Directed by Charles Band
Expectations: Low.
On the general scale:
On the B-movie scale:
Despite the numbering, Evil Bong 666 is technically the series’ 7th entry, and for my money it’s one of the best Full Moon films in years. I know that isn’t saying a lot because Full Moon’s output has been pretty lackluster for a while, but just in terms of simple entertainment it’s probably the best Bong since Evil Bong 2: King Bong. Of course, your enjoyment will depend on your tolerance for the usual stoner logic and antics that fills these films, but I imagine anyone interested enough to read a review of a movie like Evil Bong 666 is on-board, strapped-in and ready to roll.
Evil Bong 666 follows the basic storefront formula of the last few Evil Bong films, but it changes up the energy by replacing the series’ star character, Larnell (John Patrick Jordan), with a new store owner, Lucy Furr (Mindy Robinson). This might seem like a small detail, but it changes the film’s course considerably. Instead of seeing Larnell and/or Rabbit (Sonny Carl Davis) handling a steady stream of customers — something we’ve seen way more than anyone ever needs to — now we have the devious, Satan-loving Lucy Furr taking care of business. It’s a whole new ballgame. It not only breathes life into the store scenes, it packs the bowl for another round. And thankfully, there’s actually not that many store scenes! I’d have preferred another David DeCoteau cameo instead of one of the lamer scenes, but you can’t win them all.
Evil Bong 666 also stands apart in how it deals with Full Moon’s now-standard, in-movie advertising. There’s still a lot, but it’s naturally laced into the fabric of the film so it never takes you out of the movie; this is Charles Band in-movie advertising 2.0, and I greatly appreciated the change of pace. I instantly recognized the Smoke Cartel stuff from their involvement in previous films, but I honestly didn’t even realize the Vapor Cup was an actual product until well into the movie. But it is, and I imagine they will sell a lot of them to the legion of stoners that might stumble upon this movie on Amazon or Hulu or wherever else Full Moon is able to infiltrate these days. Of course, the film is also available on Full Moon Streaming, but I imagine anyone watching it there is already a big fan and not stumbling into anything.
Set your expectations to OG Kush, stock up on Girl Scout Cookies and slip into the Blue Dream that is Evil Bong 666.
Next time I get around to a Full Moon movie I’ll be checking in with Ted Nicolaou’s Moonbeam film Dragonworld! See ya then!