Garner, we see the story begin to unfold, following her side of the story.

The title “Weapons” is misleading enough to make you wonder before even watching the movie — is this going to be a school shooting commentary? Could these “weapons” be guns? But besides the fleeting image of a gun hovering above the suspected house, the weapon used to explain the missing kids is something much less alarming. A simple personal belonging seems to be the weapon causing harm and chaos in their town.

But ultimately, the question everyone is asking is, “Where the hell did these kids go?” The answer begins to take shape as evidence is uncovered using the families’ home cameras. At exactly 2:17 a.m., the children are seen leaving their house in unison, running into the darkness with arms stiffly pinned behind them as if they’re playing airplanes. From here, the movie shifts from a crime drama into something far stranger, suggesting psychological manipulation or even the supernatural.

The mystery unravels slowly, with fragmented storytelling dropping hints that force the audience to play detective. The puzzle-piece structure works most of the time. But then come the distractions, like Justine, the accused teacher, and her romantic involvement with Officer Paul Morgan. Although meant to build character depth, these scenes just might make you forget what movie you’re watching.

That is, until the principal is shown running with his hands behind his back, the same position the kids were last seen running in, in broad daylight. His charged efforts to attack Justine, not to mention his bloody face and bulging eyes, bring the audience back to the plot of the movie. And the unanswered question that the whole audience is wondering begins to come to light as all attention turns to the home of the only student left in the classroom, Alex.

We’ve seen the typical scary grandma story play out multiple times in horror movies, but a scary aunt? This movie might take the cake for a peculiar aunt who took over the town with a wooden stick and vibrant hair. The mystery unveils itself as witchery appears at the scene of the crime, explaining where these children went — straight to the basement of the expected, newspaper-covered house.

Overall, “Weapons” is definitely not your average horror movie that will have you hiding behind a blanket, anticipating constant jump scares. But if you’re in the mood for a thriller and some comedy, then “Weapons” might just be your next watch. Just be sure not to leave any hair lying around or you might become Aunt Gladys’ next target.

Rating: 3.5/5