An in-universe viral marketing website previously revealed that Weapons takes place in the same world as Barbarian, writer/director Zach Cregger‘s feature debut. But the connections also extend to a deranged pair of Barbarian cameos in Cregger’s latest.
Weapons, now playing in theaters, sees the small suburban town of Maybrook completely unravel in the wake of the bizarre disappearance of nearly an entire classroom of elementary school students. The unpredictable horror movie shifts through multiple perspectives to piece together the mystery, including that of Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), the desperate father of one of the children who went missing.
While we won’t spoil what happens in Weapons, it’s safe to say that Archer remains dogged in his pursuit of answers, becoming a thorn in the side of the local authorities as well as Justine Gandy (Julia Garner), his missing son’s teacher. Archer’s bid for answers leads him to the door of another pair of parents directly affected by the mass disappearance, and here’s where Cregger’s pitch black humor slyly shows its teeth.
Archer knocks on the door to inquire about the footage on the home’s Ring camera, only to be denied by the woman who answers. Undeterred, he simply waits for the arrival of the woman’s husband, whom he then catches off guard until he gets his way, earning the husband death glares from his unapproving wife. It’s a scene that’s hysterical already, but takes on a darker undertone when connecting it to Barbarian.
Josh Brolin in ‘Weapons’. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
That’s because the couple in this scene is played by Sara Paxton, Cregger’s real-life wife, and Justin Long, two actors who both appeared previously in Cregger’s feature debut and whose characters shared a rather grim connection. In Barbarian, Justin Long plays AJ, a disgraced actor recently fired for sexual assault allegations from his television series’ co-star, Megan. The twist in Barbarian, or at least one of many twists, is that the allegations proved true and “nice guy” AJ emerged as one of the film’s true villains.
Megan is a character only heard via phone and voicemail, not seen, and she’s played by The Innkeepers and Last House on the Left actor Sara Paxton. You can hear her voice just over the halfway point, in a deeply uncomfortable scene that sees a drunken AJ call her to apologize for the assault, in an ill-advised attempt to gaslight Megan over the accusations.
The disturbing connection between Paxton and Long’s characters in Barbarian is what makes their brief appearance as a suburban married couple in Weapons such a twisted Easter egg for fans.
Up next from Cregger is his take on Resident Evil, set to star Weapons actor Austin Abrams. It’s early yet, but it feels safe to assume the horror filmmaker will nestle in a few twisted Easter eggs to his previous works. We’ll of course be keeping our eyes peeled.
Austin Abrams in ‘Weapons’. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures