Zach Cregger, the visionary writer-director behind 2022's chilling "Barbarian," returns with "Weapons," an intriguing and unsettling horror film that opens with a mass disappearance. At 2:17 a.m. on a school night, 17 children from Justine Gandy’s third-grade class vanish simultaneously, running from their homes like "stealthy little airplanes." Only one shy boy, Alex, is left behind, as bewildered as the town’s angry parents.

The film immediately sets an unconventional tone, with a local girl narrating the ostensibly supernatural premise, leaving audiences to question the extent of her knowledge of the shocking and surprisingly gory events that unfold. This deliberate ambiguity, a hallmark of successful horror subgenres seen in films like "Hereditary" and "Longlegs," primes viewers for a mystery that will remain partially unexplained. Cregger masterfully expands his sinister powers of suggestion, revealing threats lurking behind the seemingly innocuous facade of Maybrook, a Pennsylvania town where the mass disappearance transforms mild-mannered parents into an angry mob.

"Weapons" evokes the psychological depth of a Stephen King novel, focusing on a close-to-home setting and relatable, flawed characters. The unaccounted-for children allow for diverse interpretations: some might see QAnon-style child predator conspiracies, reminiscent of Denis Villeneuve’s "Prisoners," while others might perceive the painful aftermath of a school shooting, as parents desperately seek answers, consolation, and blame. Josh Brolin plays Archer Graff, a distraught father whose son Matt is missing, who confronts Justine (Julia Garner), accusing the teacher of involvement – a charge that resonates with real-world anxieties about school policies and child welfare.

Instead of following a single protagonist, Cregger ingeniously splinters the mystery among six characters, dedicating distinct chapters to each. The narrative frequently rewinds, replaying key scenes from different perspectives, including the teacher (Garner), the parent (Brolin), the cop (Alden Ehrenreich), the school administrator (Benedict Wong), and two others whose identities are intentionally withheld. This prismatic approach skillfully pieces together the puzzle, offering fresh insights and satisfying "clicks" as details like the "WITCH" scrawl on Justine's car or a junkie's strange interaction with police fall into place.

Visually, the film flashes unsettling glimpses of a face in smeared clown-like makeup. This interloper, Aunt Gladys, is memorably played by Amy Madigan, who is all but unrecognizable behind sloppy lipstick and uneven eyeballs. Her appearance more than halfway through the film marks an unexpected shift from a grimly self-serious tone, reinforced by Larkin Seiple’s camerawork and a bone-vibrating score, to a surprisingly campy one. As the violence escalates in the home stretch, the film's title becomes clear: the community is comprised of "targets and weapons," where anything, from an impressionable child to a humble vegetable peeler, can become dangerous.

For much of its runtime, Cregger’s artfully oblique approach allows the audience’s imagination to run wild, crafting a truly unsettling experience. However, as an explicit explanation for the horror emerges, some of the initial enigmatic power of "Weapons" may diminish. Regardless of personal feelings about the darkly comic and twisted finale, Cregger achieves something remarkable: a cruel bedtime story akin to the Brothers Grimm, not the sanitized Disney version, where characters kill on command and audiences are left profoundly disturbed.

Beyond "Weapons," the cinematic landscape also offers "Freakier Friday" and "The Kingdom." "Freakier Friday," a sequel to the 2003 hit, sees Anna (Lindsay Lohan) and Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis) once again swapping bodies, this time involving their daughters Harper and Lily. This family comedy leverages generational differences for humor, with Curtis delivering a particularly enjoyable performance as the elder playing younger. Meanwhile, Julien Colonna's "The Kingdom" delves into organized crime on the French island of Corsica in the 1990s. This bloodthirsty yet beautiful Mob drama offers a fresh perspective on gang wars, centering on teenager Leisa (Ghjuvanna Benedetti), who bonds with her widowed faction boss father amidst plots of revenge and underworld politics. While slow-paced at times, captivating performances and a gripping narrative hold attention to the end.