Still from Reefer Madness
Guest writer Justin Bonthuys gives a brief rundown of the many mutations of the exploitation classic Reefer Madness.
In 1936, a small church group pooled their funds to produce a film about the perils of a substance said to cause murder, insanity, and possibly even death. Its subject? Marijuana. Tell Your Children was written as a means of scaring impressionable young teenagers “straight,” and may have faded into obscurity were it not for its discovery by the infamous exploitationeer Dwaine Esper. Today, the film is a paracinema classic, beloved by audiences for its unrealistic and campy depictions of marijuana-crazed teens.
Tell Your Children was originally a well-intentioned attempt to tackle what was then seen as a serious concern, with its narrative taking the form of a cautionary tale recounted by an “expert” to a group of concerned parents. Despite this, the film’s depictions of the consequences of marijuana use are ludicrously over the top and unintentionally humorous to modern audiences.
A vintage anti-marijuana pamphlet
Esper used this “educational” basis as a convenient excuse to shoehorn in scandalous new shots which pushed the limits of what censorship would allow at the time. This strategy was similar to that used by other exploitation film purveyors, who might for example surreptitiously promise salacious or explicit content only to present pseudo-medicinal lectures paired with footage of childbirth or venereal diseases.
Esper exhibited the Frankenstein-ed film in at least four territories of the U.S. exploitation circuit, giving it a new title each time just in case he might dupe unintentional repeat customers. This practice continued throughout the 1940s until Esper sold all rights to Albert Dezel, who took the film on a roadshow throughout the 1950s using its now most well-known title, Reefer Madness. Because of the independent nature of its production and the lack of a secondary market, neither Esper nor the film’s original producer bothered to keep up the copyright of the film, and it eventually entered the public domain.
In 1972, the film was rediscovered by the founder of the National Organization for the reform of Marijuana Laws, Keith Stroup. He took the film on a tour of college campuses across California, using its ironic humor to raise the modern equivalent of $117,000 towards attempts to legalize marijuana. The film has become a cult classic and is widely regarded as one of the (best) worst movies of all time.
Reefer Madness will be screened at IU Cinema in a new 2K restoration on April 20 at 4pm as part of the City Lights Film Series.
Justin Bonthuys is a Cinema and Media Studies PhD Student at IU. His eclectic tastes mean that he is as likely to enjoy a ’70s exploitation film as he is a melodrama starring his favorite actress, Bette Davis.