Overview

• Cregger confirmed in recent interviews that Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners was a major influence on Weapons’ cloudy, washed-out aesthetic
• He and DP Larkin Seiple watched the 2013 thriller repeatedly during production to capture its lived-in suburban dread
• The director also cited Magnolia, Picnic at Hanging Rock and Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining as structural and thematic inspirations
• Critics note that Weapons’ pronounced shadows and jump scares distinguish its style from Prisoners’ painterly cinematography
• Weapons continues its box-office success with a No. 1 debut and over $100 million global gross, fueling studio interest in potential follow-ups