Senses Drowned In Forbidden Pleasures... Sordid and sensational, The Cocaine Fiends is a vintage melodrama that depicts the narcotic's addictive dangers and its rampant threat to society. When pretty country girl Jane Bradford (Lois January) meets drug peddler Nick (Noel Madison), she falls for his smooth line about marriage and the promise of unlimited riches awaiting them in the city. He also introduces her to his special "headache powder" that leaves Jane feeling instantly exhilarated. Arriving in the big city, she is soon transformed into Nick's strung-out, coke-addled moll (calling herself "Lil" to hide her shame) whom he discards without remorse. Her brother, Eddie, moves to the city in an attempt to locate Jane. When a beautiful carhop shows him the wonders of the miracle drug, it's not long before Eddie and his girlfriend spiral downward into hopeless depraved squalor and tragedy. Also released under the title The Pace That Kills, The Cocaine Fiends, like its famous cult sister Reefer Madness (1938), is unintentionally hilarious in its frank, uncompromising look at dope's countless evils, dramatically reinforced by the film's shady locales - not least of which is the gangster hangout the Dead Rat Cafe - replete with a stark, rodent-wallpapered decor!
