A young man has been filmed falling off his chair and lying incapacitated under the influence of a ‘legal high’ drug, all in the bid to promote the launch of a new film.
‘Salvia’ is currently on sale in the UK as a ‘legal high’ but, described as violently stronger than LSD, moves are currently underway to ban the hallucinogenic herb.
A trial of the drug was implemented on a group of Londoners on September 13, 2009, “inspired” by feature film ‘Reckoning Day’
Directed by Julian Gilbey, whose previous credits include ‘Rise of the Footsoldier’, it follows the US Special Forces’ quest to capture a ruthless, international brutal criminal who has been discovered in Europe shipping a brand new and fearfully powerful drug.
The potent drug in the film increases physical strength and human reflexes by 300%, as well as making the user impervious to pain.
Currently un-prohibited by UK Law, Salvia, or Salvia Divinorum, is notoriously known for its psychedelic properties including uncontrollable laughter, the feeling of merging with or becoming objects and sensations of motion or being pulled or twisted by forces.
Large doses can also create the feeling of a near death experience leaving many users mentally disturbed and emotionally scarred.
Footage of the experiment released on YouTube features a young man filmed smoking the drug before falling off his chair and falling on the floor before mumbling incoherently.
The experiment was staged by the marketing and PR team at Revolver, the independent film distribution company behind the film.
If it was an anti-drugs advert, the shocking and disturbing work would stand up on its own right.
But as a piece of marketing collateral for a film release, its value has to be questioned. Linking the film with this experiment is tenuous, resulting in what has to be the most irresponsible piece of marketing we have seen to date.
All the more so when a perfectly acceptable trailer already exists.
If there was a book entitled, ‘Bad Marketing and PR Ideas’ you’d find this given top billing.
See the experiment in action below.
And the official trailer.