The Top 10 Best Anti-Drug Movies

These Anti-Drug Movies Blend Narcotics, Hallucinogens, and Horror.

Let me start by saying that like most American kids, the public school system subjected me to the D.A.R.E. program during the 90s and this list of anti-drug movies isn’t going to be anything like that. Personally, I’m more of a fan of the policies that Portugal put in place, which allows people to do pretty much any drug they want so long as they do it in a safe facility under medical supervision. However, I’m also terrified of the concept of “bad trips,” especially when they result in irreparable actions (the “Miami Cannibal Attack” is a perfect example). That’s why I’ve pulled together a list of films that showcase extreme consequences from narcotics, which I’ve dubbed anti-drug movies. These aren’t just your typical addiction flicks. Instead, I’m going much darker and focusing on films that feature drugs as a major component of the plot, resulting in horrifying fallout not only for the users but for those around them as well. The drugs in these movies don’t have to be taken willingly or even knowingly, but I’m staying away from tranquilizers and sedatives because those usually result in a whole other kind of horror story. So, get ready to be scared straight by these chillingly effective anti-drug movies.  

10. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

I’m going to ease into this list of anti-drug movies with one that I actually love. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a fictionalized tale based on the life and times of gonzo journalist, Hunter S. Thompson. The protagonist is Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp), a journalist hired to cover a motocross race in the desert of Las Vegas. A trunk full of not only every illicit substance known to man but enough of them to kill a dozen men several times over puts the kibosh and instead sends the reporter down a psychedelic rabbit hole in Sin City. As entertaining as watching the character stagger from misadventure to misadventure is, by the end of the film, he’s been in multiple life-threatening situations and can’t remember how he got into half of them. Combine that with the brain-melting hallucinations he experiences, and it was enough for me to swear off drugs… For a few weeks.    

9. The Banshee Chapter 

Project MKUltra was a Cold War program that became a goldmine of inspiration for screenwriters, thanks to the bizarre, unethical, and secretive experiments it conducted while researching mind-control. Those scientists messed around with a lot of chemical cocktails, and that’s where the idea for the next entry on this list of anti-drug movies came from as a documentary filmmaker, Anne Roland (Katia Winter), investigates the disappearance of her friend after he experiments with the drug DMT-19. Taking a page out of H. P. Lovecraft’s short story, From Beyond, Anne discovers that DMT-19 unlocks a part of a person’s brain, allowing them to become conscious of inter-dimensional beings just out of phase with our reality. The problem is that once a person notices these creatures; they notice them as well, and they’re not the most welcoming creatures. 

8. A Field in England 

I’ve never experimented with Psilocybin mushrooms, but I’ve heard mixed reviews from those who have. Many have spoken to the enlightening effects they can have, especially for helping those with trauma disorders, but there’s always the chance of a “bad trip” that can cause nightmarish visions and feelings of terror. That hasn’t stopped humanity from using the fungus recreationally for centuries, which is where A Field in England takes its inspiration. During the English Civil War, a group of deserters finds themselves in a field of these magic mushrooms, and after making a meal of them, things get really strange. A wizard appears out of nowhere and forces them to search for a treasure buried somewhere in the field. The stress combined with the psychedelic effects of the mushrooms causes them to turn on each other, and soon they’re right back in the middle of the bloodshed they were trying desperately to avoid. This is definitely one of the stranger flicks on this list of anti-drug movies.     

7. Altered States

Speaking of bad trips, Altered States is definitely up there even for this list of anti-drug movies. William Hurt plays Eddie Jessup, a scientist who experiments with hallucinogens and sensory deprivation, which just sounds like a bad idea even to a layman like me. As you might guess, things don’t go well with that particular combination, and soon he has some crazy experiences (both weird and literally insane). As the case tends to be with movie scientists, Jessup decides he’s on the verge of a breakthrough and refuses to consider the consequences as he takes more and more powerful hallucinogens. The end result is, well, you’ll just have to watch Altered States to find out. I will say that Altered States offers a convincing argument not doing drugs by yourself, much less while in a sensory deprivation tank.

6. Naked Lunch

Director David Cronenberg is no stranger to stomach-turning imagery and considered a master of the body horror genre. So, you know that you’re “in for a treat” with his contribution to this collection of anti-drug movies, Naked Lunch. I’ve heard of people huffing all sorts of things to get high, but insecticide is a new one to me. That’s where the whole twisted story starts, as an exterminator (Peter Weller) discovers that his wife has been snorting his supply. Getting dosed with a bit of the stuff himself, he soon finds himself on an insane adventure in which he is actually a secret agent trying to disrupt a narcotics ring distributing the fictional drug, “black meat.” Filled with twists and turns, all of which are incredibly creepy, Naked Lunch is a film that will make you wonder if someone slipped you a little something-something before watching it.