- Weapons fans can hardly wait for the movie’s release later this summer
- And the marketing team have outdone themselves
- They have created a ‘local news’ website, detailing the disappearance of the town’s children – and even included doorbell footage
Let’s face it, there’s nothing better than great marketing for a film – and the team behind Weapons have pulled it out of the bag.
Horror fanatics will remember the creepy placement of actors at various sports games to promote Smile, or It promoters tying red balloons to sewer grates in Sydney, Australia.
And now Weapons fans are in for a treat – as marketers have come up with a brilliant way to get us even more excited for the movie.
Playing with the idea of ‘found footage’ – a trope which was made famous by 1999’s The Blair Witch Project – New Line Cinema have released a series of creepy Ring doorbell, camera-style images and videos through their social media accounts.
But that’s not all – as they have also launched the website MaybrookMissing.net to allow us to fall deeper into the world Cregger has created.
Looking like something from the early 2000s, the website is without the sleek, polished feel typical of a movie website.
It looks like something created by a small-town journalist trying to establish their local paper’s digital footprint – and, indeed, it also contains a ‘local news story’ about the disappearance of the children in the town.
What does the Weapons website say?
Giving us some more of an idea of the plot, the story on the front page of the website reads, “A chilling mystery has gripped the small town of Maybrook after 17 children voluntarily left their homes Wednesday morning. Authorities are baffled by the inexplicable disappearance, which has shaken the community to its core.
“Upon investigation, front door camera footage showed the children leaving their homes at 2:17 am Wednesday morning without any signs of force. Since then, little information has surfaced, and the case continues to baffle investigators.”
It continues, “In response, a school gathering was held, where growing unease among parents became clear. As the town struggles to understand what happened, officials continue to urge the public for any leads, while Maybrook is left waiting for answers.”
Alongside the text are chilling videos of the ‘footage’ containing the fleeing children.
But combined with the news story, the whole thing is made to feel extremely realistic – and, quite frankly, terrifying!
Are there any other Easter eggs on the Weapons marketing page?
Yes!
Fans of Cregger’s work are sure to have watched his first movie, Barbarian.
The 2022 horror saw Georgina Campbell play Tess, a woman who definitely booked the wrong Detroit AirBnB to stay in.
A link on the home page of MaybrookMissing.net allows curious followers to click through to another ‘news’ story – with details about what happens to Tess in the first movie.
Will the films be interlinked? Who knows. But we can guarantee that Weapons will be just as creepy as its predecessor…
