Popverse's top stories

• Zombie fiction usually highlights the worst in humanity - so why did I leave 28 Years Later filled with hope?
• MEMBERS ONLY: From Tomo-Chan to Oshi No Ko: How some of your favorite manga creators got their start in hentai [Popverse Jump}
• WATCH: Lord of the Rings' John Rhys-Davies hijacks our interview to talk Shakespeare, James Bond, and LotR (of course!) [Popversations]

Here are two hills that I will die on, fellow horror fans: First, that some of the best horror coming to theaters is from the team that made 2022's Barbarian - Zach Cregger, Roy Lee, Raphael Margules, and J. D. Lifshitz. And second, that this year's Companion (produced by all of the above) was partially spoiled by its own marketing. Now, the team is promoting their brand new frightfest Weapons, and it seems they're doing everything they can to avoid the mistakes of the past. Before we get into how, though, check out the second trailer for Weapons, released June 23.

Amazing, right? Just what the everloving Hell is going on?? Beyond the idea that a bunch of missing kids from a single elementary school class make a small town spiral into insanity, basically nothing is revealed in the above trailer, save for the film's vibes. And lemme tell ya - those vibes are bad. But as a sit here covered in goosebumps, I can't help but feel that I should've gotten much the same feeling from Companion's marketing.

Don't get me wrong, I really liked Companion. Seeing Jack Quaid play the heel was so rewarding, as was any chance for my guy Guillermo (AKA Harvey Guillén) to step back into the realm of horror-comedy. But here's the thing - I'm pretty sure that the central premise of the movie (namely, that Sophie Thatcher's Iris was actually a sexbot) wasn't supposed to come out in the trailers like it did. I think it was supposed to be a reveal for audiences in the theater.

Why? Well I won't get too far into it, but for those that have already seen the film, consider this - it's not until about the 20-minute mark in the movie that Iris's robotic nature comes up, and it is played as a massive surprise. Up until then, we only catch hints that she might be an AI; Josh (Quaid) tells her to "go to sleep" and we immediately cut to black, and Kat (Megan Suri) tells Iris that she makes her feel "replaceable." When we first see Iris's eyes go blank at some programmable command, it is accompanied by tense strings and a heavy bass drop that, in any other movie, would signal a giant surprise.

Now look, I was not part of either the making of Companion or the team that marketed it, so everything you've just read is purely opinion. And yet, I think we can all agree that, whether Iris's synthetic nature was supposed to be part of the Companion marketing or not, Weapons isn't doing half the explaining that that film's trailers did. And when you're marketing a horror movie, I have to argue, the more "unknowns" you can work into the advertising, the better.

Weapons charges into theaters August 8. I look forward to remaining in the dark until then, if possible.

In the immortal words of Danny Elfman, "Life's no fun without a good scare." We couldn't agree more, which is why we've cobbled together a couple pieces to send a chill up your spine. Join Popverse as we explore:

• The best horror movies of all time, according to horror aficionado Greg Silber
• The most underrated horror movies from the past couple years
• All the new and upcoming horror movies for 2025 and beyond

And much gore. Er, more. Much more.