Weapons has become one of this year’s most popular horror projects, and consequently, discussions have already begun about bringing Zach Cregger back to make a prequel. The most obvious character for a Weapons prequel is Aunt Gladys, the mysterious witch who entrances the children of Maybrook with her voodoo magic. However, this prospective Aunt Gladys prequel feels neither necessary nor beneficial.

It’s unclear exactly what a Gladys prequel would look like, since the character has probably been around for a long time, but none of the potential storylines manage to overcome one major issue. Any expansion of her backstory would simply ruin the secrecy that Cregger managed to so effectively shroud her in. Although Amy Madigan hasn’t ruled the possibility out, this is a prequel that should remain on paper.

A Weapons Prequel Would Ruin The Mystery Of Gladys’ Character

Although it would undoubtedly be exciting to learn about Gladys’ past and see how far back her track record of witchcraft and demonism really goes, this would ultimately ruin a lot of the mystery and secrecy that makes Weapons so compelling. The film purposefully doesn’t offer too much backstory on this character, leaving it up to the audience’s imagination to fill in the blanks.

This can often be even scarier than anything Cregger could have personally come up with, as viewers can subsтιтute the truth of Gladys’ character with whatever they find the most frightening, and there’s nothing to say that’s not true. Exploring her backstory in too much detail would ruin this element of personal fear, shedding light on a character that thrives in the dark.

Weapons leaves many questions unanswered about Gladys: how long has she been possessing people? Is she actually related to Alex at all? Will her spirit somehow outlive her physical body? There’s no doubt it would be satisfying to get the answers to these questions, and there’s even less doubt that Cregger would deliver the story in a fulfilling way, but it would fundamentally undercut Weapons’ mystery.

In the earliest draft of Weapons, there was reportedly a chapter right before Alex’s that would have followed Gladys’ perspective through key events in the story. However, Cregger ultimately scrapped this idea because he believed it was scarier coming from Alex’s perspective, and seeing it first through Gladys’ eyes would ruin much of that fright factor. This is exactly the problem with a Weapons prequel.

The only way a Weapons prequel could feasibly work without ruining the mystery of Gladys’ character is if it wasn’t told from her perspective. She would have to be a side character, much like in Weapons, whom audiences don’t really see until it’s too late. This would definitely be an interesting angle, but the main problem is… that’s basically just Weapons again.

The reason Weapons works so well is because it’s a self-contained story. There’s no explicit mention of crimes that have happened in the past, and everything is neatly resolved by the time the movie is over. The entirety of the action takes place within the confines of Weapons’ two-hour runtime. Interestingly, this isn’t the case for Cregger’s previous movie.

Barbarian Sets Up The Perfect Prequel Through Frank’s Character

If Cregger really wants to make a prequel for one of his original stories, Barbarian is a much more promising candidate. Not only does the film explicitly jump backwards in time and tease a whole other mystery that audiences don’t really get to see on-screen, but this mystery centers around one of Barbarian’s side characters – not the main villain, like Gladys.

Half-way through Barbarian, the story jumps back in time and introduces Frank, a silent criminal who captures children from their parents and raises them in his underground complex beneath the now-Airbnb. He’s one of Barbarian’s least likable characters, but he’s also the perfect anchor point to continue this story into the past.

Unlike with Weapons, the audience already knows the majority of Frank’s backstory. His actions are explained by Andre shortly before his violent death, so exploring Frank’s past crimes wouldn’t ruin any of Barbarian’s mystery. It’s the perfect balance of knowing how things end up, and still wanting to see the details of what makes Frank tick as a character.

Additionally, it’s easy to imagine a Frank prequel that takes place from another character’s perspective, perhaps the parents of one of the children he stole. This would be a completely separate story that’s tangibly connected to the events of Barbarian, but doesn’t feel like it’s encroaching on ground that’s already been covered. It’s harder to imagine how that would work for a Gladys prequel.

There have also been several theories about Barbarian and Weapons being connected, so it’s possible that a prequel set in this universe could follow another character entirely, whose storyline interacts with both movies. This would be a very ambitious undertaking, but it could easily end up creating one of the boldest and most exciting trilogies in recent memory.