Year: 1936
Director: Louise J. Gasnier
Country: US
Language: English
Reefer Madness is a cautionary tale about a trio of drug dealers who lead innocent teenagers into become addicted to "reefer" cigarettes by holding wild parties with jazz music. The lives of everyone involved are shattered by the end of the flick.
Made at the height of drug prohibition, this genius propaganda film was primarily invented to scare parents and teenagers by informing them about the incredibly realistic dangers of marijuana use. We see firsthand that even the smartest of children cannot escape the tight grip of drug abuse. According to this very informative flick symptoms of marijuana abuse include; demonic hallucinations, having sexual relations with strangers, having extremely high energy and causing extreme violence.
Unfortunately, despite the scientifically accurate portrayal of drug abuse, the picture is incredibly dated and therefore is misunderstood as camp. It's very hard to take Reefer Madness seriously when the acting is absolutely awful and far too exaggerated. The dialogue is pretty low-grade and overall it can get quite repetitive. The running time is about an hour too long. The film's message just doesn't hit me the way it did with citizens in 1936.
In conclusion, despite its compelling information regarding why marijuana is satanic, I didn't find this a very captivating flick and overall it didn't inspire great fear in me. If you want to watch a terrifying documentary from that era see Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will. Piss on it! 0.5/5
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