After the release of Weapons, now is the perfect time to watch a critically acclaimed thriller from 2013 that was directed by none other than Denis Villeneuve. In Weapons, the latest horror movie written and directed by Zach Cregger, a town is in disarray after all the children in a class, except for one, mysteriously wake up and run away from home at 2:17am.

Ever since its release on August 8, reviews for Weapons have been incredible, and many critics have named it one of the best horror movies of the year. From the beginning to end, viewers are on the edge of the seats as they watch Julia Garner’s Justine and Josh Brolin’s Archer try to find the missing kids.

The film has also been a mᴀssive box office success, making $154 million globally so far (via Box Office Mojo). It’s a rewarding viewing experience and has inspired a great deal of discussion. Now, those still riding the high of catching Weapons in a theater should revisit one of Villeneuve’s more underrated films: Prisoners.

Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners Was A Huge Influence On Weapons

The story of Prisoners follows a father who searches for his daughter and her friend after they go missing on Thanksgiving. Additionally, a local detective works tirelessly to try to track down the missing children. Based on this, it’s easy to draw a connection between Prisoners and Weapons, and Cregger has indeed revealed that the 2013 thriller influenced his most recent movie.

Speaking about Weapons in an interview with The Playlist, Cregger said, “Prisoners is all over this movie.” There, Hugh Jackman plays a grieving father who will stop at nothing to find the missing children, and Josh Brolin ᴀssumes a very similar role in Weapons. Archer can’t forgive himself for not protecting his son and is dedicated to finding him.

Both of these movies also explore suburbia and show how easily tragedies can ruin a community. Several characters are consumed by guilt and take their anger out on others. Even though Weapons is surprisingly funny, the story is incredibly depressing, and the main characters appear to be completely hopeless at several points. The same is true for Prisoners.

With their similar settings, it makes sense that Cregger took inspiration from the cinematography in Villeneuve’s movie. In an interview with Letterboxd, Cregger stated, “The cinematography of Prisoners is so gorgeous.“ He claimed that he loves the “washed-out, somber, cloudy, rainy” look and admitted that he “really wanted to evoke everything visually that the movie evoked.“

With Weapons, Cregger successfully honored Villeneuve’s 2013 movie by telling a thrilling and surprising story about missing children. He should definitely be proud of what he accomplished, and if you enjoyed the horror movie, then you will undoubtedly love Prisoners.