Watch Reefer Madness
- PG
- 1936
- 1 hr 7 min
-
3.7 (9,483)
Reefer Madness is a 1936 cautionary tale about the dangers of marijuana use. The film opens with Dr. Carroll, a high school principal, delivering a speech to concerned parents about the increasing use of marijuana among young people. He warns them that this seemingly harmless drug can lead to insanity, violence, and ultimately death.
The story then follows a group of high school students who fall under the influence of a drug dealer named Jack. Jack introduces them to marijuana, which they initially dismiss as harmless fun. However, as they continue to use the drug, they become increasingly paranoid and irrational.
One of the students, Bill, becomes so addicted to marijuana that he steals money from his parents to buy more of the drug. He then gets into a car accident while driving under the influence and kills a pedestrian, which sends him into a spiral of guilt and despair.
Meanwhile, Mary, another student, falls into a state of delirium after using marijuana, which leads her to strip off her clothes and dance wildly in the street. She is then repeatedly harassed by a group of men, which ultimately leads to her being institutionalized.
As the film progresses, the consequences of the students' drug use become increasingly dire. An innocent party is framed for a hit and run accident, and a young man is brutally murdered in a drug-fueled altercation.
Overall, Reefer Madness portrays marijuana as a dangerous and addictive drug that can lead to insanity, violence, and tragedy. The film is melodramatic and over-the-top, with exaggerated acting and improbable scenarios. However, it was intended to be a serious warning to young people about the dangers of drug use and was promoted as such by anti-drug groups in the years following its release.
Despite its initial lack of success at the box office, Reefer Madness has since become a cult classic and a symbol of the hysteria surrounding marijuana use in the 1930s. It has been parodied and referenced in countless films and TV shows, and has become a beloved piece of Americana.
Reefer Madness is a 1936 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 7 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 3.7 and a MetaScore of 70.