Weapons Director Name-Dropped An Amazing Stephen King Deep Cut Discussing The Author’s Influence On The New Horror Movie
As a devoted Stephen King enthusiast, I can’t help but feel like 2025 has been an extraordinary year for us! We’ve already had two fantastic new King movies (“The Monkey” and “The Life of Chuck”) grace our screens, along with the premiere of a brand-new TV series (“The Institute”). And guess what? There are still two more King movies (“The Long Walk” and “The Running Man”) on the horizon, as well as another exciting new show (“IT: Welcome To Derry”). It’s like we’ve struck gold! But if you, fellow Constant Reader, aren’t quite satisfied yet, I’d strongly recommend keeping an eye out for writer/director Zach Cregger’s “Weapons”. It might not be an adaptation, but it sure is heavily influenced by King’s works.
Instead of simply trusting my account, I had an engaging conversation with Cregger on the topic this week. The main focus of this week’s article is Stephen King’s impact on the latest horror movie. However, there’s more to explore, including thrilling updates about home video releases, covering both physical media and streaming platforms. Let’s dive right in!
Weapons’ Zach Cregger Explains How The Shining And The Trailer For Needful Things Helped Inspire The Upcoming 2025 Horror Movie
The small-town setting, supernatural mystery, children in danger, teachers, and alcoholism are common themes found in Stephen King’s books, which have significantly impacted pop culture. These elements are also key aspects of Zach Cregger’s latest work, “Weapons,” a genre film following his successful 2022 release, “Barbarian“. Upon watching the 2025 movie earlier this week, I noticed these similarities, and when I interviewed the director on Monday during the Los Angeles press day, Stephen King was one of the first topics we discussed. My interpretation of the upcoming horror film was confirmed by Cregger.
Zach Cregger shared with me that he didn’t deliberately intend to write “Weapons” as a tribute to Stephen King, but acknowledged that his impact is evident – and at times, it’s more explicit than in other parts. A clear example of this direct influence can be seen when the story starts, as students from one third-grade class all wake up at 2:17am and mysteriously leave their homes. This precise time is intentionally a nod to Room 217, also known as the most terrifying room at The Overlook Hotel in “The Shining“. Regarding drawing inspiration from King, Cregger explained to me,…
Consciously or unconsciously, it seems clear that the source of 2:17 must have been there. It had to originate from somewhere, and indeed, it did. As for me, when it comes to The Shining, I’m a fan of Stanley Kubrick’s work; I deeply admire that film, and at one point, I considered altering it to 2:37. However, I realized that my initial instinct should be trusted, so I remained with 2:17.
For those unaware, Room 217 serves as the center of horror in Stephen King’s novel, “The Shining.” This chilling room was inspired by a supposedly haunted room at The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, where the author found his initial inspiration to write the book. Interestingly, this room was altered to Room 237 in Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation due to concerns from Tad Michel, the manager of the Timberline Lodge – a hotel used for exterior shots of The Overlook Hotel in the movie. Michel requested the change because he feared that the movie might discourage people from booking Room 217 at his establishment, and he suggested changing it to either Room 237, 247 or 257 since those rooms didn’t exist at the Timberline Lodge.
The movie “Weapons” contains more of King’s essence than just the unique sequence of numbers might suggest. Zach Cregger also mentioned “Needful Things”, a novel by Stephen King published in 1991, which was later adapted into a film by director Fraser Clarke Heston. In this story, a malevolent man named Leland Gaunt moves to the town of Castle Rock, Maine, and opens an antiquities shop where he manipulates the townsfolk into doing each other harm through seemingly innocuous pranks, leading to widespread chaos. Specifically, Cregger highlighted not only the book or the film as influences on his work but also the impressive trailer for the movie adaptation. He further added:
As a child, the trailer for Needful Things sparked my wild imagination. The promise of a small town unraveling around a central enigma captivated me. When I watched the movie, my experience differed, but the allure of that trailer still left an impact, likely influencing my writing.
You can check out the very cool trailer for reference below:
In essence, the theatrical release of Fraser Clarke Heston’s movie “Needful Things” doesn’t fully convey the essence of the book as accurately recognized by Zach Cregger from the trailer. However, the television version that was expanded later on is more aligned with the original story and a superior adaptation (and I did indeed express my heartfelt approval for it during the interview).
Are you eager to learn about Stephen King’s significant impact on “Weapons”? Your anticipation won’t have to last long! The Zach Cregger movie, which is creating quite a stir, will be hitting theaters nationwide on August 8. Keep an eye out here on TopMob in the upcoming weeks for not only more from my conversation with Cregger, but also insights from Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, and Josh Brolin.

Tobe Hooper’s Salem’s Lot Is Getting A Fresh Home Video Release Thanks To Arrow Films
Among the 85 Stephen King movies and TV series you can buy physically, a notable portion (specifically, 28) are already out in 4K Ultra High Definition – the highest quality for home video playback. It’s evident that there’s a significant intersection between collectors and King enthusiasts, and both mainstream studios and niche labels have excelled in producing pristine restorations and curating intriguing bonus features.
This summer has brought us two exciting movie releases so far – Neon distributing Osgood Perkins’ “The Monkey” and Vinegar Syndrome preparing an impressive collection for George A. Romero’s “The Dark Half.” However, this week, it seems Constant Readers have another enticing addition on the horizon: a brand new release of Tobe Hooper’s “Salem’s Lot.
Although no official statement has been released yet, it appears that Arrow Films is planning some new releases based on information from trusted source Dawn On The Discs on Bluesky. This may include the 1979 adaptation of “Salem’s Lot,” the horror anthology “Three… Extremes,” the comic book movie “Spawn,” and two John Carpenter titles: “In The Mouth Of Madness” and “Prince Of Darkness.” There is no specified release window, but since Warner Home Video has already made the miniseries widely available on Blu-ray, it seems likely that this will be an upgrade to a 4K UHD format.
In terms of physical media, most affection has been shown towards early adaptations of Stephen King’s works. A 4K UHD edition of “Salem’s Lot” would make all restorations of the first eight King adaptations accessible (the other titles being “Carrie”, “The Shining”, “Creepshow”, “Cujo”, “The Dead Zone”, “Christine”, and “Children Of The Corn”). Interestingly, out of the first 22 films and series based on King’s work between 1976 and 1990, only a few are missing from the ultra-high definition format. These include “Firestarter”, “Maximum Overdrive”, the 1990 miniseries of “IT”, and both versions of “Tales From The Darkside” and the 1980s revival of “The Twilight Zone”.
Besides the previously mentioned “Children of the Corn” and “Creepshow 2”, Arrow Films also offers additional Stephen King releases. The latest addition to this series is a new, limited edition 4K UHD set for “Creepshow 2”, which will be available in stores starting September 30 and can now be pre-ordered.

Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey Will Make Its Streaming Debut On Hulu Next Month
Are you more into digital media when it comes to films? I’m a fan of physical media myself, but I can understand if others aren’t – not everyone has the room or financial means for a collection. The silver lining is that streaming Stephen King movies is indeed possible, and those with Hulu subscriptions have something exciting to look forward to in the near future.
If you didn’t catch Osgood Perkins’ “The Monkey” in cinemas earlier this year and haven’t felt motivated to rent or buy it online, mark your calendars! Starting August 7, the movie featuring Theo James, Christian Convery, Tatiana Maslany, Colin O’Brien, and Rohan Campbell will be available on Hulu for streaming. This film isn’t for the sensitive-hearted, as it is said to be one of the goriest adaptations of King’s work ever made. However, despite its extreme horror elements, it also offers plenty of laughs, making it a must-see if you can handle the gore.
According to Stephen King’s short story, the film revolves around two brothers (Theo James) who were once estranged, now reunited due to a reappearance of an unsettling childhood toy – a monkey that drumms – from their past. In my review for TopMob, I mentioned that The Monkey is a gruesome, chaotic spectacle and ranks among the top horror movies of 2025.
This concludes this week’s The King Beat, but don’t fret! I’ll be here again next Thursday on TopMob, bringing you the latest scoops from the realm of Stephen King. Until then, delve deeper into King’s on-screen journey with my series Adapting Stephen King – a perfect way to spend your downtime!
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2025-07-24 19:16