The Film Zach Cregger “Stole Directly” From to Make ‘Weapons’ Is Now Streaming
Here at the end of 2025, we’re all thinking a lot about the horror films that stuck with us throughout the year, and one is inarguably Zach Cregger’s Weapons. It’s dark, it’s scary, it’s original, and yet it wears many of its influences on its sleeve. But there are some other, less obvious influences on Cregger’s film that you might not guess at first brush, including one of the greatest horror films ever made: The Shining.
Yes, Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s beloved novel of the same name has influenced every generation of horror filmmakers since it was released in 1980, and Cregger is no different. He counts himself among its many fans, and even freely admits that he was constantly taking things from it during the making of Weapons. Now, it’s available to stream on The Criterion Channel!
“I steal directly from The Shining in this movie,” Cregger told Letterboxd in an interview promoting Weapons. “I’m not even ashamed. It’s obvious. It’s a great movie, and it’s the first that made me fall deeply in love with horror.”
So, what influenced Cregger the most from Kubrick’s film? Above all else, Weapons and The Shining both emphasize the same sense of claustrophobic dread from the point of view of a child. Both films draw much of their emotional depth from child’s eye moments, and for Cregger, it all ties back to a specific childhood memory of his own.
“I was at a sleepover at Damon Burke’s house, a buddy of mine, and we were watching it and that scene with the twins in the hallway—it just annihilated me,” Cregger said. “And I have been hunting that feeling ever since. I don’t know why kids are scary. Kids are scary. I don’t have any. They freak me out. They did it better in [The Shining] than anyone else could ever do. I don’t even pretend to be on that level, but it was definitely an inspiration.”
The Shining does not need Zach Cregger’s help to get attention. It’s been one of the greatest horror films out there for decades, entire books and films have been devoted to analyzing it, and it’s a movie you know about even if you’ve never seen it. It’s just that embedded in pop culture. But because Cregger is one of the most influential and important horror filmmakers working at the moment, it’s worth sitting up a little and understanding why he gives Kubrick’s film this much credit.
The Shining‘s influence, not just on culture but on filmmaking craft, still looms large as ever. No wonder it’s a part of the “Hotels on Film” collection on the Criterion Channel, alongside films like Lost In Translation and Grand Hotel. Its legacy stretches across the whole of cinema, and that includes Weapons.
Categorized: Streaming News
