The 7 best strains to watch movies, according to entertainment industry insiders

If you’ve spent a lot of time smoking weed and watching movies, you already know the two activities make an ideal couple.

You could say that film is the most psychotropic art form that appeals to multiple senses and ways of thinking and feeling at the same time in order to have an experience that, at best, can be grasped both sensory and emotional. The late filmmaker and legendary stoner Robert Altman described the ultimate cinematic experience as such on the 1972 Dick Cavett Show.

“Ideally, the audience can watch a movie and get it emotionally and not necessarily explain it to someone else,” suggested Altman. “For yourself you should feel and know what it means. You get an impression and you know what it means, but you can’t articulate it. ”

If Altman is into anything here – and he is, of course – it stands to reason that the cannabis high would open the third eye, opening a new hypersensory channel in which a movie becomes the ultimate version of itself: a psychedelic, electronic dream , transferred to waking life and most effectively with the right combination of cannabinoids and terpenes in your system.

And if you want the best experience watching a movie while baking, finding the right cannabinoid profile is important. That’s why we’ve interviewed a stellar selection of entertainment industry insiders and seasoned, stoned movie watchers to find the best strains for watching movies and making the most psychotropic movie trip.

Here are eight of their favorites.

Blue dream

It’s been a couple of years since Blue Dream dominated the legal cannabis market as the most popular strain, but if our interviewees have something to say about this, you may want to come back to this the next time you’re interested in a good movie. For Mia Vicino, the Los Angeles-based film columnist known for her cheerful, hilarious reviews and a huge following on Letterboxd (a fast-growing social media app for movie fans), Blue Dream is for you.

“I usually go to sativa for movies because it keeps me awake and alert rather than just being locked on the couch and zoned,” Vicino told Weedmaps. “Blue Dream is my favorite. I have a feeling that this film opens my mind in another way too, as the synapses start to crack and I get new ways into the film that I hadn’t gotten before. It just makes me think differently, which I really appreciate. “

Vicino is in good company. Blue Dream was also the first strain we saw when we spoke to sound engineer and podcast producer Emma Erdbrink.

“Blue Dream is definitely a favorite of mine when I want to hang out on the beach, but I think the vibe on the beach and the vibe while filming can be pretty similar, especially if it’s a rainy day and you’re staying indoors,” said Erdbrink . “I also think Blue Dream makes everything around you ‘pretty’ which is why I like it for the beach and for movies. It enhances the visual representation of everything you see in a really enjoyable way.”

Comedian, writer and cultural commentator Ashley Ray thinks Pacific Stone’s Blue Dream is an ideal herb to add to the cinematic experience.

“I recently went to a documentary festival with these huge outdoor shows and it reminded me how excited I am to have the theaters reopen,” said Ray. “Before COVID, I loved being totally stoned, going to the cinema by myself and getting lost in the visual details of the big screen, in the surround sound. There’s probably nothing like curling up in a nice comfy bed like Blue Dream movie seats. “

Sour diesel

“I also really like Sour Diesel to watch,” added Vicino. Sour Diesel is the most recommended strain by their local budget tenders, and Vicino appreciates the uplifting cinematic experience it promotes. “I tend to choose sativa strains that won’t make me fall asleep right away. [Sour Diesel] was great because the strain really knows what they’re doing, like Blue Dream. “

Skywalker OG

While sativas can be good at unraveling your lizard brain, Erdbrink finds that indica-oriented hybrids relax the mind and body for optimal movie viewing in the evening. The victorious cross of Skywalker by Dutch Passion Seeds and OG Kush by JoshD, Skywalker OG is Erdbrink’s favorite strain to clear your head at the end of the day and sit on the couch for a few hours.

“My boyfriend and I also have a 110-inch projector and some 3-D films about soil and plants narrated by David Attenborough … Always a great watch when you’re stoned by an indica-heavy strain.”

Strawberry fields

Although Vicino is primarily attracted to sativa strains for cerebral stimulation, the indica-dominant hybrid Strawberry Fields finds an excellent strain for watching a low-key art house movie in bed at home.

“Strawberry Fields is so beautiful and relaxing, but not so that I fall asleep right away. And it doesn’t detach me from the movie either, which can sometimes happen when you’re high and distracted. don’t let me do this I can still concentrate and am nice and relaxed. “

Strawnana

Shannon McGrew is a film critic, founder of the horror site Nightmarish Conjurings, and a strong cannabis advocate who knows the art of watching horror films while baking.

“I’m a big indica smoker, especially at night when I’m doing all of my work for Nightmarish Conjurings,” McGrew told Weedmaps. “Stone Road is one of my favorite brands, and their Strawnana is divine. It’s high in potency, but not too overwhelming.”

King Louis OG

“I also really like King Louis OG at Source Cannabis,” added McGrew. “It’s not a strong high, although it is also high in THC. That said, it’ll pull you into the zone that allows the creepier moments of a movie to have a bigger impact. “

GG4

Emma Erdbrink is a huge fan of the classic GG4 “because it will actually tie you to the couch, which can be great for watching movies.”

“Usually everything I smoke before or during a movie has to be something that calms me down and shuts my brain down a bit so my thoughts don’t wander into emails and to-do lists,” Erdbrink clarified. “That may be why I have to look at things more than once to remember correctly, but that’s fine. Just roll another one and get started [the movie] Over.”

Featured image by Gina Coleman / Weedmaps

Find hundreds of strains and where to buy them on Weedmaps Strains.