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Movies / Upcoming / Reefer Madness
Reefer Madness

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Reefer Madness (1937)

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Reviews Counted:24

Fresh:11

Rotten:13

Average Rating:4.8/10

Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins

Genre: Dramas

US Box Office: $0

Synopsis: Considered by many to be the most famous exploitation film ever, REEFER MADNESS is a hilariously campy cult-classic about the dangers of the devil's weed. You know, marijuana. The story stems from... Considered by many to be the most famous exploitation film ever, REEFER MADNESS is a hilariously campy cult-classic about the dangers of the devil's weed. You know, marijuana. The story stems from a high school principle's lecture to parents during a PTA meeting about the dangers of smoking pot, which apparently leaves the teens in a state of mental lunacy! Originally titled: "Tell Your Children." [More]

Starring: Dorothy Short, Kenneth Craig, Lillian Miles, Dave O'Brien

Starring: Dorothy Short, Kenneth Craig, Lillian Miles, Dave O'Brien, Thelma White

Director: Louis Gasnier

Director: Louis Gasnier
Screenwriter: Arthur Hoerl, Paul Franklin
Story: Lawrence Meade
Producer: George A. Hirliman

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Reefer Madness

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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All the performers either overact laughably or underact to the point of just standing in place and speaking lines in a monotone.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
03/28/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide

The original antimarijuana film (1936), offering the true inside story of the devil weed that drives men to savage lusts and women to unspeakable depravities, along with a little bit of dumb fun.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
03/28/07
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader

"Reefer Madness" is so outrageously over the top that it's tough to imagine it was taken seriously even in the 1930s.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
01/21/07
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

One of the most absurdly earnest exercises in paranoia you'll ever have the good fortune to see.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out

The film is so idiotic that it almost demands being seen to confirm how bad it is.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
02/28/06
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
06/20/05
Dennis Harvey
Dennis Harvey
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
06/14/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
06/04/05
Film Threat

No review available.

comment Comment
02/18/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
02/03/05
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
12/21/04
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

As the evidence mounts before us, it becomes clear that the general purpose of Reefer Madness was not pedantry, but vicarious lasciviousness.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
08/24/04
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
Apollo Guide

The most famous of all the vintage "message" movies from the 30s and 40s only gets, uh, better with age.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
04/19/04
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

...probably the granddaddy of all so-bad-it's-good cult films. I'm not sure it started a welcome trend.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
03/11/04
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

A true guilty pleasure; laughable today. More fun than educational.

comment Comment
02/25/04
Bob Bloom
Bob Bloom
Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

A laughable and ignorant indictment of marijuana culture. Even the camp appeal isn't worthwhile.

comment Comment
03/19/03
Brian Mckay
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com

Not as funny as it sounds.

comment Comment
03/18/03
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
San Francisco Examiner

This is neither the best nor the worst of this sort of thing -- nor even the most salacious. It may, however, be the silliest.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
02/02/03
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

The film is more interesting as a video time capsule reflecting what some saw as a threat to America's moral fiber.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Christopher Varney
Christopher Varney
Film Threat

No review available.

comment Comment
10/14/02
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Reefer Madness

March 13, 2008: Top Ten Death Proof Exploitation Films: the films that wouldn’t die.
Exploitation films are B-grade gold for those who like it rough, sleazy and thrill-packed. More...

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