Director Zach Cregger, following his critically acclaimed work on 2022's “Barbarian,” returns with “Weapons,” an intriguing horror film that commences with a chilling premise: 17 children vanish simultaneously from their suburban beds at 2:17 a.m. The missing children, all students from Justine Gandy’s third-grade class, leave behind only a bewildered shy boy named Alex. The film’s unconventional narrative choice is to have a local girl describe its ostensibly supernatural events, immediately raising questions about her knowledge of the shocking and gory occurrences that follow. This setup, coupled with the narrator’s claim that “The police and the top people in this town … were not able to solve it,” primes the audience for a mystery that embraces ambiguity, fitting into a successful horror subgenre seen in films like “Hereditary” and “Longlegs.”

Cregger demonstrates his unique skill for revealing threats lurking behind seemingly innocuous environments, here a Pennsylvania town called Maybrook. The mass disappearance transforms mild-mannered parents into an angry mob, echoing real-world anxieties. Josh Brolin plays Archer Graff, a father whose son Matt has gone missing, embodying the hot-tempered type who publicly implicates Justine (Julia Garner), the teacher. This confrontation resonates with contemporary fears of parents banding together against school personnel and policies, a phobia subtly vibrating beneath the film's surface that lends “Weapons” its power.

Instead of focusing on a single protagonist, Cregger splinters the mystery among six characters, each explored in distinct chapters that rewind to replay key scenes from different perspectives. This prismatic approach offers fresh insights into the unfolding horror. The characters include the teacher (Julia Garner), the parent (Josh Brolin), the cop (Alden Ehrenreich), the school administrator (Benedict Wong), and two others whose identities are best left undisclosed. These pieces fit together like an expertly designed puzzle, revealing details from the identity of the person who scrawled “WITCH” on Justine’s car to a junkie’s risky approach to the police station. Throughout, Cregger intersperses glimpses of a face in smeared clown-like makeup, belonging to Amy Madigan’s Aunt Gladys, who arrives more than halfway through the film. Her character blends humor and repulsion, ushering in an unexpectedly campy turn after an hour of grim self-seriousness, reinforced by Larkin Seiple’s steady camerawork and a bone-vibrating score.

As the film progresses, the violence escalates, especially in the home stretch, where the title’s meaning becomes clear: the community is divided into “targets” and “weapons,” suggesting that anything, from an impressionable child to a simple vegetable peeler, can become dangerous. While the movie’s initial three-quarters allow the audience’s imagination to run wild with artfully oblique suggestions, the eventual revelation of the mystery’s cause narrows the concept to a more limiting explanation. Despite how some might feel about the darkly comic finale, Cregger achieves something remarkable, crafting a cruel and twisted bedtime story reminiscent of the Brothers Grimm, designed to disturb rather than comfort.

Also hitting screens is “Freakier Friday,” a sequel to the 2003 film. This time, music producer Anna (Lindsay Lohan) and podcaster Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis) find themselves swapping bodies with their respective daughters, teen Harper (Julia Butters) and Lily. The body-swap chaos ensues as Anna’s forthcoming marriage aims to create a blended family, a union only the bride and groom are keen on. The film offers comical silliness and heartwarming schmaltz, playing on generational characteristics for laughs as teens navigate old technology and adults regain youthful metabolisms. Jamie Lee Curtis delivers a standout performance, flexing her comedic talents alongside a comfortable and entertaining Lohan.

Meanwhile, “The Kingdom” offers a gripping Mob drama set against the bloodthirsty yet beautiful backdrop of Corsica in the 1990s. Director Julien Colonna, drawing from his own family’s Mob connections, presents a fresh take on the well-trodden gang war narrative. The story centers on teenager Leisa (Ghjuvanna Benedetti), daughter of widowed faction boss Pierre-Paul. After a carefree summer, Leisa is abruptly pulled into her father’s world as he plans revenge following an assassination attempt. She bonds with him through activities like fishing, boar hunting, and rifle practice, sharpening her awareness of underworld politics. Despite a sometimes slow pace, the captivating performances and a plot filled with murders, family dynamics, and revenge maintain a strong hold on the audience’s attention until the end.