4/20 MASSACRE
(director/writer/editor: Dylan Reynolds; cinematographer: Kyle Stryker; music: Angela Winter Defoe; cast: Jamie Bernadette (Jess), Vanessa Rose Parker (Aubrey), Stacey Danger (Donna), Justine Wachsberger (Rachel), Marissa Pistone (Michelle), Jim Storm (Rick), James Gregory(The Shape), Mark Shroeder (Buddy); Runtime: 84; MPAA Rating: NR; producer: Vanessa Rose Parker; The Hike Productions; 2018)
“Mindless indie stoner slasher pic.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
Dylan Reynolds (“Chain Link”) is the writer-director-editor of this mindless indie stoner slasher pic, that’s female driven. It was shot in the vicinity of the San Bernardino National Forest, near Los Angeles. The title refers to the date of the camping trip. Five stoner mostly lesbian young women–Jess (Jamie Bernadette), Aubrey (Vanessa Rose Parker), Donna (Stacey Danger), Rachel (Justine Wachsberger) and Michelle (Marissa Pistone)–go on a week-end camping trip to the forests of Big Bear, California to celebrate Jess’s birthday, While hiking to the camping site, they are warned by the creepy park ranger (Jim Storm) to avoid the hills where there are illegal pot farms run by some dangerous criminals. The ladies, of course, ignore that advice. Then they encounter a crazed guy warning them a monster killed his partner and is after him. He gives the ladies his backpack of cannabis and runs off saying “you’re next!”. Rather than report the incident to the ranger as Jess suggests, the girls vote to set up a campsite in the area. The rest-stop allows a number of subplots to unfold. One of which has the insecure Aubrey wondering if this is the right time to tell Jess she has a crush on her. Another has Rachel about to make a sexual conquest of her co-worker Michelle. Things turn grisly with one creative death after another (including a ghastly disembowelment) when the faceless ghoul slasher appears in a ghillie body suit (James Gregory) and is all horror genre business. It aims to be a parody of such slasher films, and though mostly a bore and bogged down with poor FX it surprises by at least having a more solid script than most such cheesy exploitation pics.
REVIEWED ON 12/1/2018 GRADE: B-
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