Zach Cregger’s film “Weapons” subtly incorporates a comedic nod to his career, which is both heartfelt and humorous. As Cregger’s second horror movie, following 2022’s release of “Barbarian,” Weapons revolves around the baffling disappearance of 17 children at 2:17 am in Maybrook, Pennsylvania, a small town. These children were all students from the local elementary school, and only one, Alex Lilly (portrayed by Cary Christopher), is found alive the next day in Justine Gandy’s (Julia Garner) classroom. The disappearance sends shockwaves throughout the entire community, with Weapons unfolding a complex narrative from various characters’ perspectives, including Justine, Alex, Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), and others as they unravel the mystery.
Although “Weapons” may not be overflowing with comedic relief, it does offer occasional dry humor. One such instance is found in a scene where the principal of Maybrook Elementary School, Marcus Miller (played by Benedict Wong), encounters a student’s family member. This scene also features seven hot dogs prepared for Marcus’s lunch, which might appear to be an insignificant detail. However, it’s actually a humorous inside joke referencing Zach Cregger’s background in sketch comedy and paying tribute to one of his departed colleagues from that time in his career.
WARNING: Spoilers below for Weapons
The Hot Dog Scene in Weapons Pays Tribute to the Show The Whitest Kids U’Know
In the film “Weapons,” there’s a scene involving hot dogs where Gladys (played by Amy Madigan), who’s connected to the missing children, drops by Marcus Miller’s home. At that moment, Terry (Clayton Farris) is busy cooking lunch. He’s arranged seven hot dogs with mustard and some extras like chips, carrots, and cookies on the side. Although the exact number of seven hot dogs might not register with most viewers, it’s a witty nod to a comedy sketch titled “Hot Dog Timmy” from the series “The Whitest Kids U’Know.
In the comedy sketch “Hot Dog Timmy,” Trevor Moore plays a doctor who inquires about Timmy’s (Timmy Williams) typical consumption of hot dogs each day. To this, Timmy admits he usually consumes seven hot dogs daily. Later on, Zach Cregger subtly references this scene by specifically mentioning seven hot dogs during a scene set at Marcus’s house in the show “Weapons.” This nod to the earlier scene is even more apparent when considering Cregger’s past collaboration with Trevor Moore and his background.
Zach Cregger’s Comedy History Was Part of the Genesis of Weapons
The comedy group known as “The Whitest Kids U’Know” started off as a trio consisting of Zach Cregger, Trevor Moore, and Sam Brown, who came together in the year 2000. Over time, members like Darren Trumeter and Timmy Williams joined the team. As their popularity grew, they created a sketch comedy show that first aired on Fuse (later moving to IFC), where it ran for five seasons from 2007 to 2011.
Although the comedy troupe The Whitest Kids U’Know persisted in the entertainment industry post their show’s conclusion, regrettably Trevor Moore passed away on August 7th, 2021, at the age of 42 following a fall from his balcony at home. This sudden loss had a profound impact on Moore’s fellow troupe members, including Cregger, which directly influenced Cregger’s creation of the series “Weapons.
In an interview for the Rolling Stone magazine, Cregger shared that he was in the post-production phase of Barbarian when Moore passed away. To cope with the loss of his friend and collaborator, he started writing the script for Weapons. As Cregger explained in the interview, “The town [in Weapons] is grieving too. I was as well. It was the hardest blow I’ve ever faced,” shedding light on the symbolic reference to The Whitest Kids U’Know in Weapons.
The Hot Dog Scene in Weapons Is Both Funny & Moving in Its Tribute to Trevor Moore
Glancing at it superficially, Terry’s meticulously prepared lunch of seven hot dogs might appear as a casual incident, but it shares the same type of humor as the initial “Hot Dog Timmy” sketch on The Whitest Kids U’Know. Many people can identify with the notion of having distinctive and perhaps unusual eating habits, like always preparing an exact number of hot dogs for lunch. Similarly to Timmy, Marcus and Terry seem to believe that a meal isn’t complete unless it includes at least seven hot dogs, which injects a dose of humor into the chilling tale of Weapons.
At a profound level, similar to the people of Maybrook, Cregger was going through an extremely painful and sorrowful phase in his personal life when he wrote the chilling script for Weapons. The film primarily revolves around how the townspeople, particularly the parents of the missing children, struggle to carry on with their daily lives while searching for their lost ones. In essence, this narrative mirrors Cregger writing Weapons as a means of healing from his own personal grief. The humorous scene involving hot dogs in Weapons adds a subtle wit to the movie, but it also serves as a heartfelt nod and tribute to Cregger and Moore’s collaborative comedy work and friendship on The Whitest Kids U’Know.
Weapons is now playing in theaters.
https://comicbook.com/movies/news/weapons-first-reactions-zach-cregger-new-movie-masterpiece/embed/#
Read More
- Minecraft lets you get the Lava Chicken song in-game — but it’s absurdly rare
- Gold Rate Forecast
- Wrestler Marcus “Buff” Bagwell Undergoes Leg Amputation
- Lewis Capaldi Details “Mental Episode” That Led to Him “Convulsing”
- PS5’s ChinaJoy Booth Needs to Be Seen to Be Believed
- ENA PREDICTION. ENA cryptocurrency
- Cyberpunk 2077’s Patch 2.3 is Here and It’s Another Excellent Overhaul
- Yungblud Vows to Perform Ozzy Osbourne Song “Every Night”
- Elden Ring Nightreign’s Patch 1.02 update next week is adding a feature we’ve all been waiting for since launch — and another I’ve been begging for, too
- Rob Schneider’s Happy Gilmore 2 Role Is Much Different Than We Thought It’d Be
2025-08-16 23:45