I’m Convinced Weapons Features the Funniest Moment in Horror Movie History

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Zach Cregger, director of the 2022 surprise hit Barbarian, is cut from the same cloth as Peele. While his work is scary, there are layers to it, as the filmmaker is aware that he’s operating in a space that’s ridiculous at his core. Well, Cregger’s latest movie, Weapons, leans into the comedy, delivering what may very well be the funniest moment in horror movie history.

The Comedy in Weapons Is Present From the Start

There’s nothing funny about the mystery that surrounds Weapons. On a random school day, 17 kids from Justine Gandy’s (Julia Garner) classroom fail to show up, and it comes to light that each one of them got out of bed at 2:17 am and ran outside, failing to return. The town begins searching for answers, but the parents can’t help but feel that Justine is to blame because there’s no way that many kids from her class would leave home without her being involved. While Justine tries to explain that she’s innocent, her words don’t help her situation, forcing her to start her own investigation. Of course, she’s in over her head, and as she gets closer to answers, she falls flat on her face, such as when she falls asleep outside of Alex Lilly’s house and allows a bewitched parent to get in her car and cut her hair.

The bumbling adults provide so much of the comedy that’s present in Weapons, as they can’t get their heads out of their butts long enough to care about anyone but themselves. The selfishness of older generations is a major part of the movie’s message. It’s difficult to watch adult after adult walk into the Lilly household and fail to achieve anything, but it needs to happen to set up Weapons‘ hilarious conclusion. As soon as Alex takes control of the situation and places his aunt’s hair on the stick, the missing kids, who have been at the mercy of a witch for months, get to let loose, chasing their captor around the suburbs. The hunter becomes the hunted, with Gladys getting everything that she deserves once the children finally catch up to her. However, despite the comedic shift at the end of the movie, an underlying darkness appears in the final moments that’s hard to shake.

Weapons‘ Last Shot Is Anything But Funny

Once Gladys is dead, a weight is lifted off the shoulders of Justine and Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), the father of one of the missing kids. They think they did a great job, and the narration from a child that accompanies the ending appears to confirm that. Alex is alive and well and living with a new family member who doesn’t want to drain his life force. The town also covered up what happened, so everyone, including Justine, can move on. It sounds like a happy ending all around until the narrator gets to the last portion of her speech. She explains that the kids who were in the basement are finally learning to speak again after two years, outright confirming that they lost more than anyone.

Despite seeing that his son, Matthew, isn’t in the right headspace, Archer continues to walk off into the sunset like a hero. He did his job as a parent, so there’s no need to stop and check on the other children or take the boy anywhere but home. And as Matthew’s dead eyes stare directly into the camera, it’s clear that every lesson the adults should have learned is already lost on them. It’s easy to overlook, but the moments right after Weapons‘ funniest scene are its darkest.

Weapons is in theaters now.

Did you laugh when the kids were chasing Gladys around in Weapons? How did you feel about the movie’s ending? Let us know in the comments below!