Weapons ending explained: What happened to the kids who vanished in Josh Brolin's film?

Hindustan Times

a day ago

Weapons directed by Zach Cregger hit the theaters on August 8. With a 95 per cent score on Rotten Tomatoes, the Julia Garner and Josh Brolin-starrer horror movie has already wowed critics. The movie is eerie and satisfactory enough to give Final Destination: Bloodlines and Freakier Friday a run for their money, per Deadline. Weapons, starring Julia Garner and Josh Brolin, was released on August 8.(AP)
Also read: Waiting for Weapons? Watch Zach Cregger's Barbarian, which has 92% Rotten Tomatoes score
In the film, 17 schoolchildren suddenly disappear on a random night at 2:17 am in Maybrook, Pennsylvania. Later, we find that Gladys, who is secretly a witch, took possession of the kids and kidnapped them. Here is a look at the ending of the movie and its hidden meaning.
Weapons ending explained
After the schoolchildren disappear, their teacher, Justine Gandy, played by Julia Garner, looks into the matter. She takes the help of Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher). Through an eerie flashback, it is revealed that Gladys (Amy Madigan) initially threatened Alex and forced him to steal personal items of his classmates. With the items in hand, Gladys performed a strange ritual and took possession of the children. This ultimately resulted in their mysterious disappearance, as per ScreenRant.
The final confrontation takes place at Alex's residence. Under Gladys's possession, Paul (Alden Ehrenreich) and James (Austin Abrams) run after Justine. Following a great deal of struggle that comes with several jump scares, Justine is forced to murder Paul. And while she is exhausted from the fight, Alex uses a lock of her hair to set his possessed classmates against the witch. In a gruesome encounter, the children proceed to tear Gladys apart, breaking the witch's spell.
Also read: How Weapons director Zach Cregger was inspired by Tom Cruise's 1999 film Magnolia
Are the missing kids okay at the end of Weapons?
The movie reveals early on that Gladys is ill. She drains the life force of Alex's parents, but it does not prove to be enough. She later enacts a spell to force the children to disappear. As per ScreenRant, she shuts them in the basement and drains their life force slowly.
After Gladys dies, the children are revealed to be recovering. Two years after the events of Weapons, the kids are seen as slowly trying to go back to normal life. Some of them have just started speaking, according to the child narrator of the movie. However, it is hinted that Gladys' magic might have been permanent. The final shot of the look in Matthew's eyes implies that Archer (Josh Brolin) might not have gotten his son back after all.
Weapons: Hidden meaning explained
When you read between the lines, there is more than just a witch and her strange rituals involving kids. According to ScreenRant, the witch Gladys is actually the heightened version of the movie's adults. She represents selfishness and indifference. Additionally, her desire to have demonic possession over kids gives off a connotation of child abuse.
FAQs
What is the movie Weapons about?
The horror film Weapons is about the cryptic disappearance of 17 schoolchildren. It deals with horror themes such as demonic possession, death, and witchcraft.
Who kidnapped the children in Weapons?
Gladys, played by Amy Madigan, kidnapped the children in the movie.
What role does Julia Garner play in Weapons?
Julia Garner plays a teacher named Justine Gandy. She is the first to smell a rat when the children vanish on a random night.
What is Josh Brolin's role in Weapons?
Josh Brolin's character in Weapons is called Archer Graff. He is the father of one of the missing children.