Poison (1991 film)

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

Poison
DVD cover
Directed by	Todd Haynes
Screenplay by	Todd Haynes
Based on	Three novels by Jean Genet Our Lady of the Flowers (1943) Miracle of the Rose (1946) Thief's Journal (1949)
Produced by	Christine Vachon
Starring	Edith Meeks Larry Maxwell Susan Gayle Norman Scott Renderer James Lyons
Narrated by	Richard Hansen
Cinematography	Maryse Alberti
Edited by	Todd Haynes James Lyons
Music by	James Bennett
Production companies	Killer Films Bronze Eye Productions
Distributed by	Zeitgeist Films
Release dates	January 11, 1991 (1991-01-11) (Sundance) April 5, 1991 (1991-04-05) (United States)
Running time	85 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$250,000[2]
Box office	$787,280[3]

Composed of three intercut narratives inspired by the novels of Jean Genet, the gay themes in Poison marked an emerging "queer new wave" in cinema. The film received generally positive reviews.

Narratives

Three stories intertwine throughout the film, named in the closing credits:^[4]

• Hero: A seven-year-old shoots his abusive father and then flies away, depicted in the style of a 1980s tabloid television news magazine.
• Horror: A scientist isolates the "elixir of human sexuality" and, after drinking it, is transformed into a murderous leper, portrayed in the style of a psychotropic 1960s sci-fi horror B movie.
• Homo: A prisoner finds himself attracted to another inmate, reunited after meeting as youth in a juvenile facility, with scenes alternating between a gritty prison film and recollections evoked as pastoral fantasy.

Cast

Segment: Hero

• Edith Meeks as Felicia Beacon
• Millie White as Millie Sklar
• Buck Smith as Gregory Lazar
• Anne Giotta as Evelyn McAlpert
• Lydia Lafleur as Sylvia Manning
• Ian Nemser as Sean White
• Rob LaBelle as Jay Wete
• Evan Dunsky as Dr. MacArthur
• Marina Lutz as Hazel Lamprecht
• Barry Cassidy as Officer Rilt
• Richard Anthony as Edward Comacho
• Angela M. Schreiber as Florence Giddens

Segment: Horror

• Larry Maxwell as Dr. Graves
• Susan Gayle Norman as Dr. Nancy Olsen
• Al Quagliata as Deputy Hansen

Segment: Homo

• Scott Renderer as John Broom
• James Lyons as Jack Bolton
• John R. Lombardi as Rass
• Tony Pemberton as Young Broom
• Andrew Harpending as Young Bolton
• John Leguizamo (credited 'Damien Garcia') as Chanchi

Release

After a world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 11, 1991,^[5] Zeitgeist Films acquired distribution rights,^[6] giving Poison a limited release starting April 5, 1991.^[7]

Controversy

U.S. culture war conservatives such as Senator Jesse Helms and Rev. Donald Wildmon of American Family Association denounced the "explicit porno scenes of homosexuals involved in anal sex".^[8][9]

Reception

The film received generally positive reviews. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 80% of 25 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "Claustrophobic and quirky horror, this is a decently dirty debut for director Todd Haynes."^[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 67 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.^[11]

Awards and nominations

• Berlin International Film Festival Teddy Award for Best Feature Film, 1991 (winner)
• Fantasporto Critics' Award, 1992 (winner); International Fantasy Film Award Best Film, 1992 (nominated)
• Independent Spirit Awards Best Director, 1992 (nominated); Best First Feature, 1992 (nominated)
• Locarno International Film Festival Golden Leopard, 1991 (nominated)
• Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival Special Prize of the Jury, 1991, "For keeping the subversive values inherent to any genuine poetry in force"
• Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize - Dramatic, 1991 (winner)