Review of Tell Your Children (1938) by Wayne K — 30 Nov 2015

One of the most famous exploitation films of the 1930s, Reefer Madness, a film that also goes by the names of â??Dope Addictâ?? and â??Tell Your Childrenâ??, is known for its hilariously hysterical attempt at crafting a morality tale that made sense. It is an overly exaggerated cautionary tale of the dangers of cannabis use, which to society was a cruelly imposed addiction on the youth of that time, but Iâ??m finding it pretty hard to even imagine that people actually believed this folly. Rediscovered in the early 1970s to a drug-heavy society knowledgeable of which drugs were strongest, Reefer Madness became an unintentional satire for pretty much everyone that saw it. It is even regarded by some as one of the worst films to ever get made, but Reefer Madness doesnâ??t deserve that title because for 1) it was born out a different context, and 2) the charactersâ?? performances and their actions are just downright bizarre. As soon as the students take their abominable first puff, they descend into insanity, committing every crime imaginable in the process. From hallucinations, to a hit and run accident, attempted rape, manslaughter, suicide and madness, Reefer Madness seriously couldnâ??t be further away from the truth, showing how propaganda can be misleading too in the process. To make matters worse, the drug dealer is a guy in a suit inviting the students over to his house to smoke, but when one character is thirsting for another joint like a dehydrated man in need of water, Reefer Madness has just got to be a cult classic. There has got be a special mention for Dave Oâ??Brien, whose bat-shit crazy performance merely elevates the value of the film. You could actually look at Reefer Madness as the 1930s equivalent of Trainspotting and Requiem for a Dream, so it probably did make sense 80 years ago, but what we can all agree on is that they chose the wrong drug!

The Verdict:

An utterly ridiculous and misguided depiction of marijuanaâ??s potential risks, Reefer Madness has become unintentionally hilarious thanks to its melodramatically amplified outlook.

â??â??â??â??â??â??â??â??â??â?? 2/10.