Icy Death

MTV's Colin Quinn is the host for this frighteningly effective program on the new drug "ice," an often deadly and highly addictive form of amphetamines which can be smoked. Using a dramatic vignette, the program shows how a teenager named Todd is "peer pressured" into trying the drug, and the hellish hallucinatory reaction he has to the drug. Aimed at teens, Icy Death's central dramatic story captures the rhythm and word choice of drug traffic on the streets perfectly. And kids will quickly identify with the slickly edited grainy black and white cinematography characteristic of many MTV music videos. Host Quinn's straightforward no-nonsense talk to the camera is sobering as he relates the standard symptoms of "ice" psychosis (which has been compared to schizophrenia). Although I felt that Bennu's previous production, the award-winning Say No to Strangers, was a sensationalized, stagey approach to the subject matter, which seemed bent on scaring rather than educating children, Icy Death is a much more balanced, and more professional, offering. Highly recommended. (Available from: Bennu Productions, 165 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016, and major wholesalers.)