RiffTrax Brings "Reefer Madness" Back to Theaters on August 19

For years, the stars of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" found the funny in films that were never intended to be comedies. A poorly-written B-grade science fiction film like "This Island Earth" was, for instance, perfect fodder for the MST3K guys.

On August 19, Michael J. Nelson, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy will be back in theaters for live RiffTrax presentation of "Reefer Madness." A notorious propaganda film from the 1930's, this over-the-top movie shows the horrors that come with smoking marijuana.

RiffTrax doing more live shows

Associated Content joined Nelson, Corbett and Murphy on a conference call to talk about their upcoming skewering of "Reefer Madness" and other projects. Following up on their successful Christmas presentation in 2009, the RiffTrax team is planning more live shows. "We are doing a Halloween show, which is 'House on Haunted Hill,' which is a great, fun movie in its own right," Mike Nelson said.

Nelson also said he would like to do a live skewering of the Patrick Swayze classic "Roadhouse," but those connected to the film don't want anyone to make fun of it.

"Slight twinge of guilt"

When asked if propaganda films and those infamous hygiene short films from the 1950's are simply asking for trouble, Nelson said he feels a slight twinge of guilt over taking something completely out of context and making fun of it. "They do a lot of the work for you, and 'Reefer Madness' is quite hilarious on its own," he said. "I think people remember the really funny parts of it and they kind of forget that there is a lot of filler, and that's where we have fun with it. We do a little more work, there."

Kevin Murphy, who provided the voice of robot Tom Servo on "Mystery Science Theater 3000," said that as a warm-up, the RiffTrax team will show three short subjects before "Reefer Madness." "One of those is the weirdest and most hallucinatory short that we've ever done," Murphy said.

Nelson added that this particular short wasn't supposed to be that way. It's supposed to be a fun kid's craft short and it ends up being a descent into shear madness," he said.

While on the topic of short films, Bill Corbett said that he enjoys the anthropological value of those shorts. "What were they thinking at that time in the country that you had to instruct adults on how to brush their teeth with such vigor?", Corbett said.

Fathom Events will present RiffTrax: Reefer Madness live on Thursday, August 19 at 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. in select theaters, with an encore presentation on August 24. On the West Coast, the RiffTrax presentation will be tape-delayed. Please check out the Fathom Events website for locations and to purchase tickets.