Thousands of kilometres travelled around Aotearoa. Sold-out screenings. One hell of a movie (and one giant fork).
Fresh off its Big Forking Tour, The Weed Eaters opens in cinemas this Thursday April 30, so moviegoers across the country can get a taste of this fresh, homegrown, cult classic.
Highly praised by audiences at this month’s Big Forking Tour and 2025’s much-buzzed NZ International Film Festival screenings, the film’s premise is proving irresistible: On a secluded New Year’s Eve getaway, four stoners find themselves guests of a reclusive farmer with a deadly stash: a strain of weed that makes you crave human flesh.
“The Weed Eaters is a stoner horror comedy,” says director Callum Devlin. “It’s another New Zealand film about how f-ed up life is on the farm. It’s also a film about making terrible decisions and then doubling down. But mostly it’s about how weird it is to make friends as an adult, and that drugs are bad (right?).”
It’s also the latest standout in Aotearoa’s rich history of independent filmmakers forging their own path and ignoring better advice. The results scream for themselves. Hilarious, authentic, and cinematic, The Weed Eaters has attracted rave reviews, scooped up overseas festival awards, and stimulated plenty of buzz.
The debut feature from local production companies Sports Team (Callum Devlin and Annabel Kean) and Horse Bite (Finnius Teppett and Alice May Connolly), The Weed Eaters sees each of the four juggle multiple responsibilities as writers, producers, director, production and costume design, editor, and even caterer.
Kean, Teppett and Connolly impress in starring roles, alongside Samuel Austin, who himself doubles up as both a lead and director of photography. Also appearing alongside them in the film are Taskmaster NZ favourite David Correos, The Bats’ bassist Paul Kean, singer-songwriter Delaney Davidson, Ella Gilbert (The Gone) and Jordan Mooney (Pike River).
Set to an unnerving original instrumental score written and performed by Callum Passells, The Weed Eaters features bangers from the likes of Dave Dobbyn, Lawrence Arabia and Mousey in its all-New Zealand soundtrack.
See The Weed Eaters with your best buds at the following cinemas (visit Flicks.co.nz for session times and tix).
