Weapons Is Now Streaming, And I’m Still Thinking About Aunt Gladys And Her Mysterious ‘Illness’

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Be warned: This article reveals major plot details from the movie Weapons. If you haven’t watched it yet, you might want to stop reading now to avoid spoilers!

Ever since Zach Cregger’s film Weapons came out this summer, and the announcement of a prequel, movie fans have been debating how much we really understand about Aunt Gladys, the movie’s villain. Some worry a prequel focusing on her backstory could make her less frightening, while others believe she’s the only major character whose perspective hasn’t been shown, and that she deserves to have her story told.

I lean towards believing there’s more to Gladys’ illness than meets the eye. The movie Weapons hints she’s battling a disease and using magic to cope, but after rewatching it on HBO Max, I’m not sure if she has a regular illness or something supernatural. I’m really curious to find out more about what’s actually happening with her.

Does Aunt Gladys Have Cancer… Or Is She Dying From Something Else?

Zach Cregger created a truly memorable horror villain with Aunt Gladys, and he did so by cleverly using the idea of mortality. While her strange clothes and makeup might seem odd at first, anyone who has seen an elderly woman undergoing chemotherapy will recognize a painful familiarity in her look. Seeing her, and realizing she’s facing death, immediately brings ‘cancer’ to mind, but the story’s meaning may be more complex than that.

This idea comes from two moments in the movie: the ending scene and a conversation between Aunt Gladys and young Alex (Cary Christopher). When Alex asks why Gladys can’t get help from doctors as she discusses her illness and a disturbing plan, she tells him doctors are powerless to help her. While it’s possible she has a severe, untreatable cancer, I believe there’s a more unusual explanation.

I think what’s happening might require a magical solution – something to explain the loss of energy from Alex’s parents and his classmates. Maybe Gladys is under a curse from someone who opposes her, or perhaps she has a dangerous obligation to a powerful, malevolent entity. Either of these ideas could be a good focus for a prequel story.

What Zach Cregger Told Me When I Asked About Aunt Gladys’ Illness

I recently rewatched Weapons because I had a virtual interview scheduled with the director, Zach Cregger. This gave me the chance to ask him about Aunt Gladys’s illness and whether there might be a supernatural explanation for it. You can see his answer in the Instagram video embedded below.

The writer-director said he liked my question, but admitted he didn’t have a definitive answer. He explained that he hadn’t even figured out the answer to that question himself when developing the character. He intentionally left Aunt Gladys somewhat ambiguous – even her family connection is inconsistent – and enjoys the idea that viewers can interpret her story however they like, never knowing what’s true and what isn’t.

Given Zach Cregger’s unique style, the upcoming Weapons prequel is going to be fascinating. It’s particularly interesting considering he chose to remove a whole section of the movie that focused on the character’s backstory and development.

Stay tuned to TopMob for the latest on the upcoming Resident Evil prequel (currently being developed by Zach Cregger). And if you can stream Weapons, I highly recommend rewatching it – you’ll likely notice details you missed the first time around!

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2025-10-24 20:42