Warning: The following article contains SPOILERS for WeaponsWeapons director Zach Cregger reveals there was a darker alternate ending. The horror movie, exploring a community devastated by puzzling events, has been shrouded in obscurity. Although it primarily focuses on the haunting disappearance of seventeen children from the same elementary class, Weapons incorporates supernatural elements and a menacing villain in Gladys (portrayed by Amy Madigan).
Weapons demonstrates how malign Gladys can be, and reveals that she used witchcraft to harbor Alex’s classmates and consume their energy. However, her plans are foiled and the ending narration explains that Alex is being cared for by another family member. It also suggests that some children may return to normalcy in time.
During an interview with Inverse, Cregger revealed the darker alternate ending of Weapons. As he explained, the film originally concluded by simply showing Archer’s son and did not contain any narration. While Cregger may have preferred that choice, he noted that test screen audiences did not enjoy it.
By featuring the voiceover, Cregger explained that he was able to end Weapons vaguely, but he would still be “giving people a little bit more closure.” Read his comments below:
Originally, that voiceover that comes in at the end wasn’t even in there. I was not really into that idea. I wanted to just end it on [Matthew’s] look. But people were not stoked on that.
There was no voiceover, and we just ended on the kid’s face. The lights went out and ‘Written and directed by Zach Cregger’ came up, and a woman in the theater goes, ‘What the f*ck?’
What This Means For Weapons
Because Gladys was killed, and in a gruesome manner suitable for such an antagonist, the ending of Weapons may seem positive. Justine Gandy, who had become targeted by many fraught parents in Maybrook, survived numerous horrifying events in the film, while the children were recovered by their parents and some eventually became verbal again, as revealed by the narrator.
The narration in Weapons also reveals that the bizarre incidents had already occurred, but did not make news.
Unfortunately, not everything ended optimistically and Maybrook may very well be forever affected by what happened. For example, Alex managed to overcome Gladys, but had to leave his parents, who remained unresponsive, in the care of someone else. Justine, and especially her young students, will likely carry significant trauma as well, which could shape their characters moving forward.
Our Take On The Weapons Ending
The ending of Weapons could signify that, despite several characters surviving and returning home, Gladys and her evil-doing still created trauma. For Alex, his parents may never go back to their normal selves. Meanwhile, should his classmates have any knowledge of the incident, continuing to reside and grow up in Maybrook can be particularly hard on them.
Considering how test screen audiences received Weapons, perhaps adding the narration at the end was a good decision by Cregger. Still, it is interesting to learn about his initial plan for the conclusion, and it’s worth wondering what viewers might have taken from the movie if the change had not been made.
