Why Movies Like Weapons Stop Steven Spielberg From Directing Horror Stories

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Steven Spielberg is, without question, one of the greatest directors of all time; it's gotten to the point where his last name is basically synonymous with "director." While I think Spielberg's widely varied and wholly excellent body of work contains a lot of scenes and films that employ tension and suspense, it's true that he's never made a "true" horror movie. Why? Apparently, he's intimidated!

In the recent print edition of Empire — ahead of the release of Spielberg's highly anticipated new movie "Disclosure Day" — Spielberg was asked about the lack of classic horror in his oeuvre. (The question makes sense; again, setpieces like the kitchen scene in "Jurassic Park" make it quite clear that the man understands creeping dread and dramatic tension.) While answering the question, Spielberg gave a shoutout to one of 2025's best horror movies:

"I haven't directed a horror film yet, and I've always wanted to, and someday I may. But there have been some great horror films out already that satisfy that itch. When I see a great horror film like 'Weapons,' I don't have an itch I need to scratch. I see 'Weapons,' and it doesn't make me want to make a horror film that's as scary or scarier than 'Weapons.' It satisfies me so completely, it actually arrests my desire to someday make a really, really scary movie."

Spielberg is, of course, referring to Zach Cregger's second-ever feature film "Weapons," which followed his 2022 indie hit "Barbarian." Obviously, if Spielberg made a horror movie, it would probably be one of the best horror movies ever made, but he has a point. "Weapons" is almost unimpeachably great.

Steven Spielberg is right — Weapons is one of the best horror movies in recent memory

After "Barbarian," hopes were high for Zach Cregger's follow-up project, and just like his fellow sketch comedian turned horror director Jordan Peele, Cregger proved that he's one of the most exciting names in modern horror. "Weapons" hit theaters in August of 2025, blew critics and audiences away right out of the gate, and crushed the box office, thanks to its innovative story, clever mix of comedy and horror, and exceptional performances — one of which broke the mold and won an Oscar.

"Weapons" takes place in a fictional suburban town in Pennsylvania that's left horrified and shocked when, with no explanation whatsoever, 17 children run out of their homes in the middle of the night and apparently vanish. Weirder still, all those kids are in Justine Gandy's (Julia Garner) class at school, and even weirder still, only one kid from that class — Alex Lily (a stunningly good Cary Christopher) — was unaffected. If you somehow haven't seen "Weapons" yet, I won't spoil the conclusion fully here, but I am going to talk about the movie's main antagonist, Aunt Gladys.

Played so perfectly by Amy Madigan that she took home a well-deserved Academy Award — marking the first time a horror performer won a trophy like this since the early 1990s — Gladys is fascinating, terrifying, and a wonderful mystery. (We are getting a Gladys prequel, though, so the "mystery" part  may be confined to this film.) Madigan, clad in a freakish red wig and garish makeup, manages to perfectly sell this otherworldly, utterly strange, and enthralling villain. I have zero doubt that Spielberg could create a character as impactful as Gladys, but I do get why he's a bit gun-shy.

Disclosure Day might not be a horror movie, but it looks like it's at least pretty spooky

Steven Spielberg might say he can't make a horror movie, but let's be honest: His upcoming science fiction film "Disclosure Day" looks pretty creepy! As of this writing, "Disclosure Day" hasn't hit theaters yet, so we don't know that much about it. Here's what we do know. Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth, Even Hewson, Colman Domingo, and Wyatt Russell all appear in the movie, which is Spielberg's first hard sci-fi movie since, perhaps, 2005's "War of the Worlds." 

"Disclosure Day" is, like "War of the Worlds" and another Spielberg classic, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind, about humans grappling with the existence of aliens and what that means for the fate of our world. (Yes, "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" is also an alien movie by Spielberg, but that one's for kids; "Close Encounters" and "Disclosure Day" are decidedly not.) Add in the fact that the first "Disclosure Day" trailer — which keeps the movie's overall plot shrouded in mystery — features Blunt's character, meteorologist Margaret Fairchild, seemingly losing the ability to speak and making what can only be described as "dolphin sounds." That, to me, is pretty spooky!

Spielberg might never make a super-scary horror movie, and obviously, that's fine. The guy can do whatever literally he wants for the rest of his life, frankly. Could he make a killer horror movie, though? Yes. 

In the meantime, you can watch (or re-watch) "Weapons" on HBO Max if you want to see what Spielberg is talking about, and "Disclosure Day" hits theaters on June 12.