Following the success of Zach Cregger’s Weapons, Callie Schuttera appeared for an interview with us at FandomWire. Therein, she opened up about some of the creepiest and most meaningful parts of her role. But the best part was about the actress delving into the big mystery surrounding Gladys, whose background is never fully explored, and neither do we learn how she infiltrated the family.
Well, turns out, much like us, even Schuttera has her own theories surrounding Gladys and how the witch convinced her character, Mrs. Lilly, that she was a long-lost aunt. Imagining that Mrs. Lilly’s grief over losing her mother might have accidentally opened the door for Gladys to slip into the family, Callie Schuttera implied how pain and loss can leave people vulnerable to dangerous forces.
This was actually a character secret of mine. Because Mrs Lilly had lost her mom in the recent past, I imagined that she may have been the one to (unknowingly) open up some energetic portal via her grief, that lead Gladys to her family.
Her desire to connect with her dead mother, on any available level would make it easy for an entity like Gladys to prey upon her and her family.
But if this sounds deep to you, wait till you hear how Schuttera reveals that the chilling door-breaking scene at the end of Weapons was no accident; it was the director’s “intentional homage” to The Shining. While not a “shot-for-shot reference”, the scene pays tribute to Jack Nicholson’s iconic moment, where “both films speak to a (supposed) loved one breaking down literal barriers to try to harm you”.
Callie Schuttera Reveals Zach Cregger’s Playful Direction Shaped Her Performance
Now, after speaking about the themes and imagery, and even the tribute to The Shining, Callie Schuttera opened up about her experience of working with Zach Cregger. Discussing how he brought a fun energy to the set, comparing him to a “kid in a candy store”, the actress explained how he “helped me shape” the character of Mrs. Lilly.
Even reflecting on one of the most heartbreaking scenes in Weapons, where the titular kid, Alex, tries to feed his mother, Mrs. Lilly (played by Schuttera) while she is bewitched, the actress mentioned how the filming was completely opposite to what it appeared on screen. She noted that the filming was actually “funny and lighthearted”.
Zach is a blast to work with. He’s like a kid in a candy store on set, very in the moment and an active part of the scene. He definitely helped me shape the character into a more layered person.
He really let me run wild with these scenes. I unleashed a lot of barbaric instincts in these moments and Zach was pretty happy with the outcomes so we didn’t do a lot of character edits there.
Callie Schuttera explained how Zach Cregger encouraged her to dig deeper into her role, and instead of playing Mrs. Lilly as just a “perfect mom”, he allowed her to “unleash a part of our humanity that doesn’t get explored a lot”. So together, they built a character who had her own pain, secrets, and struggles.
This made Mrs. Lilly more real and added layers that went beyond the usual horror movie roles. Basically, Schuttera mentioned how Cregger simply trusted her choices and allowed her to experiment with her character. And that freedom is what helped them create one of the film’s most shocking moments.
Weapons’ Worldwide Box Office Outperformed Several Critically Acclaimed Horror Hits
Well, now that we know the effort that went into filming Weapons, from Zach Cregger and Callie Schuttera, we no longer feel shocked by the film’s box office success. After all, the crazy numbers now seem deserving. If you aren’t aware, Weapons earned an impressive $259 million at the worldwide box office (via Box Office Mojo).
And that staggering success has now put the film ahead of many popular horror films of 2025 and previous critically acclaimed horror hits. Turns out, the terrifying story and intense performances from the likes of Callie Schuttera, Josh Brolin, and Julia Garner led Weapons to outperform the likes of Halloween, which made $255 million.
But even then, Zach Cregger’s movie managed to go even higher. So much so that Weapons even left behind 28 Years Later with $151 million and Stephen King’s The Monkey at $68 million. The film also beat titles like I Know What You Did Last Summer ($64 million), Bring Her Back ($38 million), and Together ($32 million).
The table contains box office comparisons of different horror films:
For a horror film to climb above so many big names is a rare moment. With its shocking story and strong direction, Weapons has clearly become one of the standout horror hits in recent years.
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Weapons is currently available to rent and buy in the US on Prime Video.
