Death Drug (1978)

Such a frustrating disappointment

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

This review does contain spoilers! Haphazard, half-assed and wholly hilarious, "Death Drug" is a classic for the ages. After witnessing this barely-feature-length PSA, you'll never touch "wack" (the name of the evil drug in the movie) again! Jesse (Thomas) is a good-natured L.A. plumber with big dreams of making it in the music industry. One day he is at home with his wife and he gets a letter informing him he was accepted to a prestigious musical conservatory (he must have sent them a copy of his composition "Just the Way I Planned It"). Coincidentally, he also gets a letter saying a record label wants to sign him. Obviously, Jesse is ecstatic, so he does what any sane, rational person would do at the time: he takes his wife out to a club to see The Gap Band (and then, unexplained, he plays a few songs with the band).While there, Jesse decides to take a bathroom break from four songs worth (The Gap Band is great, but this does pose some pacing issues for the movie) of getting' down with his bad self. After washing up, Jesse runs into an insidious, but very slick drug dealer. His rhyming salesmanship convinces Jesse to try the latest craze of the drug world, "wack". Not wanting to be a "jive turkey", Jesse gives it a shot. Later in the film, we see that the drug dealer plays tennis and keeps his "wack" in a secret compartment in his tennis racket.Pretty much instantly, Jesse is seeing snakes instead of plumbing pipes, little alligators instead of hairbrushes, rats in the oranges at the grocery store, and screaming at everyone, claiming they are against him. It even costs him his hard-fought record deal, and thus, his millions of dollars.After his epic grocery-store freakout (definitely a movie highlight), Jesse meets an untimely demise. But his wife was pregnant, and five years after Jesse's death, His wife and Jesse Jr. visit his grave. Jesse Jr. looks across the street and sees his dad's drug dealer, still wheeling and dealing, while his daddy is six feet under. Will this travesty of justice cause Jesse Jr. to take up a life of wack-taking, or will he eventually walk the straight and narrow? "Death Drug" is simply a hodgepodge of out-of-place scenes, plot inaccuracies, inconsistencies, holes, and even film stocks. That's why it's so awesome!Even with Philip Michael Thomas's seemingly-improvised intro and outro to the movie, and stopping the proceedings midway through for the ENTIRE music video of "Just the Way I Planned It", which is hysterical in its own right, what with its lasers and superimposing PMT's head on a pregnant woman's stomach and all (although it is puzzling whether the song is by PMT, as it appears on his album "Living the Book of My Life", or is it by Jesse from the movie, as we are led to believe? The VHS box art touts that it includes the video for the song…it doesn't say that it's in the MIDDLE of the movie, or who it's supposed to be by).In the movie, this video is preceded by two things: One, a newscast proclaiming "Local Man Makes Record." (When talking about the local man, in the box next to the newscaster, they use a freeze frame from later in the movie. How did they get that?) Surely this is an uncommon newsbreak in Los Angeles. Secondly, it is stated that Jesse's record company is trying an all new, revolutionary idea called "music clips". Seeing as most of "Death Drug" preceded MTV, this is was pretty ahead of its time.The last quarter of the movie is a shot of a TV showing a very weird newscast. The anchorman looks like Don Cornelius and he is standing in front of a curtain. He interviews some white woman we haven't seen before, she talks about how Jesse made many albums and won a couple Grammys. As we saw earlier in the movie, Jesse never had a chance to make his first album, because he was fired for taking too much "wack", and he thought the Gap Band was making weird faces at him.Honestly, we can spend a lot of time, talking about the padding and plot holes, but that is missing the point. "Death Drug" is a funny and one of a kind experience that everyone should see. Don't get high on "wack" and watch this movie tonight! For more insanity.

There are movies/works of art that are *about* drugs, movies/works of art that make you *wish you were on* drugs, and then there are movies/works of art that make you feel like you *are on* drugs. Of the last (extremely rare) variety I can for certain put the following:-early Butthole Surfers music -artwork of Jim Woodring -Hindu chanting -artwork of Renee French -early WeenTo this short list must go go "Death Drug". Why or how this film achieves this level or pure, blissed-out, dementia-soaked, head-spinning weirdness is beyond me. How they managed to make this movie so simultaneously lame that it nearly defies categorization and so other-worldly weird that it nearly achieves freak-out level is something one needs to see to experience. Put simply - Philip Michael Thomas (of Miami Vice fame) made this crappy anti-PCP movie in the late 70s. Then, in the mid-80s, apparently as a way to make a buck, he dug the thing up and inserted footage (clearly from 80s) that is supposedly part of the movie. He also puts in intro and outro's of himself (dressed in his flashy Miami Vice duds) talking about how proud he is of the movie. but he appears to be improvising what he's saying and he takes this HUGE pauses while talking. IT's just weeeeiiiiiiirrrrrrrrd. Anyway, you must see this movie. Find it and watch it and experience. You must experience Death Drug now. It's the wack, baby!!!

This is without a doubt the funniest movie I've ever seen. From the intro and outro, the sheer brilliance of Philip Michael Thomas shines like a beacon for bad movie lovers everywhere! The best part, although its hard to choose one from this incredible work, is the totally out of place 1980s Philip Michael Thomas video that is ungracefully dumped right in the middle of the damn thing. This movie rules, bottom line, if you find it buy it! Don't even rent it, just buy it. Please God, or whoever chooses which movies make it to DVD, put this on a DVD and I will live the rest of my life in a convalescent bliss. 10/ 10

Oscar Williams magnum opus is one of the most entertaining films I have ever seen. When one combines an Ed Woodian level of artistry and competence, deadly earnestness about the evils of drugs (not unlike Reefer Madness), blaxploitaion elements (Dolemite, The Black Six), Phillip Micheal Thomas and a script written by a doctor, an unintentionally surreal, absurdist masterpiece emerges. Believe me when I tell you, you will not believe how PERFECTLY awful this film is and you will enjoy every millisecond of it. From PMT's monologue (shot with a 1980's vhs camcorder), to the convoluted plot, to the Gap band, to the vhs newsreel footage to the pcp freak out scenes, you will find yourself obsessed, as I am. Do yourself a favor and find this gem. Enjoy