Poison (film)

Poison is a 1991 American science fiction drama horror film written and directed by Todd Haynes and starring Edith Meeks, Larry Maxwell, Susan Gayle Norman, Scott Renderer, and James Lyons.

Poison
DVD cover
Directed byTodd Haynes
Screenplay byTodd Haynes
Based onVarious novels
by Jean Genet
Produced by
Starring
  • Edith Meeks
  • Larry Maxwell
  • Susan Gayle Norman
  • Scott Renderer
  • James Lyons
Narrated byRichard Hansen
CinematographyMaryse Alberti
Edited by
Music byJames Bennett
Production
companies
Distributed byZeitgeist Films
Release dates
  • January 11, 1991 (1991-01-11) (Sundance)
  • April 5, 1991 (1991-04-05) (United States)
Running time
85 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$250,000[2]
Box office$787,280[3]

It is composed of three intercut stories that are partially inspired by the novels of Jean Genet.[lower-alpha 1] With its gay themes, Poison is considered an early entry in the New Queer Cinema movement. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 11, 1991. It was released in a limited release by Zeitgeist Films on April 5, 1991.

Plot

The three intercut stories that comprise Poison are:

  • Hero: Seven-year-old Richie shoots his abusive father and then flies away. The story is told in the style of an episode of a tabloid television news magazine.
  • Horror: A scientist isolates the "elixir of human sexuality" and, after drinking it, is transformed into a murderous leper. Told in the style of a "psychotropic horror film" of the mid-1960s.
  • Homo: John Broom is in prison and finds himself attracted to a prisoner he had known and seen humiliated as a youth in a juvenile facility. It is an adaptation of part of Genet's Miracle of the Rose (1946).

Cast
  • Scott Renderer as John Broom
  • James Lyons as Jack Bolton
  • Edith Meeks as Felicia Beacon
  • Millie White as Millie Sklar
  • Buck Smith as Gregory Lazar
  • Rob LaBelle as Jay Wete
  • John Leguizamo as Chanchi[lower-alpha 2]
  • Anne Giotta as Evelyn McAlpert
  • Lydia Lafleur as Sylvia Manning
  • Ian Nemser as Sean White
  • Evan Dunsky as Dr. MacArthur
  • Susan Gayle Norman as Dr. Nancy Olsen
  • Marina Lutz as Hazel Lamprecht
  • Barry Cassidy as Officer Rilt
  • Richard Anthony as Edward Comacho
  • Angela M. Schreiber as Florence Giddens
  • Justin Silverstein as Jake
  • Chris Singh as Chris
  • Edward Allen as Fred Beacon
  • Larry Maxwell as Dr. Graves
  • Al Quagliata as Deputy Hansen

Release

Poison had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 11, 1991.[4] Zeitgeist Films later acquired distribution rights to the film.[5] It was released in a limited release on April 5, 1991.[6]

Reception

The film received generally positive reviews. It currently holds a 79% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 24 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.4/10. The site's consensus reads, "Claustrophobic and quirky horror, this is a decently dirty debut for director Todd Haynes".[7]

Awards and nominations

References
  1. "Poison (18)". British Board of Film Classification. 1991-08-15. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  2. Holden, Stephen (November 8, 1998). "Focusing on Glam Rock's Blurring of Identity". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  3. Poison at Box Office Mojo
  4. Lim, Dennis (November 5, 2010). "When 'Poison' Was a Cinematic Antidote". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  5. Herandez, Eugene (June 26, 2008). "Zeitgeist Films at 20 Years: Building a Boutique Brand". Indiewire.com. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  6. Canby, Vincent (April 5, 1991). "Review/Film; 'Poison,' Three Stories Inspired by Jean Genet". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  7. Poison at Rotten Tomatoes

Notes
  1. The final credits of Poison cite Genet's Our Lady of the Flowers, The Miracle of the Rose, and The Thief's Journal.
  2. Credited as Damien Garcia.
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