A survey of drugs on-screen

Addiction, in its many forms, is the “monster” in “Requiem for a Dream,” says Darren Aronofsky, director of the art-house favorite. One difference between his film and, say, a Jason or Freddy gore-fest is that this time the monster wins, Aronofsky says.

“Requiem for a Dream” portrays not just the dangers of drugs, but also the more subtly destructive power of TV, junk food and, ultimately, “the American dream -- getting stuff,” as novelist-screenwriter Hubert Selby Jr. calls it.

In “Traffic,” the war on drugs does as much damage as drugs themselves. Says screenwriter Stephen Gaghan: “I don’t think you can declare war on a facet of human nature.”

Hollywood has come far from the “Reefer Madness” days, when filmmakers treated the subject of drugs with black-and-white morality. “Hollywood High,” a one-hour documentary airing tonight at 10 on AMC, examines how the seductive highs and excruciating lows of drug use have evolved on-screen during the last 60 years.

Along with Aronofsky and Gaghan, filmmakers such as John Waters, Penelope Spheeris and Jim Jarmusch offer their takes. “Hollywood High” director Bruce Sinofsky also employs an assortment of clips to show how attitudes have changed.

The earliest presentations of drugs in the movies were limited to cautionary tales like the campy “Reefer Madness” and the stark “The Man With the Golden Arm,” but filmmakers in the 1960s and ‘70s rejected those dusty premises and spun nonconformist stories like “Easy Rider” and “Up in Smoke.” More recently, movies such as “Drugstore Cowboy” and “Clockers” have revisited the darker side of addiction and the drug trade with potent complexity.

The documentary presents a sweeping survey, but omissions are inevitable. Where is the antihero’s paranoid spiral in Martin Scorsese’s “GoodFellas,” one of the most vivid portrayals of the drug experience?

What’s more, the hopscotching style of “Hollywood High” may challenge some viewers.

Still, while this film does not provide the euphoric rush that, as Jarmusch notes, only the best ones can, it offers plenty for movie fans to think about.