Narcotics: Pit of Despair (1967)

I don't care what anyone says. I dig this stuff. Not so much a full-fledged movie. Just 30 minutes of unintentional humor, with an agenda. Just one more reason to buy Blood Freak on DVD, from Something Weird Video. And believe me, there's a lot of them. The perfect extra for said DVD, considering the content and all. So, anyway. The agenda of these short films of the 50's and 60's is to attempt (in vain) to scare the youth of the day into staying away from the more harmful drugs, such as heroin, and, well... Pot, I guess. And how they usually went about this is, of course, the humorous part. Or at least it is, considering how hip and ironic everyone has become since this era. Pit Of Despair is a perfect example of these corny warnings. Follows the downward spiral of a straight-laced highschool student, who at first, takes some bennys in order to deal with the normal pressures of school. Soon, frustration and peer-pressure "forces" a once hopeful young fellow into trying the pot. And can anyone guess what the pot leads to? That's right, class. An agonizing existence, filled with nothing but needles and cold turkeys. A disturbing scenario, to say the least. Really makes one think twice before trying the pot, although, the guy started out taking bennys. Maybe those things are the real gateway drug. Anyone even know what bennys are? Nevermind. As far as this type of short film goes, this one is by far the most entertaining one I've seen, even if the only dialog is a voice-over. Narcotics: Pit Of Despair is definitely worth more than one viewing, and despite how ridiculous it is, it's still accurate in its own way. although, for a much more realistic, dare I say sobering portrayal of what drugs can really do to a person, I would recommend you take a look at Blood Freak.

This is a scared straight educational film directed at high school teens. John Scott (Kevin Tighe) is a clean cut all-American student. He's under pressure with his academics and his athletics. He runs into old classmate Pete who turns out to be a drug pusher. Of course, the gateway drug is the devil's weed and John is forced to partake due to peer pressure.

Tighe is a Hollywood veteran and it's interesting to see him as a young man doing young acting. This is pure old style anti-drug educational film. It is everything wrong with this type of movies with its old man narration and old world thinking. This is a great example of the pure stuff.

Narcotics: Pit of Despair is an overall typical late 60s era anti-drug piece with a few genuinely moving scenes. It features a typical hard sell drug dealer who lures a clean cut young man into a world of addiction.

The main problem with films such as this is that their depiction of drug dealers is completely misleading, leading young viewers to expect rather obvious fast talking con men, when the actual gateway to drugs could be their friends. The depiction is so inaccurate as to be laugh inducing.

However, the film does benefit from a truly grueling scene of heroin withdrawal. Had the rest of the film been up to this level, it might actually have been effective.

Mental hygiene Classroom Films 1945-1970

"Benefits of looking ahead--Habit patterns--Shy guy--Live and learn--What about juvenile delinquency--Molly grows up--Dating: do's and don't--Narcotics: pit of despair."

This is a compilation of America's social guidance films, 10-minute celluloid treatises on proper dating, good table manners, the evils of dope, and what happens to teens who drive too fast on prom night. Thousands of classroom films were made between 1945 and 1970 and seen by millions of American baby boomers."

The nice kid who turns junkie in "Narcotics: pit of despair." is Kevin Tighe from EMERGENCY! (Paramedic Roy DeSoto)

The grainy 16-mm print only adds to the raw starkness of this powerful narrated educational film that was shown to schoolkids from 1967 through about 1970. Considered "dated" by contemporary standards, although some very graphic and disturbing scenes can still make one grimace even today. One especially stomach-turning scene of the young heroin addict played by Kevin Tighe rolling in withdrawal agony on a dirty bed in a squalid room. This extremely obscure movie, although dated, should still be shown in schools today, in this author's opinion. Four Stars.