Hansel and Gretel Get Baked (2013)

Well with a title like this I had to check it out. I found this one while browsing thru the Shudder catalog and had very low expectations. I mean how many stoner horror comedies have there been? I can’t think of any myself, though I’m probably missing something. Let’s see if I made a horrible mistake watching Hansel and Gretel Get Baked.

This is a simple story. You have a witch, played by the always beautiful Laura Flynn Boyle, who uses weed to tempt stoners into her house. There she does all sorts of twisted magic on them to restore her youth and grow some more to lure even more potheads to her door. One of the kids she nabs is Gretel’s boyfriend, who she comes looking for. Not only does she and her brother cross paths with the witch, but so do some rival drug suppliers, a utilities guy, some cops, and her dealer. Much mayhem ensues as eyeballs are eaten, zombies made, and bloody good time is had by some, not all.

Well damn… How did I miss this one? It was made six years ago and I’m just now watching it. While not the greatest flick that I’ve ever seen it has all the hallmarks of a good time. First up we have an actress in Boyle who is having a blast chewing up the scenery. It is fun watching someone with some acting chops do a role like this. Her character has some great lines and she does a wonderful job with them. Second the plot is straight forward which leads to a tight and quick paced bit of entertainment. They waste no time getting to the good stuff with some gore right off the bat. In face one of the best bits of gore is early on when Boyle’s character gets the munchies smoking her own product and chows down on an unfortunate victim.

Laura Flynn Boyle is clearly having a blast!

This leads me to the special effects work. We get some good gore with an eyeball appetizer followed with some skinned stoner, a leg coming off and going into the oven. We also see an odd bit of irrigation thanks to a drug dealer, heart chomping, a throat gets cut, and of course if you know the story then the witches end won’t surprise you at all. The creatures are cool as well. The makeup used to age Boyle has a couple stages as she gets younger the more stoners she kills. We also get a cool demon dog and a couple of zombies. This witch has some tricks up her sleeve! All of this is practical work, except for the dog’s eyes, and is well executed. I couldn’t believe all of the latex and old school tricks they used in the movie. It gives Hansel and Gretel Get Baked a classic vibe that I dug.

This is a great update of a classic fairy tale with a bucket of gore tossed in for fun. I had zero expectations going in and was more than satisfied with the results. Finding a movie like this is why I keep digging and never stop watching new horror. Sometimes you find some really good stuff. Hansel and Gretel Get Baked is one of those times. I recommend it.

© Copyright 2019 John Shatzer