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2.9/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 2.9/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Sex Madness remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly? Only if you like laughing at movies that are trying way too hard to be serious. If you get a kick out of old-school moral panic, you’ll have a blast. If you’re looking for actual substance or a well-made drama, run for the hills.
It feels like a weird cousin to stuff like Poor Girls, but with even more finger-wagging. The whole thing is built on this shaky premise that one wrong move at a dance hall and your life is basically over.
There is this one scene where a character is just too shocked by a cigarette. Like, the way they hold it, you’d think it was a lit stick of dynamite. It’s impossible not to giggle.
The acting is… well, let’s call it enthusiastic. Everyone is shouting their lines like they are performing in a theater that’s three miles away from the audience. It’s dreadfully charming in a way.
You can tell the director really wanted this to be a heavy hitting warning to the youth. Instead, it’s just a collection of scenes where people look very concerned about other people’s social lives. It reminded me a bit of the awkward pacing in The Silver Lining, where the point is driven home so hard it actually misses entirely.
There’s a part near the middle where the film just stops. It just stops, and we have to listen to a lecture. It feels like the projector operator took a nap.
Don't expect a masterpiece. Expect a weird, dusty relic that's surprisingly fun to tear apart with a friend. 🍿