5 scenes in Weapons that perfectly capture the film’s dark humor 

Everything about the premise of Weapons indicates bone-chilling horror, especially as hypnotized children wake up and disappear in the middle of the night without explanation. The whole town is thrown into a frenzy trying to find the missing children, and the last thing fans might expect is moments of mirth. However, director Zach Cregger infused absurd humor into the intense story.

The movie drops surprising humor that immediately breaks the tension, threatening to explode. Whether it is from the obvious comedic storyline with James, the local drug addict who finds himself in the wrong places at the right times, or the explosive climactic sequence with the children, hidden humor brought out shocked laughter from fans.

"The rule I’ve learned for myself is to let the situation dictate the humor. Let the movie ask me for the humor, don’t try to put it in. Be in service of the story, don’t try to be clever."- Zach Cregger, about creating humor in the movie. Excerpt from an interview with Variety published on August 8, 2025.

Disclaimer: All opinions in this article belong to the writer. The list is in no particular order. Spoilers for Weapons (2025) ahead.

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From James to Justine: Character moments that capture the dark humor in Weapons

1) The children attack Gladys

The children attack Gladys after the spell is lifted (Image via YouTube/Warner Bros.)

While the premise has several laugh-worthy moments, none come close to the climactic sequence in perfectly capturing the dark humor in Weapons. Alex, the only child who is unharmed in the entire gaggle, finds a way to defeat Gladys (Amy Madigan): Use her spell against her. He copies her incantations and grabs some hair from her wig to reverse her effect on the missing children.

The children swarm her like angry bees, breaking out of windows and jumping over fences to get to her. The entire sequence is scary in the most comical sense, starting with Gladys' "Uh-oh, game over" facial expression before she takes off sprinting and shrieking through the neighborhood.

The icing on the cake is how the neighbors are more worried about their lawns getting messed up by noisy children than about the fact that the feral kids are tearing an old woman limb from limb and eating her whole. Amidst the chaos, Archer finds himself running through a woman's kitchen, who is horrified that there is a man in her house. Cregger manages to make rage appear deeply humorous.

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2) Archer's dream

Archer's dream makes him curse (Image via YouTube/Warner Bros.)

Josh Brolin plays Archer, the dad of one of the missing children, Matthew. Many parts of Weapons are told through his perspective as a grieving father who is tired of the police investigations about the 17 missing children coming up empty-handed. Resolving to take matters into his own hands, he digs into the mystery.

In an emotional dream sequence, Archer sees his son Matthew in his bed and tells him how much he loves him. He also regrets not saying that more often when his son was still around. When Archer shines a light on his child, he instead sees a creepy image of Gladys grinning widely at him. This startles him awake.

Cregger pushes the boundaries of horror, incorporating jump scares, bone-chilling revelations, and an occasional joke to throw a wrench in the works. One such scene is Archer's reaction. The moment he wakes up, he screams, "WHAT THE F*CK?"

This not only invokes a sudden laugh from the audience, but also aptly captures the premise and dark humor in Weapons.

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3) Justine and the vegetable peeler

Paul attacks Justine (Image via YouTube/Warner Bros.)

Justine (Julia Garner) represents the unwilling scapegoat in Weapons. When all the missing kids are found to be from her class, the entire town turns against her, suspecting her involvement. She becomes depressed and an alcoholic, which digs into the darker effects of the premise. However, even she gets to showcase her desperate hilarity in clutch moments.

Justine and Archer, who are at odds in the beginning, work together to find the missing children. This leads them to Alex's house, where the bewitched James and Paul (Alden Ehrenreich) attack them. The scene's tense grip breaks when Justine blindly grabs something from the kitchen to attack Paul, only to realize it's a plastic vegetable peeler. She goes for it anyway, in a futile attempt to get him off her.

This is less dark humor in Weapons and more slapstick comedy, considering how comically everything unfolds. However, the moment is immediately followed by Justine fatally shooting Paul, which might push it into dark territory after all.

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4) Comical moments with James

James is the comedic relief (Image via YouTube/Warner Bros.)

James (Austin Abrams) and his uncanny ability to pop out of nowhere and smack dab in the middle of the horror plot made him the funniest addition in Weapons. He breaks into Alex's house to loot them, and spots the parents in a catatonic state. His immediate response? Steal their admirable DVD collection since they wouldn't realize they were gone anyway.

He also finds the missing children in the basement and decides to get the reward money instead. When he calls the police station with information, James mentions that he can collect the reward money elsewhere, as he has a phobia of the police station. Instead of being rewarded, he is chased for being on Officer Paul's watchlist.

His tone-deafness and inability to grasp the gravity of the situation make him the perfect vehicle to show dark humor in Weapons.

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5) Donna goes after Justine

Justine's arc is scary yet funny (Image via YouTube/Warner Bros.)

Director Cregger uses the thick atmosphere to build up a typical horror scene, only to diffuse it with humor in Weapons. One of the best examples is in Justine's segment of the movie, where fans get the creeping sensation that she is being watched or followed. The weight of grief and guilt is evident in the scene where she goes to the liquor store.

But as she thinks someone's going to attack her, it turns out to be Paul's wife Donna, who is angry with her for ruining their marriage by being Paul's ex-girlfriend and the "other woman". She flings vodka at Justine, and the scene becomes comically relieving compared to what fans thought might happen.

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Watch Weapons in theatres worldwide.