Nightmare On Drug Street; Straight Up

Nightmare on Drug Street, aimed toward junior and senior high school-aged young adults, uses a well-known "hook" (the tie-in with the popular "Nightmare on Elm St." film series) to address the dangers of drugs. Three dead children narrate each other's "horror" stories (one died from drunk driving, another from cocaine/prescription drug overdose, and the third from crack). The dramatic vignettes are powerful, excellently filmed short stories, with fine acting and an appealing musical soundtrack. What makes the program work, is that while being professionally done, and easily accessible to teens, it doesn't substitute style (ala MTV) for substance. Straight Up is targeted toward younger children--in the 4th-7th grade age group. Chad Allen (St. Elsewhere) plays Ben, a young boy who's under pressure from his friends to drink and smoke. He meets the magical Cosmo (Lou Gossett), who takes him on three separate elevator trips to learn knowledge (in the Dungeon of Ignorance), vision (in the Land of Illusion), and the courage to say no (by successfully navigating his way through Drug City). This would be an excellent program for schools, and for elementary and junior high schools, this is highly recommended. Unfortunately, the format (3 half-hour programs, presented in two 15-minute segments each--with recaps) make it unsuitable for public libraries. An edited version, that was not so specifically geared toward classroom instruction, would have been nice for public libraries and general consumers both. Both programs are highly recommended for schools, with the former highly recommended for public libraries also. (Both programs are available from most distributors.)