Zach Cregger’s Weapons is one of this summer’s most talked-about horror movies, and for good reason. The director’s sophomore feature tells the story of a group of children who mysteriously go missing overnight, with the dark truth of their disappearance gradually unraveling through several interconnected perspectives in a horrifying fashion.

There are very few movies quite like Weapons, and its distinct blend of terror and humor makes it even more unique. Just like Barbarian, Cregger’s latest horror outing manages to keep the audience on the edge of their seats from start to finish, while still providing all the unexpected laughs that the filmmaker has become known for.

Weapons intentionally subverts audiences’ theories and expectations, providing a narrative that nobody could have seen coming. Yet, the filmmaker still sprinkles in several moments that will genuinely make audiences laugh out loud and release the tension they’re otherwise feeling.

8

James Tries To Claim The Missing Children Reward Over The Phone

James is a huge source of comic relief throughout Weapons, and his chapter comes at the perfect time in the story to give audiences a slight break from the heavy storytelling and disturbing deaths that precede it. His interactions with Paul highlight just how much these two characters are out of their depth, but James still tries to use the surrounding tragedies to his advantage.

After James discovers that Weapons’ missing children are hiding in Alex’s parents’ basement, he realizes that he can make some money by leading the police there and claiming the reward. The way he tries to convince the officers that he’s “phobic” of police stations, just to avoid running into Paul again, represents some of Weapons’ funniest dialogue and most entertaining performances.

7

Donna Pours Vodka On Justine In The Liquor Store

Justine’s Weapons chapter is very dark and horror-driven for the most part, touching on key themes such as paranoia, guilt, and delusion. However, Zach Cregger does a brilliant job of subverting these themes by tricking the audience into thinking somebody is going to attack Justine – just to reveal that it’s Paul’s wife, Donna.

While there are lots of distressing scenes and upsetting deaths in Weapons, the film also has a clear sense of humor that it employs on several occasions to lighten the atmosphere. This is exactly what Cregger is doing with Donna’s outburst in the liquor store, using a conflict like this to contrast the real horrors lurking beneath the surface.

6

Marcus Runs Through The Basketball Court

While Marcus’ ᴀssault of Justine and Archer is one of Weapons’ scariest moments the first time it’s shown (from Archer’s perspective), the scene takes on a whole new tone when it’s shown in Marcus’ chapter. There’s something darkly funny about the way Gladys interacts with Marcus and his husband, and Weapons clearly doesn’t take itself too seriously despite the gore and violence.

The shrill music and тιԍнт camerawork do an excellent job of building tension once Marcus becomes one of Gladys’ тιтular weapons, but Cregger immediately slashes through this intense atmosphere by having Marcus dart through a basketball court and disrupt an amateur game. It’s such an unexpected and distracting visual gag that reminds audiences how little Weapons takes itself seriously.

5

James Breaks Into Alex’s House And Finds His Parents

James’ chapter in Weapons is undeniably one of the film’s funniest, as his role in the missing children subplot is completely accidental. He tends to stumble into the evidence without much care or intention, which makes his actions very entertaining to watch. This is never more true than when he breaks into Alex’s house.

While it’s extremely dark and tragic what happened to Alex’s parents, the way Weapons uses James’ perspective to reveal their fate is very clever and funny. Austin Abrams’ performance during this sequence is brilliant, as he slowly realizes that he can still take the family’s DVDs and cutlery, ignoring the terrifying trance the parents are clearly in.

4

Gladys Turns Up To Meet Marcus At The School

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment that Weapons shifts from all-out horror to a more darkly comedic story (mainly because this tone is constantly shifting between the two), but the scene where Gladys arrives at the high school to meet with Marcus is a clear example of Cregger testing how silly and goofy he can allow this story to get.

While the audience suspects at this point that Gladys is untrustworthy from her appearances in other characters’ dreams, not even the wildest Weapons theories could have predicted her true role in the story. The film leans into this mystery with its unsettling atmosphere during this conversation, but Benedict Wong’s hilarious performance as he attempts to reason with Gladys is an excellent way of relieving tension.

3

James Accidentally Stabs Paul (Twice)

James and Paul’s dynamic is undoubtedly one of Weapons‘ funniest elements, and that’s certainly the case whenever the former stabs the latter with needles. The first instance comes when Paul arrests James for an attempted break-in and pokes himself in the finger while searching James’s pockets. His reaction, physically and verbally, is hilarious.

Yet, this is not where Cregger leaves the comedic moment. Weapons calls back to the sequence by having James stab Paul in the face with a handful of needles out of fear. After seeing a version of Gladys in the woods, James is convinced she’s about to enter his tent and attacks, only to discover he’s stabbed Paul once more.

It’s such an entertaining subversion of expectations, which Weapons pulls off on several occasions. The rest of the story is so dark and intentional that when James wanders into the woods and gets scared by an apparition of Gladys, the audience is convinced that he’s going to be her next victim. When it doesn’t happen, it’s much easier for Cregger to make the audience laugh with relief.

2

Archer’s WTF Dream

Josh Brolin provides one of Weapons’ most impactful and emotional performances as the father of one of Maybrook’s missing children – but the actor is also responsible for the film’s funniest line delivery. After having a very touching conversation with his missing son in a dream, Archer has a vision of Gladys, wakes up in a cold sweat, and loudly swears, “What the f***?” in disbelief.

It’s such a brief moment, but it perfectly sums up the unique blend of distressing horror and dark, surreal comedy that makes Weapons so engaging. It plays with typical horror conventions and subverts them, almost laughing at the audience for falling into the familiar trap. This excellent blend of humor and horror is exactly why Weapons has performed so well with critics.

1

The Missing Children Attack Gladys

The ending of Weapons takes a huge swing in its distillation of dark humor and almost slapstick comedy, as Alex finally gets his hands on Gladys’ voodoo branch and turns the town’s missing children against her. The ensuing chase is a mᴀssive stylistic switch-up, as the children chase their captor through the suburban houses of Maybrook in a montage that feels pulled straight from a silent-era comedy.

Whether it’s Gladys toppling over fences or the children bursting through the windows of ornate family houses or the locals watching this all unfold in disbelief, everything about this sequence subverts the typical rules of ending an otherwise intense, frightening horror movie.

It’s obviously very thematically fitting for Gladys to be torn apart by the children she tried to exploit, but there’s also something undeniably goofy and silly about the way Weapons plays this scene out. You can’t help but laugh as she meets her end thanks to how Cregger delivers the sequence.