Weapons’ director Zach Cragger explained how the SAG-AFTRA strike contributed to Pedro Pascal dropping out of the film, eventually leading to an entire recast.

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.