Horror Movie Review: 4/20 Massacre (2018)

Premiering on VOD and DVD on April 3rd from Film Chest. The first-ever “stoner slasher” movie pits Jamie Bernadette, Vanessa Rose Parker, Justine Wachsberger, Stacey Danger and Marissa Pistone against a psychotic killer deep in the woods.

Written and directed by Dylan Reynolds. Five women are camping in the woods to celebrate a friend’s birthday over the 4/20 weekend. They want a good time filled with drinking, smoking weed and even a bit of sex.

Unfortunately for the women they have strayed onto an illegal marijuana growing operation. One that a madman wearing a ghillie suit will kill to protect.

It sounds stupid and on occasion it really is but it’s also fun thanks to the good characters/actors. Once the initial setup is out of the way, 4/20 Massacre smartly spends a lot of time allowing us to get to know the characters. They bond, get high and reveal their sexuality through awkward interactions (purposely awkward).

Early on the most annoying character is killed off thankfully & it’s here that you you’ll notice the good gore effects. The killer comes behind her as she smokes a bong & pushes her head on it with such force it comes out the back. It’s absurd but looks great!

In fact, most of the deaths are well done, the blood & viscera flying but not overly gratuitous either. The final girl isn’t who you might initially expect either. While the finale is predictable it’s well written and pays off what we’d seen up to this point.

I’m not normally a fan of these ‘stoner’ horror films. They are mostly one-note and normally filled with awful ‘weed’ jokes but 4/20 Massacre is a cut above the rest. It’s not going to set the horror world alight in the slightest but Dylan Reynolds has crafted a memorable horror flick. The five girls camping and getting high together is a nice change from the standard formula and they’re a convincing bunch of characters.