Cocaine Paranoia films

[dfrancis]

Back in the Cold War we talked about certain monster movies as being inspired by "nuclear paranoia." Godzilla, that sort of thing.

I wrote a paper once on a group of films that I felt were inspired by cocaine use in the 70 & 80s. To me there's a leitmotif. Here's a list of a few off the top of my head. See if you can make the connection, and if so I'd be interested what your additions or deletions would be.

Eraserhead
Blue Velvet
Videodrome
Dreamscape
Dune
Dead Ringer

Honorable mention:
River's Edge


The title of one of the best examples is escaping me... Mad Dr. film, something to do with tuning forks that revealed creepy critters that live in the air and will attack you (if you can see them, they can see you). Oar fish looking things. Whoever made that was flipped out.

 

[manton]

Bright Lights, Big City? Scarface?

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Plenty more '80s films were made under the influence of cocaine. lol


.

 

[Trampilot]

Altered States?

 

[Feraud]

Less Than Zero, Jekyll and Hyde: Together Again.

 

[jake_fink]

Altered States?

That was about ketamine. A different kettle of fish-like creatures that occasionally fly and change size and colour at will.

Cocaine is not a hallucinogen, though it can cause psychotic episodes that may be accompanied by delusions.

It's all just good fun.

 

[Feraud]

It's all just good fun.

until someone loses an eye.

 

[jake_fink]

until someone loses an eye.

Or their nose.

 

[scotrace]

Kill Bill. (post-80's)

 

[Feraud]

Or their nose.

Yes!lol lol "I got you. I'm a dawg!" What a movie.

 

[Story]

Cocaine Fiends/The Pace that kills (1935/6)

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cocaine_fiends/about.php

Includes a perfect Chevalier-esque avatar image
http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/coverv/97/209097.jpg

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028074/

Dayum. i think that script was written on Coke

http://www.1000misspenthours.com/reviews/reviewsa-d/cocainefiends.htm

 

[dfrancis]

Altered States?

That one is more like... shroom paranoia

 

[dfrancis]

I remembered the tuning fork fish movie Re-Animator.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

.

I generally encourage discussion of film of all type, but this is really not a direction this forum should be moving toward at this time, and since it is not Golden Era related, I think we should move on.
Thank you.