Sex Madness
Encyclopedia
Sex Madness is an exploitation film
directed by Dwain Esper
, along the lines of Reefer Madness, supposedly to warn teenagers and young adults of the dangers of venereal diseases, specifically syphilis
.
Wild parties, lesbianism, and premarital sex
are some of the forms of 'madness' portrayed. The educational aspect of the film allowed it to portray a taboo
subject which was otherwise forbidden by the Production Code
of 1930, and its stricter version imposed by Hollywood studios in July 1934.
The film has fallen into the public domain
and can be freely downloaded from the Internet Archive
.
It has been reissued under many titles, including Human Wreckage, They Must Be Told, and Trial Marriage, since many distributors frowned upon the appearance of the word "sex" in the film's title. The title changes may have also been a way of tricking audience members into paying to see the same film more than once.
Exploitation film
Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
directed by Dwain Esper
Dwain Esper
Dwain Esper was an American director and producer of exploitation films . Esper died in 1982. He and Hildegarde had two children, Dwain, Jr...
, along the lines of Reefer Madness, supposedly to warn teenagers and young adults of the dangers of venereal diseases, specifically syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
.
Wild parties, lesbianism, and premarital sex
Premarital sex
Premarital sex is sexual activity, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex, practiced by persons who are unmarried. Although it has always been practiced, in the West it has increased in prevalence since the mid-1950s...
are some of the forms of 'madness' portrayed. The educational aspect of the film allowed it to portray a taboo
Taboo
A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
subject which was otherwise forbidden by the Production Code
Production Code
The Motion Picture Production Code was the set of industry moral censorship guidelines that governed the production of the vast majority of United States motion pictures released by major studios from 1930 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the Hays Code, after Hollywood's chief censor of the...
of 1930, and its stricter version imposed by Hollywood studios in July 1934.
The film has fallen into the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
and can be freely downloaded from the Internet Archive
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
.
It has been reissued under many titles, including Human Wreckage, They Must Be Told, and Trial Marriage, since many distributors frowned upon the appearance of the word "sex" in the film's title. The title changes may have also been a way of tricking audience members into paying to see the same film more than once.
See also
- Exploitation filmExploitation filmExploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
- Cult filmCult filmA cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
- B-movieB-movieA B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
- List of films in the public domain