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Barbarian director Zach Cregger’s new horror movie Weapons has its fair share of squeamish scenes, but none as gory as an altercation between Julia Garner and Alden Ehrenreich’s characters, which the stars say was just as intense to film as it looks on the big screen.
"You scared me in real life," said Garner to Ehrenreich in an interview with GamesRadar+. "And he's like, you know, a sweetheart, you're not a scary guy. And he scared me in that scene when I didn't want to give it away, but just charging at me, I'm like, 'oh!'" We won’t give too much away either, but just know the scene in question involves a kitchen utensil of sorts, and gives Evil Dead Rise’s cheese grater scene a run for its money.
However, as scary and downright gruesome Weapons may be, Cregger’s new movie doesn't rely on the gore to tell the story. Weapons follows a small community left in shambles when all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanishes on the same night, at exactly the same time. The movie manages to explore a whole range of characters, giving each one a backstory and layers, which is something we don't see too often nowadays in the horror genre.
Two characters we learn a lot about are Garner's troubled elementary school teacher, Justine, and Ehrenreich’s less-than-perfect cop. When asked why it’s important to provide backstories for characters in horror movies, Ehrenreich says, "I think that's what is special about the movie."
"When the horror things or the supernatural elements or the things that do happen come in, they're so much more impactful because you've spent so much of the movie really investing yourself in these characters’ super beautifully crafted, very emotionally poignant stories. And so, I just think it all lands a lot harder when it's that, as opposed to someone running in a bathing suit from someone with an axe, you know?"
Weapons also stars Josh Brolin, Austin Abrams, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan.
Weapons releases in theaters on August 8 in the US and on August 7 in the UK. Before you head off to see it, make sure to read our spoiler-free Weapons review first. For more, check out our list of the best horror movies, or our guide to all the upcoming horror movies heading our way.
