By Robert Scucci
| Published 7 seconds ago
Zach Cregger’s Weapons has cemented the idea that sketch comedy and elevated horror occupy similar head spaces. So much so, in fact, that there’s a deliberate wink to his fanbase who know him from his tenure with The Whitest Kids U’Know. Specifically, the lunch tray that’s handed to Marcus during one of the most upsetting scenes in the movie is a direct reference to the infamous WKUK skit, “Hot Dogs.”
A Tribute To Trevor Moore
In 2021, WKUK founder and local sexpot Trevor Moore died of blunt-force head trauma after falling from the upstairs balcony of his home while intoxicated. Back in 2009, Moore portrayed a doctor in the “Hot Dogs” skit, where he warned his patient that eating seven hot dogs a day was “a little high,” and “not good.”
In Weapons, school principal Marcus Miller (Benedict Wong) is sitting in the living room when his husband Terry (Clayton Farris) sits down next to him with a tray of seven hot dogs that he lovingly prepared for lunch. When Gladys enters their home and refuses to leave, something happens that’s not good, just like Trevor Moore’s doctor character suggested.
The scene’s conclusion can only be described as one of the worst head smashings I’ve ever seen, and it’s hard not to see the connection to the WKUK skit and Trevor Moore’s tragic death. I’m not saying that the regular overconsumption of tube steaks will lead you to a similar fate, but I’m no doctor, and it just might.
Weapons Is Cregger’s Way Of Processing Tragedy
During a recent interview with Last Podcast on the Left, Zach Cregger told Henry Zebrowski and Ed Larson he was working through a personal tragedy while writing Weapons. He never says exactly what, but the timeline points to the passing of his best friend, Trevor Moore. The nod to “Hot Dogs” feels like a deliberate way to keep Moore’s sense of humor alive, but it makes me wonder if the horrific sequence that follows is tied to how he died, or simply a byproduct of the creative process.
It’s also worth noting that the source of Weapons’ mystery takes place at 2:17 am, and that Trevor Moore was found dead at around 2:30 on August 7, 2021. Weapons saw an August 8 release. While this could all be written off as a total coincidence, we all know that Moore loved a good conspiracy theory, so let’s roll with it.
The Fine Line Between Sketch Comedy And Horror
Cregger told Zebrowski that the jump from sketch comedy to horror felt natural. Like Jordan Peele, he spent nearly a decade in a writers’ room chasing the most extreme and uncomfortable ideas possible, only to find those instincts translate seamlessly to terror. So it’s no stretch of the imagination to see why Weapons combines such visceral imagery with a plate of hot dogs.
Though he’s no longer with us, it feels like Trevor Moore is in on the joke.
