The filmmaker began writing the feature after the death of a friend, but its final section came from mining his childhood. Still, he is ready for viewers to take what they will from the story: "I don't care if any of this stuff comes through.

Director Zach Cregger talks about his sophomore feature, "Weapons," about a small town overtaken by a malevolent force.

The event at the movie’s heart is the disappearance of 17 third graders from a single class in the middle of the night in the leafy town of Maybrook, Ill. Ring cameras catch them opening their front doors and rushing out,