The new horror film Weapons centers around a small town where, at 2:17am, an entire classroom of children vanished into the night. Loaded with tension, scares, and even a good dose of humor, the film is another win for writer, director, and producer Zach Cregger (known for Barbarian).
The film stars Julia Garner and Josh Brolin, who are joined in the cast by Benedict Wong, Amy Madigan, and Cregger’s wife Sara Paxton, as well as two actors that 1428 Elm was lucky enough to interview – Clayton Farris and Callie Schuttera. Read on to discover what it was like for them to star in this summer’s hottest horror movie and their thoughts on the genre as a whole.
1428 Elm: Something that really stood out to me with this movie is how parts of it are silly, and parts of it are even downright hilarious. What’s it like working on a horror movie that’s infused with such joy?
Callie Schuttera: Well, I’d say there’s actually very few genres that don’t benefit from a few laughs. You can keep your avant-garde, your abstract, your thriller, or your horror, and still give the audiences those moments where they can breathe. It also lets you come back to the horror more easily. If you hit someone with the same emotion over and over throughout the entire movie, you get fatigued as an audience.
For the horror side of the movie, what forces do you think are driving the terror in Weapons?
Callie: I’d say it’s a lot of trauma and manipulation. There’s definitely some other stuff at play, but I really think the power for this movie comes from trauma and the manipulation of those around you.
Are you a horror fan yourself?
Callie: Oh very much. I’m a huge fan of Cregger’s previous film, Barbarian. But the movie that scared me the most is The Exorcist for sure. It’s so incredibly disturbing, and all with practical effects.
Does Weapons also use practical effects?
Callie: Yeah, Zach does that very well. There’s very little use of enhancement in this movie. A lot of it was practically done on-set. And I love that because I think practical effects force you to be creative in a way that you otherwise might not have been. You can’t just say “We’ll figure it out in post”.
As we all know thanks to the trailers, Weapons is full of children. What’s it like working with kids on a horror movie?
I honestly wasn’t sure how it would be. There was a discussion on-set as to whether the main child actor in the film, Cary Cristopher, would even be allowed to see the premiere…which he did, and I think that’s fair! But Zach took such good care of him, and made him feel confident, and showed him he was really part of the team.
What do you hope people take from this movie when they leave the theater?
Callie: I hope they have that haunting feeling you get from a horror movie, where it feels like it could happen to you or someone you know. I think that’s something audiences will take away from Weapons. It has a familiar scariness. I think it’s especially visceral for parents, because the thought of waking up and finding your children gone is just…I can’t even imagine. But Weapons certainly hits hard for all audiences, it’s got enough to entertain everyone.
Hey, Clayon! So first off, I want to bring up something Callie mentioned earlier. She says this movie has a good amount of humor in it, and I know you’re famous for your comedy. Your videos have earned you over 405k followers on TikTok and over 270k on Instagram. What was it like being able to bring your humor to a horror film?
Clayton Farris: I’ve always had a special place in my heart for horror. And I actually think it behooves you to have a comedy background…just like Zach, who actually comes from comedy. Comedy is all about letting the stakes of something hit you hard. And with horror, it’s kind of the same thing. You really have to allow yourself to fully go there emotionally, and I think that really helps the two genres match.
What did you love about making Weapons?
Clayton: I really loved how smart and fun Weapons is. I think the term “elevated horror” gets thrown around a lot right now, but I really do feel like Weapons earns that moniker. It has everything a good horror movie should have, and even better, it isn’t pretentious about it. It’s like Zach’s previous film Barbarian, where it has surprises and true terror.
Were you excited for work with Zach Cregger since you loved Barbarian?
Clayton: His taste is impeccable. He knows exactly when to go down the prestige route, the comedy route, the horror route, the gore route. He’s taking it all in and having fun, and to me, that’s what makes Weapons such a great elevated horror movie. He isn’t trying to make someone else’s horror movie, he’s making his own movie at the height of what he can.
As a horror fan, what are some of your other favorite horror movies?
Clayton: It Follows…something about that movie and the tone of it has always just stood out to me as one of my favorites. Also, this isn’t a horror movie, but I really love Clue. It’s got that great mystery and that fun vibe of like a rainy night in a big house where you know something messed up is gonna happen. I also have this vivid memory of waking up in my mom’s lap as a kid, and we were watching Candyman. So I think something about that has always just stuck with me.