If slasher films have taught us anything over the year’s its that the stoners usually don’t survive. But in a new PSA from the Ad Council and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, one stoner escapes the killer and any other consequences of being high by making a last-minute wise choice.
Directed by Vincent Peone, “You Can Run, But You Can’t Drive…High” is a new ad that takes a cinematic approach to remind people not to drive stoned. Vox Creative, the content studio behind the ad describes it as follows:
You’re running for your life. Sprinting through a dark and dense forest with no idea where you are or how you’ll escape. You’re bruised and disheveled, but the adrenaline gives you the strength and endurance to push on. Lurking behind you and quickly gaining ground is your worst nightmare: a masked murderer wielding nothing but an old, splintered axe. His cold, dead eyes scan the dark for any hint of your presence.
Finally, there’s hope! You find your truck at the gas station where you left it. Without hesitation you jump in and search for the keys – in your terror, you can’t remember where you hid them. Finally! They’re in the visor! You’re saved! The killer is steps away, but it no longer matters. You have a truck! But just as you’re about to turn on the ignition you stop. You can’t drive. You’re high.
While there is definitely some cheese to this, it’s another recent instance where PSA’s are tapping into the horror genre in an effort to get people’s attention. Last month a PSA for the State of New York encouraging residents to wear masks amidst the COVID-19 crisis featured a protagonist who bore a striking resemblance to Jason Voorhees.
