Weapons hit horror bullseye

          Both words and music from George Harrison’s pensive song “Beware of Darkness” set the tone for Weapons, a thoughtfully made film that averts tired genre cliches. Writer-Director Zach Crager avoids revealing all the cards in his horror deck, parceling out enough narrated information to spark curiosity:  how and why did students from a single class fail to show up because all but one left their homes at 2:17 in the morning? Some think the teacher caused it, and the screenplay’s chapter format shows details from her perspective before switching to other characters in segments that both add to and replay action. As nominal heroes, Ozark’s Julia Garner and Marvel menace Josh Brolin go head-to-head over the mystery, each benefitting from charismatic screen presence that earns a degree of empathy even though both their characters behave badly, failing at status as sympathetic protagonists. But their flaws make them compelling, their paths crossing and finally joining in a mutual goal to find and save the missing children. Other cast members like Benedict Wong and Amy Madigan contribute to the project’s unusual moments, with director Crager throwing in jump-from-your-seat scenes that telegraph a few plot turns. Most of the movie’s effectiveness comes from odd appearances rather than obvious violence, although blood and gore get screen time. So squeamish souls beware of daylight as well as darkness in a finale that suits an unsettling story.