SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains significant spoilers for Weapons. If you have not yet seen the film, proceed at your own risk!
Since the release of Zach Cregger’s Weapons this past summer and the news that a prequel is now in the works, there has been an interesting discourse among movie fans regarding how much we do and don’t know about Amy Madigan’s Aunt Gladys – the film’s main antagonist. Some have grumbled about how said prequel centering on the villain might have the effect of diminishing her scariness, but others have countered by arguing that she is the only main character in the story whose point of view isn’t explored, and she deserves that treatment.
Personally, I’m in the latter camp, as I have a lot of questions that I would like to see answered – with a standout example being my curiosity about Gladys’ illness. In Weapons, there is an overt suggestion that she has some kind of disease, and she is using dark magic to counteract its effects, but after recently revisiting the movie (which is now available to stream with a HBO Max subscription), I have found myself wondering if the character has a traditional sickness or is perhaps suffering from some kind of supernatural ailment instead.
Does Aunt Gladys Have Cancer… Or Is She Dying From Something Else?
In making Aunt Gladys a horror villain that we’ll never forget, Zach Cregger makes tremendous use of memento mori. In a vacuum, her fashion sense and heavy application of makeup is bizarre – but anyone who has known an older woman going through chemotherapy will find her appearance somewhat familiar… and instinctually upsetting. Looking at her and understanding that she is dying, the first word that comes to mind is “cancer,” but I’m not convinced that the answer is that simple.
This thinking is particularly inspired by a scene in the final chapter of the movie and a key scene with Aunt Gladys and young Alex (Cary Christopher). As the two discuss her condition and the former formulates a plan to feed on the latter’s classmates, Alex inquires why she can’t go to the hospital for help, but Gladys responds that doctors can’t help her. I’ll admit it’s possible that she does have a traditional cancer, and that it has simply advanced beyond the point where modern medical science can treat it. But my imagination is not that limited.
In my mind, it could be a case of a supernatural problem needing a supernatural solution a.k.a. the draining of lifeforce from Alex’s parents and his 17 classmates. Perhaps Gladys has been cursed by a rival? Or perhaps she owes a debt to an evil higher power? Both possibilities are on the table and could potentially be explored in the prequel.
What Zach Cregger Told Me When I Asked About Aunt Gladys’ Illness
Because my aforementioned recent rewatch of Weapons was in preparation for a virtual interview with Zach Cregger, I was in the fortuitous position of asking the filmmaker about Aunt Gladys illness and if it may be more supernatural than we might automatically assume. You can watch his response to my question in the CinemaBlend Instagram embed below:
The writer/director appreciated the creativity of my question, but he also delivered a surprisingly honest response: he can’t offer a firm answer because he never answered that question for himself in the creation of the character. There are a lot of vagaries about Aunt Gladys (as he notes, her relationship to the family isn’t something that remains consistent), and he likes the idea that audiences know anything and everything could be either the truth or a lie.
With Zach Cregger’s sensibilities in mind, it will certainly be interesting to see how the Weapons prequel comes together – especially while remembering that he made the decision to cut out a chapter of the film dedicated to the character’s perspective/journey.
Be on the lookout here on CinemaBlend for more news and updates about the prequel (Zach Cregger is presently busy developing a new film in the Resident Evil franchise), and allow me to highly recommend rewatching Weapons now that it is available streaming, as I guarantee there are a number of things that you didn’t catch during your first viewing.