Comedy and cannabis legend Cheech Marin has serious acting chops. The only Disney star to ever grace the cover of High Times Magazine, Cheech is currently onscreen in major movie theaters voicing a character in the smash hit Coco. He’s also on small screens right now in Dark Harvest, a thriller set against the backdrop of the marijuana industry.
Dark Harvest
Dark Harvest, written and directed by James Hutson in his directorial debut, also stars Hutson and the heavy-hitting Canadian actor A.C. Peterson. The film takes place just as marijuana is becoming legal in the Pacific Northwest. Carter (played by Hutson), a marijuana grower, finds his partner and best friend murdered. Against the advice of his mentor Ricardo (Marin), who runs a hydroponic store, Carter teams up with suspended narcotics investigator Bernie (Peterson) to untangle the web of intrigue and violence and find the killer. Instead, he finds himself up against a cunning psychopath.
Dark Harvest marks Cheech Marin’s first marijuana movie since the Cheech and Chong films of the 1980s. The gripping independent film is full of twists and turns and has a top-notch supporting cast including Hugh Dillon (Twin Peaks) and Tygh Runyan (Snakes on a Plane).
Shot entirely on location in Vancouver, Canada, Dark Harvest looks at all aspects of the marijuana industry: the black market, the “grey areas,” and the legal marijuana marketplace. Hutson shot in real grow rooms, with real weed and cast real pot dealers in the film—though he keeps their identities a secret. No narcs on this film set!
Hutson and Marin stopped by the High Times offices in Los Angeles to talk about filming Dark Harvest. Did they smoke weed while they worked? To find out, check out our interview with the duo!
As Cheech says, this movie should be scratch and sniff!
Final Hit: Cheech Marin Returns to Marijuana Movies in Dark Harvest
Dark Harvest has won multiple awards, including Best Actor awards for Marin and Hutson and Best Film at the 2017 New York Cannabis Festival. It also screened at the Cannabis Film Festival in Colorado and had a special advance screening at a High Times Cannabis Cup last spring.
Dark Harvest was released on January 9 and is available on several streaming platforms including Amazon, InDemand, DIRECTV, iTunes and more. Check out the movie trailer, actor bios and more at darkharvestmovie.com. We recommend popcorn with a little weed butter as your movie-time snack. Enjoy.
