If you loved Weapons, these horror TV shows are great picks. After writing and directing the popular 2022 film Barbarian, Zach Cregger followed it up with the dark and moving 2025 horror movie. The story of 17 kids going missing draws you in immediately, and there are plenty of fun surprises, along with a strong performance from Julia Garner.
Whether you want to binge-watch a TV show with a few seasons or are interested in a gripping miniseries, there are a few scary shows that will be particularly appealing after watching Cregger’s impressive film. From a Mike Flanagan Netflix horror series to an HBO tale based on a Stephen King story, these horror shows have themes, settings, and premises that will remind you of Weapons.
Stranger Things (2016-2025)
Netflix’s overwhelmingly popular series Stranger Things may blend a few more genres than Weapons does, and it has a sci-fi setting with epic monsters. But the story of a missing kid will hook you as much as the beginning of Zach Cregger’s horror movie does.
Just like the disappearance of several children kickstarts an investigation and leads to several big twists in Weapons, Will Byers’s (Noah Schnapp) vanishing from Hawkins, Indiana leads to events no one in the small town could have imagined.
The beloved movie and series also share a strong-willed character struggling with this scary loss and determined to figure things out. Garner’s Justine Gandy and Will’s mom, Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), share a common goal of wanting to solve the disappearance.
The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
Mike Flanagan’s acclaimed Netflix miniseries The Haunting of Hill House is another perfect choice if you enjoyed Weapons. It has fantastic child characters who are deeply disturbed by the ghosts and strange happenings in their home.
Both Weapons and Hill House take child characters seriously and treat them as fully formed people who get as much attention as the adults in the story. That always makes for stronger scary storytelling since masked killers, haunted houses with dangerous ghosts, and other supernatural occurrences or creatures are a clear contrast to the innocence of childhood.
The horror movie and beloved miniseries also share some striking, haunting imagery, along with an interesting ending that makes you think (and, most likely, want to watch all over again).
Sharp Objects (2018)
Sharp Objects and Weapons share a compelling narrative structure that elevates both horror tales. Neither follows a linear story, which makes you question everyone and everything, and emphasizes the creepy tone and trauma that the characters have experienced.
The HBO miniseries, adapted from the Gillian Flynn novel, could have told a straightforward story about journalist Camille Preaker (Amy Adams) coming back home and trying to find a killer. Instead, the episodes move between flashbacks of her teenage life, which was dark and upsetting, and her present-day experiences.
While Sharp Objects and Weapons would still be good if they were told linearly, since they have strong premises and interesting characters, they’re even better thanks to this storytelling choice. They make you think about reality, dreams, and perception.
Teacup (2024)
If you were intrigued by the premise of Weapons, you’ll love Teacup, the one-season Peacock series about people in danger on a ranch in Georgia. Both horror stories are about groups of people dealing with shocking mysteries and wondering if they know what’s real.
Teacup may have been canceled before season 2, and Weapons might technically be more satisfying since Zach Cregger was able to complete the story that he wanted to tell in one movie, but the series is still perfect for fans of the hit 2025 horror film and has plenty of tension and intriguing villains.
The Peacock series doesn’t have the interesting narrative form of Weapons, but it’s scary and fun. It’s also best to go into both projects without knowing too much beyond the basic premise. There’s an exciting twist in each title that explains why these characters’ lives are at risk, and finding out beforehand would spoil the fun.
You (2018-2025)
The psychological thrillerYou shares many things in common with Zach Cregger’s 2025 movie, from an intriguing protagonist to many people facing death and harm.You’ll love watching Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) and also feel perplexed and disturbed by him at the same time, which makes for a unique viewing experience.
The best part of watching Weapons is trying to figure out clues and see how the different stories come together, and that’s also true of binge-watching all five seasons of You. Whether Joe is living in New York City, Los Angeles, a California suburb, or London, he’s always trying to cover up his kills and manipulate more people.
And even when you think you know Joe well and understand him, You still has a lot of surprises. Both You and Weapons also have an excellent ending that makes you think for a long time about trauma, pain, and how childhood experiences move into adulthood.
Wayward (2025)
The big twist in Netflix’s hit miniseries Wayward is worth waiting for, and that’s the main thing it has in common with Weapons. Both stories have excellent and satisfying explanations for the strange occurrences the characters are dealing with, and you won’t be disappointed by either.
Wayward features an incredible performance from Toni Collette in the creepy role of Evelyn Wade, the woman in charge of a terrifying boarding high school. You’ll want to find out more about her from the moment she’s introduced, and also be fascinated by Alex Dempsey (Mae Martin) and Laura Redman’s (Sarah Gadon) new life in Tall Pines.
Like the reason why the kids went missing in Weapons, there’s more to the story here. It’s not easy to guess what’s really going on, which makes Wayward, which Martin also created (and wrote two episodes), so fantastic.
From (2022-Present)
From continues to impress, and it’s definitely the coolest and most compelling horror show a lot of people haven’t gotten the chance to watch yet. It’s great for Weapons fans since it’s also about people attempting to solve a mystery and coming up short a lot of the time, which makes it easy to stay invested.
From has a much scarier small-town setting than Weapons, as it takes place in Maybrook, Pennsylvania, and once you learn that the characters aren’t able to get out, you’re immediately concerned with their fate and thinking about the reasons why they could be there.
But both stories have impressively creepy atmospheres. They’re also reminders that tiny towns are always effective locations for horror stories, thanks to the all-around feeling of dread you feel when wondering what everyone is hiding.
The Outsider (2020)
Adapted from Stephen King’s book, this HBO miniseries blends the horror and psychological horror genres perfectly. Like Weapons, it’s focused on an alarming tragedy affecting a child character, and both situations are as devastating as they are horrifying.
But while Frankie Peterson’s (Duncan E. Clark) murder is the inciting incident, the story quickly changes and becomes more unique than a typical murder mystery tale. You’ll enjoy watching Holly Gibney (Cynthia Erivo) as much as Justine in Weapons, and both Erivo and Julia Garner are captivating as particularly clever characters who you know will figure out the mystery.
If you like big surprises and a twist that you likely didn’t think was on its way, The Outsider is a great choice, especially since there have been some less-than-perfect Stephen King TV adaptations. It’ll also appeal if you loved Weapons because both stories are compelling right away and have great endings, too.
- Release Date
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August 8, 2025
- Runtime
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128 minutes
- Director
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Zach Cregger
