The Devil's Joint - a groundbreaking underground documentary about marijuana propaganda films on DVD

This celluloid obscurity is a real party film that is actually a docu-drama about the history of marijuana scare films of the ‘20s, ‘30s, and ‘40s. You’ll see all your favorite scenes from your favorite exploitation oldies. Plays kind of like a greatest hits album. Former president Nixon is shown in archive footage.

Nothing like "Reefer Madness" (which had a story-line), but scenes from that film are widely used here, as well as clips from many other low-budget "smokers". Some of the clips used are from silent films, and I must admit that they whetted my appetite for those obscure movies. Not only is "Reefer Madness" heavily drawn upon (no pun intended), but so is the 1930's film "Marijuana".

All in all, "The Devil's Joint" is a compact compilation of earlier exploitation films, and an enjoyable one at that.The 1930's "jazzy" reefer music is the best part of this package. The score was added to the completed compilation in 1969 (as was the narration).

Black and White, 1969, 1 hour 15 minutes, Rated PG,