PRODUCTION WEAPONS
“The gore was not gratuitous” We catch up with the creative team behind Weapons, unpacking the horror-comedy’s wildest looks and most frightening sound effects – all of which serve the story. Beware: major spoilers ahead!
WORDS KATIE KASPERSON IMAGES WARNER BROS
W eapons begins with a short story, as told via child narrator: at 2.17am, 17 kids get out of bed, open their front doors and vanish into the darkness. At school the next day, Justine Gandy finds her third grade classroom empty, apart from one student: Alex. Written and directed by Zach Cregger ( Barbarian ) and lensed by DOP Larkin Seiple, Weapons is a horror story on its surface; but it’s also a comedy of sorts, full of social commentary and autobiographical elements. The film is undoubtedly gruesome, but it ‘doesn’t do gore for gore’s sake’, claims makeup department head Leo Satkovich.
Rather, the most graphic moments further the story, he argues, and every last detail has been scrutinised. From the school’s principal, Marcus, murdering his husband to Alex’s campy, off-beat Aunt Gladys kicking off the film’s third act, the entire creative team had their work cut out when perfecting the fine details. A HAUNTED HOUSE With the 17 missing children, Weapons – which evolves over a nonlinear narrative – begins as more of a mystery than anything else. What happened to them, and why did they all leave at exactly the same time? The parents blame Justine, targeting her as the common
denominator, while she herself also seeks the truth as to what happened that night, and why. So she turns to the single remaining child, Alex, for answers. Justine follows Alex home from school, snooping around his yard for clues. Mixed in Dolby Atmos, the sound department – which includes supervising sound editor Luciano Vignola and sound effects editor Filipe Messeder – wanted to make the world of Weapons ‘totally immersive’, says Messeder. “When Justine is in the front yard, and then goes round the back, the sound of the cicadas changes,” he explains. “The camera pans around her, and the cicada sounds move. Then, as the camera stops, they die down again.
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