She hatched a plan to escape with her best friend, Kyleigh Jenkins.

Inspired by Australia’s infamous Big Things, they were supposed to hit the road after Year 12 – Schoolies in Byron, then tick off every Big Thing in the country: the Big Banana, the Big Merino, maybe even the Big Log if they were in the mood to make some poo jokes.

But on the night of Danni’s 18th birthday, Kyleigh got an offer she couldn’t refuse – a date with the bogan Casanova, Trevor. Her efforts to delay their departure saw Danni chuck a wobbly, which turned into a friendship-ending fight and the outing of Danni’s secret plan to never return. The fallout was Chernobyl-level cooked.

Fast forward 20 years. They’re still giving each other the silent treatment. Baked enough to forget she used to have a dream, Danni’s still slinging beers at her dad’s pub, the Cock & Bull, known to the locals as the Cock & Balls. And Kyleigh’s still with Trevor, albeit sans a ring on her finger, much to her chagrin.

When Danni’s dad cops a mysterious virus and kicks the bucket, his girlfriend lays claim to the pub, the only home Danni’s ever known. She will have to haul arse to Nimbin, the pot-smoking capital of Australia, to get his will.

Only problem? Her car’s cactus. But guess who’s also headed north – Kyleigh. She’s on a mission to find Trevor who did a runner at the mere mention of the M word: marriage.

They hit the road, still hating each other’s guts, but that’s the least of their problems when victims of the virus start turning into zombos.  

And these aren’t your average garden-variety biters. They don’t want brains – they want connection. They lick. They grope, they probe the orifices of their victims because this isn't just a disease: it's a twisted form of attachment – Danni's worst nightmare. While the zoms are all over Kyleigh like a rash, they seem to have a weird aversion to Danni.

As the pair follow their once-abandoned Byron/Big Things route, fighting off zombos along the way, something wild happens – their friendship starts to stitch itself back together.

However, when they make it to Byron, Kyleigh is reunited with Trevor. And it looks like she might once again choose him over Danni.

Danni cuts out on her and continues on alone to Nimbin. Arriving in town, she discovers a zombo-free haven. And she’s gutted to learn the lawyer has lost her dad’s will.

At her lowest point, she puts the pieces together: weed isn’t just a coping mechanism – it’s the cure! She also realises she's been a massive dickhead, pushing away the one person who gave a shit.

So she gets her Bunnings on and MacGyver’s up a leaf blower, turning it into a weed smoke blower, and backtracks to rescue Kyleigh, who’s now in the clutches of zombo Trevor.

Danni saves her best friend, Kyleigh gives Trevor the arse, and during a baked battle royale with the zombos, Danni discovers she had the will all along – classic stoner move. And her worst fears are confirmed: her dad left half the pub to his girlfriend.

Wagering he’s been zombified, she heads home to pick a bone with him.

Back at the Cock & Balls, her dad is indeed undead, but he’s not looking too crash hot. A blast of weed smoke brings him back long enough to reveal he split ownership of the pub so Danni could leave if she wanted. Then he carks it for real.

Presented with the choice to stay or go, Danni chooses to stick around to be with her BFF. She gives the pub a feminist glow-up with a Big Things-inspired monument. People flock from all over the world, not just for the beers but to get a photo with the Big Bush and have a sticky beak at the women who accidentally saved humanity.

Apotcalypse – think apocalypse but with the word POT wedged in there, like a sneaky joint in your bra strap – is a filthy, funny stoner romp about female friendship and how it’s never too late to own your shit and be the person you were supposed to be.

It puts female characters front and centre. Because why should blokes have a monopoly on getting blazed and making bad decisions?