Reefer Madness (1936)

I’m going to ask you a straightforward question: isn’t it true that you have, perhaps unwillingly, acquired a certain habit through association with certain undesirable people?

— Dr. Carroll

Bored out of my mind, I watched the cautionary marijuana propaganda film, Tell Your Children on Hulu. It was retitled “Reefer Madness” for the reissue of this movie. I expected it to be like an after school special, but much worse. I was right.

I did hear about the musical version of this movie was Neve Campbell, Christian Campbell, and Alan Cumming back in 2005. I have not seen that film yet.

This film starts with a disclaimer about the effects of “marihuana”, the portrayal of it in the movie, and the exaggerated side effects of inhaling the drug.

The simple story revolves around a group of teenagers that are caught up in the “scourge” by three dealers.

You don’t need to know the characters or the story. There are just pawns by the filmmaker to make a slanted take on weed.

It’s not Oscar worthy. The dialogue was cheesy and ridiculous. I swear, I thought that some of the actors were high making this movie. Their speech patterns were slow as molasses.

Judgment: If you want to laugh at a poor movie about the dangers of reefer, this movie is for you.

Rating: *1/2