29 "Weapons" Details, Easter Eggs, And Secrets

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3 days ago

Zach Cregger's Weapons is the latest horror film to be a massive hit at the box office in 2025. And, because everyone and their mom is currently obsessed with this critical darling, now seems like a great time to take a deeper dive into some fascinating behind-the-scenes facts, details, and Easter eggs.
🚨🚨🚨 Note: Spoilers ahead. 🚨🚨🚨
The number 217 (as in 2:17 a.m., the time the children ran out of their houses in the film) has a lot more meaning and references you might not have noticed at first. For example, 217 — as many horror fans will know — is a nod to Stephen King's The Shining. And Cregger himself confirmed this.
In Stephen King's novel The Shining, Room 217 is the haunted hotel room where Danny encounters a ghostly woman in the bathtub. It was inspired by the real Room 217 at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, which has its own ghost stories, and where King himself once stayed during a visit.
In Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation of The Shining, the room number was changed to 237 at the request of the Timberline Lodge (where exteriors were filmed) so guests wouldn't avoid the real Room 217; the lodge didn't have a Room 237, so it felt safer for business. However, for "purists" and book fans, 217 remains the 'true' haunted room, while 237 is the famous film version.
You may have also noticed that the ratio of people left behind (Justine and Alex) to the number of students who disappeared from the classroom is 2:17.
Also, in a more subtle nod to "2:17", there are 7 leads in the film (Justine, Archer, Paul, James, Marcus, Alex, and Gladys) who each have 12-minute "chunks" — which is 2:17 backwards.
Finally, there's a popular theory out there that "217" may be a political reference to the 217 votes that passed a ban on assault weapons in the US House of Representatives in 2022.
It's definitely an interesting coincidence when you combine the theory with that wild AR-15 rifle (a weapon often associated with mass shootings) hovering above a house in Archer's dream.
There are several references to parasites in the film — largely in the background — which subtly foreshadow Gladys's behavior as a parasite herself.
For example, in Justine's classroom, you can see the topic of "Parasites" on the whiteboard. Later, during Alex's classroom flashback, Justine briefly asks, 'Who else can think of a parasite?'
Then, in the 'Marcus' chapter, a TV narrator describes the parasitoid fungus Cordyceps that takes over ants.
You may have noticed a symbol like "⛛6" carved on Gladys's bell. The film never explains what it means, though we can probably jump to the conclusion that it's related to witchcraft, but there are A LOT of theories about its meaning.
In witchcraft and occult symbolism, the triangle is a feminine symbol often linked to the Crone goddess, representing wisdom, endings, and magic.
While number six has historical connotations in occult contexts—it's associated with witchcraft, devilry, and evil, especially when repeated (e.g., "666")
There's also a theory out there that Gladys is much older than you might think and not actually Alex's great-aunt, but in fact a witch (or other supernatural force) inhabiting her body.
The main reasoning behind this theory is Gladys's reference to "consumption," a very old term for tuberculosis (just as Marcus noted in the film), which was prevalent in the 1800s.
Cregger has also talked about how his family's history with alcoholism informed the film's story.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Cregger said, "The final chapter of this movie with Alex and the parents, that's autobiographical. I'm an alcoholic. I'm sober 10 years; my father died of cirrhosis. Living in a house with an alcoholic parent, the inversion of the family dynamic that happens. The idea that this foreign entity comes into your home, and it changes your parent, and you have to deal with this new behavioral pattern that you don't understand and don't have the equipment to deal with."
To that end, many viewers have also noted that the circle/triangle that appears in the "O" in the Weapons title card is identical to the Alcoholics Anonymous symbol.
The idea for Weapons actually started when one of Cregger's best friends unexpectedly died.
Cregger elaborated in the film's production notes: "One of my best friends unexpectedly died. I think there are times when screenwriters can write from a place of ambition, and that's maybe not the most creatively healthy way to go about it. But I was in such a severe, painful place that I was able to write just out of pure need, without any idea of what it was going to be."
Though Cregger has not outright said who the friend was, many believe he's talking about his friend and co-founder of sketch comedy group The Whitest Kids U'Know, Trevor Moore, who died on Aug. 7, 2021.
Moore died of blunt force head trauma after accidentally falling from a second-story balcony at his Los Angeles home.
Back in 2023, a major bidding war broke out over Weapons between Jordan Peele, through his Monkeypaw Productions, alongside Universal, and New Line Cinema for the rights. New Line ultimately won with a $38 million deal — about $7 million more than Universal's offer. Peele was reportedly so invested that he considered contributing his own backend profits. After Peele and Universal lost, Peele parted ways with two of his longtime managers, creating speculation that it was due to the Weapons bidding war loss.
Interestingly, one of the managers Peele "fired" was Peter Principato, who also happens to be Zach Cregger's manager.
In case you're wondering, the child narrating the story is no one we meet in the film. The narrator is voiced by Scarlett Sher, who played Lily in Hustlers (Constance Wu's character's daughter).
Pedro Pascal was originally going to be in Weapons, but scheduling issues due to the 2023 strikes forced a full recast — leading to Josh Brolin taking over his role.
Similarly, Renate Reinsve, perhaps best known for The Worst Person in the World (2021), was set to play the role of Justine Gandy, which eventually went to Julia Garner.
Funnily enough, initially, Cregger actually felt that Julia Garner was "too young" for the part of Justine.
And Oscar‑nominee Brian Tyree Henry was also part of the original ensemble, though it's unclear in what role.
Cregger and Amy Madigan were simply having lunch together at a Greek restaurant when he offered her the part.
BTW, if you're wondering where you know Amy Madigan from, you may recognize her from earlier iconic roles as John Candy's girlfriend in Uncle Buck (1989), Kevin Costner's wife in Field of Dreams (1989), or her later dramatic turn in Gone Baby Gone (2007).
Benedict Wong, meanwhile, was cast "at the 11th hour." Cregger was "in a despair moment" not being able to get that role cast when he had a Zoom meeting with Benedict, who had apparently just woken up and then perfectly ad-libbed his way through the scene. Cregger offered him the role right then and there.
Speaking of casting, fans of Barbarian may have appreciated the cameos from Justin Long and Sara Paxton. Long played AJ in Barbarian, while Sara (who is also Cregger's IRL wife) did the voices of the Nursing Video Narration, Assistant, and Megan in Barbarian.
Cregger has cited Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia (1999) as a major influence on Weapons, saying he felt it gave him "permission" to aim to make a "horror epic."
In fact, Alden Ehrenreich's character Paul's look, in particular his mustache, was a direct homage to John C. Reilly's (who also plays a cop) in Magnolia.
Cregger was adamant that each chapter of the film be told in a very subjective way. So, for example, with Alex, everything is shot from his third-grader height.
To achieve the very specific look of the children running, the filmmakers used movement coaches and even constructed an entire obstacle course to prep the young actors for their scenes.
In addition to writing, directing, and producing Weapons, Zach Cregger also served as a composer on the film, collaborating with brothers Ryan and Has Holladay.
The three grew up together in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.
The local families of the subdivision that provided many of the film's locations would turn out and basically camp out in lawn chairs during filming, sharing iced tea and snacks among themselves.
Production saved and re-homed at least two dogs and one cat over the course of the shoot. The production office also had Sea Monkeys that started as babies and grew to adults over the course of filming.
Cregger actually did the spray painting of "Witch" on the side of Julia Garner's car. He did it during a lunch break from filming.
Finally, when Cregger first sat down to write Weapons he didn't have a "plan" for where the story would go. He started with the opening we know — the little girl talking about the kids running out of their houses — and asking himself, "Why?" without having an answer, LOL. Obviously, he eventually figured it out (and it turned out perfect).
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