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If you didn’t get a chance to see Weapons in cinemas, it’s now available to stream on HBO Max starting October 24th – perfect for a Halloween watch! And for those who have already seen it, you’re likely still puzzling over the film’s many hidden meanings and complex layers. With so many online theories, discussions, and detailed breakdowns, fans could spend weeks analyzing every single detail.

While many people think The Blair Witch Project started the trend of “found footage” movies, that honor actually belongs to Cannibal Holocaust, released in 1980 – almost two decades earlier. The reason Blair Witch became a huge success while Cannibal Holocaust remains relatively unknown is disturbing. Director Ruggero Deodato filmed the actual deaths of seven animals on screen, including a coati, turtle, monkeys, a tarantula, a snake, and a pig, which was shot at close range. This led to animal cruelty charges and even the arrest of Deodato, as some viewers believed actors had been killed for real. He was later cleared when he proved the actors were alive. Unsurprisingly, Cannibal Holocaust was banned in many countries, but it has since developed a controversial, though dedicated, fanbase and is now recognized by some as the true originator of the found footage horror genre.

In the 1980s, Phil’s father moved the family from a poor, rundown neighborhood to Stevenage, hoping for a better life. But by the early 1990s, that dream had fallen apart. Phil and his friends have left school and are struggling with unemployment, violence, and drugs. Their lives begin to diverge when Ted disappears, Steve tries to please his parents with a stable job, and Matt gets engaged, leaving Phil feeling isolated. Discontented and adrift, Phil falls in with Steve’s troubled brother, Robert, a hapless criminal always scheming for a big break. Phil finds himself caught between a life of crime and the monotony of everyday existence. The arrival of his cousin, Shona, gives him the motivation he needs to change things. He’s ready to make some major decisions, but difficult choices lie ahead.

The 1980 film takes place in New York City and follows Thana (Zoe Lund), a seamstress who is brutally attacked twice – first on her way home from work, and then by a burglar in her own apartment. This time, however, she defends herself, seriously injuring her attacker with an iron, taking his gun, and dismembering his body. Haunted by her experiences, Thana becomes convinced that danger lurks around every corner and decides to take matters into her own hands, arming herself with a .45 caliber pistol.