Headfirst Editor's Pick
"‘Marijuana: the burning weed with its roots….in hell!’. Insanely OTT church-sponsored 30s anti-drug propaganda flick, preserved by the ‘cult classic’ powers-that-be for your utter hilarity. Another quality free entry obscurity from the excellent Grindhouse Cinema Club."
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A event held at Sidney & Eden on Monday 2nd October. The event starts at 19:00.
Grindhouse Cinema Club Presents: Reefer Madness FREE ENTRY!
Originally made in 1936 and financed by a small church group as a cautionary tale entitled Tell Your Children, this film was acquired by notorious exploitation producer and director Dwain Esper (who can forget such classics as Maniac, You Conform Or Die!, How To Take A Bath And How To Undress In Front Of Your Husband?) who added numerous salacious insert shots and changed the title to something a little racier in Reefer Madness. Esper's other claim to fame came with his method of distribution: he would breeze into town, hire a tent or cinema for a couple of days and charge people to watch his film and move on swiftly before the authorities could catch up with him (none of his films had a rating, which meant the content could be anything Esper wanted it to be - his film caught the imagination of the paying public because they were supposed to be 'educated documentaries').
Reefer Madness acquired cult status in the 1970s among American college students, who ignored the supposed implications of smoking marijuana and turned the film into a comedy, laughing at all the wrong bits and marvelling at the wonderfully awful acting. It has retained that cult status ever since.
Grindhouse Cinema Club every Monday at Sidney & Eden playing indie, exploitation & low-budget movies on our 10ft projector screen, always free entry and all welcome!
Join the group to find out what films are showing each week: https://www.facebook.com/groups/274521110816516
Entry requirements:
Originally made in 1936 and financed by a small church group as a cautionary tale entitled Tell Your Children, this film was acquired by notorious exploitation producer and director Dwain Esper (who can forget such classics as Maniac, You Conform Or Die!, How To Take A Bath And How To Undress In Front Of Your Husband?) who added numerous salacious insert shots and changed the title to something a little racier in Reefer Madness. Esper's other claim to fame came with his method of distribution: he would breeze into town, hire a tent or cinema for a couple of days and charge people to watch his film and move on swiftly before the authorities could catch up with him (none of his films had a rating, which meant the content could be anything Esper wanted it to be - his film caught the imagination of the paying public because they were supposed to be 'educated documentaries').
Reefer Madness acquired cult status in the 1970s among American college students, who ignored the supposed implications of smoking marijuana and turned the film into a comedy, laughing at all the wrong bits and marvelling at the wonderfully awful acting. It has retained that cult status ever since.
Grindhouse Cinema Club every Monday at Sidney & Eden playing indie, exploitation & low-budget movies on our 10ft projector screen, always free entry and all welcome!
Join the group to find out what films are showing each week: https://www.facebook.com/groups/274521110816516
Entry requirements:
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