Pot Zombies

Pot Zombies is another no-budget SOV movie in the "Gore comedy Tromatic" arena. Take some Redneck Zombies and some Class of Nuke em high (in that troma classic there was some radioactive pot that turn people into maniac monsters or something like that, this movie plot is the same turning stoned dudes into maniac zombies). The movie is not that bad if you like this kind of no budget stuff, but its far from good, it have some moments but over all, the FX are pretty crappy, the acting is awful and there isn't that much gore. You can have a good time with this one if you watch it in the right mood, with friends for a laugh in the "So bad is funny" way.

4/10

Okay, first off, the only reason I gave this movie one star is because you can't give less than that. I could hear my brain cells dying in the first five minutes. The acting was CRAP! The dialogue was CRAP! If crap were on the bottom step, this movie would need a ladder to reach it. I have yet to fathom how this movie cost $10,000 to make. Maybe it was all the pot that was supposedly fake. I guess the only way I would really enjoy this movie is if I was high. I get that this movie is probably supposed to be a comedy, but just because it's making fun of horror movies doesn't mean it should be completely stupid. If you're thinking of buying or renting this movie, save your money. I was lucky enough to watch it uncut on television for free. So, while I didn't lose any money, there's a chunk of my life I'll never get back.

I had to sit through Pot Zombies yesterday and boy was it atrocious. I mean, for Troma, that's kinda what you expect, but you don't get that same B-movie charm you get from other Troma movies like The Toxic Avenger and Class of Nuke 'Em High. The makers of this movie knew they were making crap, but they direct is as if they tried to make us laugh at it's poor quality. With other Troma movies like (again) Toxic Avenger, Nuke 'Em High, and Blood Hook, they also knew they were making Troma schlock, but they kind of let the movie direct itself, go with the flow and don't put such a comedic emphasis on its poor quality.

This movie treats it's audience like imbeciles and tells us what we're supposed to laugh at (as if it were not already shoved in our faces). It's a lot like those (horrid excuses for) parody movies made by Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg. They really push that comedy in your face to the point where you literally yell "Okay! We get it already!". If you want to make a decent B movie, watch Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, Mystery Science Theater 3000, or anything made by Ed Wood.

Well the film makers did mess it up. I honestly think I spent more money on the DVD then they spent making the movie. I picked this movie up hoping to have a good laugh at some cheesy low budget humor. But this film isn't even funny in a so bad it's funny kind of way. The movie doesn't have much of a plot to speak of, it is made up of some random threads that are loosely strung together involving people smoking pot and turning into zombies. There are also some bad attempts at humor. I could break all the elements of film making down and say where everything went wrong, but it would be quicker to just say everything about this is bad. Don't waste your money. Go to the dollar section of the store and indulge in some cheesy movies there. This movie isn't worth it.

They also don't condone using tripods for exterior shots, providing their film with a plot or employing real actors. Hell, they obviously didn't even bother tapping high school or college theater classes for their "talent." Regardless, I can tolerate zero budget films like this if they are done with some level of originality or enthusiasm. I can also tolerate terrible acting. I know when you're just getting started sometimes you have to draft friends and family to play roles. However, this film lacks virtually everything that goes into a decent comedy, a decent zombie film or even a decent no budget film. It's basically just lame grade school level pot humor combined with some of the worst special effects you will ever seen. There isn't even a plot. It jumps from one pitifully unfunny "vignette" to another, with nothing linking it all together aside from toxic weed. So basically you'll get a bunch of 5-10 minute scenes, featuring a bunch of horrible actors pretending to be stoners, who sit around smoking pot before turning into zombies and killing one another. This goes on for about an hour or so and then it ends. Really pathetic. It's like they didn't even try and thought whatever they slapped together would be sold by title and concept alone. Nevermind the fact that contaminated pot turning the users evil is hardly a new concept. Remember CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH from way back in 1986?

The film starts with three rednecks talking about the pleasures of cold beer and pulling tampons out with their teeth (yep, that's the level of humor you'll find here) while toking on a joint. Said joint turns them into green-faced zombies with glowing green eyes (horrid CG effect) who attack and start eating the others. Things cut to a classroom where a stoned student also transforms and rips his teacher's heart out of her chest. There are also scenes at a concert and a at a party, as well as other places. Each bit is cut with really horrible computer graphics, such as the film logo and animated joints; one has boobs and the other farts... oh, how witty. There's also a mock news program, captions and a subpar trip sequence or two. Absolutely nothing even remotely funny or interesting happens in the entire film. Toward the end, the movie throws the viewer a bone by having a gratuitous T&A lesbian scene with two goth girls making out. They smoke pot and when one goes down on the other, she turns into a zombie and starts "eating" the other girl. Hee Hee. Groan. There's also a performance from a band where the lead male guitarist stands on stage buck naked before impaling someone with his guitar. The special effects are typical of home video product, but this movie takes it a step further and makes it seem even cheaper by employing some of the lamest CGI blood spurts you'll ever see.

The film was released by Troma and features some obligatory Troma in-jokes. There's a poster for TERROR FIRMER on a wall and Lloyd Kaufman shows up in a stupid cameo as a retarded pizza delivery man who is killed. Another clichéd touch is a clip from NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD playing on a TV set in the background, which is ironically the only point of interest here.

Even if you're a zombie movie fanatic like I am, my advice is to skip this one. It's a rip-off and a waste of time.