movie world

Volume 2 presents a double-feature Reefer Madness (1936) and Sex Madness (1938). Both are exploitation films designed to warn teenagers and young adults of the dangers of becoming addicted to, respectively, marijuana cigarettes and the dangers of venereal disease.

Perhaps one of the most infamous exploitation films of all time, Louis J. Gasnier's 1936 anti-marijuana propaganda piece, Reefer Madness (aka Tell Your Children) became a midnight movie sensation in the 1960s due to its unintentionally hilarious depiction of the "dangers of marijuana." The film was designed as a warning to parents about "public enemy number one," and centers around a young man who is made to believe that he committed a murder while high on pot.

Also included on this new release from Kino Lorber is Dwain Esper's 1938 film, Sex Madness (aka Human Wreckage), a film that takes the moralistic lecturing of Reefer Madness to new heights in its crusade against extramarital sex and the scourge of gonorrhea. Featuring graphic depictions of STD wounds, and a plot about a group of teenagers whose inability to say "no" lead to life-long afflictions of venereal disease, ruining marriages and destroying their lives for one night of passion.

BD50 | 1080p AVC | 01:05:36 + 00:59:22 | 31.4 Gb + 3% rec
Language: English
Subtitles: none
Genre: Drama, Crime

Extras:
-- Audio commentary for Reefer Madness by Eric Schaefer, author of Bold! Daring! Shocking True! A History of Exploitation Films, 1919-1959
-- Assassin of Youth (abridged version)
-- High on the Range (1924, excerpt)
-- Gallery of exploitation trailers, including Reefer Madness, Cocaine Fiends, Marihuana: Weed With Roots in Hell, Narcotic, and more
-- Radio spots: The Narcotic Story, Reefer Ruin, Metamorphosis and the Weed