As Weapons sorts through the town's messy history, Cregger balances the "something awful" with that sullen impression of Pulse. He carefully chooses when to bring in an effective jump scare and an instant of gory delight, and when to strike an unsettling fear into his audience through hushed, sinister pieces.

The Polygon report added that though Weapons was not a direct metaphor for grief, its chaotic and mysterious tone emerged as a byproduct of emotional upheaval. He said he was exhausted of grief-as-metaphor horror movies, but the energy of the grief is in the film.