10 Cult Films You Need To See Before You Die

10. Reefer Madness (1936)

Funded by individuals determined to save America€™s youth from the soul-destroying effects of Marijuana (€œthe REAL public enemy number one!€), yet who had no idea of what actually took place at pot parties, Reefer Madness is the daddy of all cult movies. Unshakeable in its belief that a single puff of the devil's weed will send any Shakespeare-loving student down the path of murder, attempted rape and frenzied piano solos, it also has a shot at being the most berserk of all Marijuana warning films. According to the opening text crawl, Marijuana is a €œviolent narcotic€ whose use leads to €œincurable insanity€ and €œacts of shocking violence€, such as killing your entire family with an axe. No joke €“ that€™s exactly what a character says at one point. Unsuccessful on its initial release, Reefer was resurrected as a midnight movie when a public domain print was discovered in the Library of Congress in the early 70s, becoming a hit with potheads and attracting a lawsuit from distributor Dwain Esper, who wanted his cut from a movie he claimed to have created for the good of his country. The case was thrown out of court.
Contributor

Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'