Barbarian’s Director May Be Secretly Building A New Horror Cinematic Universe

18 4 minutes read

Barbarian’s Director May Be Secretly Building A New Horror Cinematic Universe

Georgina Campbell as Tess in the tunnel being lit up by a flashlight in Barbarian

20th Century Studios

Director Zach Cregger made one heck of a name for himself with his feature directorial debut “Barbarian.” Released In 2022, it was one of the most surprising hits of the year, leading to a big deal for the filmmaker at New Line Cinema. That includes his follow-up film, “Weapons.” Though not a sequel, it looks very much like these two movies take place in the same universe. That opens the door for all sorts of wild possibilities. Are we looking at a new horror cinematic universe? Maybe!

Warner Bros. and New Line recently began the marketing campaign for “Weapons” by launching an in-universe, viral website called “Maybrook News” at MaybrookMissing.com. This website offers up our first meaningful plot details for the movie, as well as some bizarre images and brief videos. The homepage also contains an article detailing the mystery at the center of the movie.

“A chilling mystery has gripped the small town of Maybrook after 17 children voluntarily left their homes Wednesday morning. Authorities are baffled by the inexplicable disappearance, which has shaken the community to its core,” the article reveals, helping to set the table for the events of “Weapons.” The mystery deepens as the article continues:

Upon investigation, front door camera footage showed the children leaving their homes at 2:17am Wednesday morning without any signs of force. Since then, little information has surfaced, and the case continues to baffle investigators.

“As the town struggles to understand what happened, officials continue to urge the public for any leads, while Maybrook is left waiting for answers,” the article concludes. This is all very intriguing and, given that New Line won the rights to “Weapons” in a competitive bidding war, one assumes Cregger is bringing the goods. But the website further reveals one big reason why this movie might be worth the investment.

How are Weapons and Barbarian connected, exactly?

The alarm clock reading 2:17 am in Weapons

New Line Cinema

Scrolling down, the website also contains another article, one that makes it crystal clear that “Weapons” takes place in the same universe as “Barbarian.” The header image for the article is from Cregger’s twisted 2022 thriller, for starters. “Underground Prison Discovered in Rental Home,” the headline for the second article reads. This is where the connection truly comes into play.

“A rental property in Detroit’s Brightmoor neighborhood has become the focus of a chilling investigation after a local woman escaped the home under shocking circumstances and an actor was found dead nearby,” the article reads. This is in clear reference to the events of the film. The article further makes that crystal clear by name-checking Georgina Campbell’s “Barbarian” character, Tess Marshall:

Police were alerted after Tess Marshall, 28, was discovered injured and disoriented outside the Barberry Street property. What began as a simple wellness check quickly turned into a large-scale crime scene. Investigators uncovered a network of hidden tunnels beneath the home, sparking questions about the property’s history and potential connection to unsolved disappearances dating back decades.

No two ways about it, these two movies clearly occupy the same space. As for how they’re connected, exactly? That remains unclear at this time. What seems likely is that both films take place in Michigan, with “Barbarian” happening around Detroit. In Michigan, there is a Maybrook Road, as well as a Maybrook Estates. Or Maybrook could be a fictional place cooked up by Cregger. Either way, this website has helped lay the table for a possible universe of interconnected stories. That’s something a studio like Warner Bros. would likely be very interested in.

Weapons might be the next 10 Cloverfield Lane

A kid running across the street on the security camera in Weapons

New Line Cinema

For the moment, we have a great many questions. Cregger and the studio are keeping the mystery surrounding this film guarded pretty tightly. That shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to anyone who has seen “Barbarian,” a movie that was full of surprises. But with the information before us, what this feels like is the “Cloverfield” franchise more than anything else. More specifically, this feels like it could be more akin to director Dan Trachtenberg’s “10 Cloverfield Lane” than anything else.

“Cloverfield” was a huge found footage hit in 2008. While we’ve yet to get a direct sequel, Trachtenberg’s 2016 thriller took place in the “Cloverfield” universe but centered on an entirely different cast of characters with a new premise. Another sequel/spin-off titled “The Cloverfield Paradox” was also released on Netflix, though the less said about that one, the better. In any event, it seems like Cregger could be setting the stage for something similar here, i.e. a creepy universe with many stories to tell and some connective tissue along the way.

Of course, it remains to be seen if Cregger remains creatively involved with future entries in this universe (assuming there are any). The filmmaker is currently getting ready to reboot the “Resident Evil” movies, which should keep him busy through the end of 2026 at least. But if “Weapons” is a hit, who knows? Maybe he could circle back to this universe after “Resident Evil” for another horrific ride. Or maybe he’ll hand the reins over to another director with a different story to tell. In any case, this is an interesting development and a potentially exciting one as well, depending on how things play out. Stay tuned.

“Weapons” is set to hit theaters on August 8, 2025.