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Larry Maxwell, Edith Meeks, Millie White, Susan Norman, Buck Smith ... see more see more... , Scott Renderer , James Lyons , Al Quagliata , Michelle Sullivan , John R. Lombardi , Tony Pemberton , Andrew Harpending , Edward Allen , Richard Anthony Crenna , Nino Bau , Jason Bauer , Andrew Bishop , Gideon Joslyn Brown , Jim Cagnard , Barry Cassidy , Charles Cavalier , Maurice Clapisson , Wayne Compton , John P. Connolly , Bruce R. Cook , Eric Cubano , Don Damico , David Danford , Kyle de Camp , Joe Dietl , Raymond Dragen , Matt Ebert , Damien Garcia , Douglas F. Gibson , Tony Gigante , Anne Giotta , Joey Grant , Richard Hansen , Chris Henricks , Jessica , Rob La Belle , Lydia Lafleur , Marina Lutz , Tom McCullough , Parlan McGaw , John McGhee , Dani Michaeli , Leah Mullen , John Nadeau , Ian Nemser , Frank O'Donnell , Phil W. Petrie , Gary Ray , Anthony Rubustillo , Ken Schatz , Aimee Scheff , Angela Schreiber , Michael Silverman , Justin Silverstein , Les Simpson , Chris Singh , Jonathan Smit , Elyse Steinberg , Oscar Tevez , Chava Tiger , Lorraine Traverson , Marie-Francoise Vachon , Michael Shawn Wilson , Evan Dunsky , Lauren Zalaznick , Michael A. Miranda , Carlos Jimenez , John Duffy , Rob LaBelle

This film has become infamous thanks to the efforts of the Rev. Donald Wildmon, who publicly questioned the fact that NEA dollars were spent on this "filth." While Wildmon's point was certainly overst... read more read more...ated, this debut feature from Todd Haynes is quite disturbing. The Poison in question is sex, and its toxic effects are explored in three segments which have been shuffled together like a deck of cards. "Hero" is a pseudo-documentary about a seven-year-old boy who shoots his father and then ascends into the sky. "Horror" is a mad-scientist story filmed like a Roger Corman "B"-movie. The scientist in question has managed to distill the essence of the human sex drive into a test tube. When he inadvertently drinks it, he turns into a leprous monster, terrorizing the city. "Homo" is a gay love story set in a prison. All three segments are based on the writings of Jean Genet. ~ John Voorhees, Rovi

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64% liked it

1,724 ratings

Critics

76% liked it

21 critics

NC-17, 1 hr. 25 min.

Directed by: Todd Haynes

Release Date: April 5, 1991

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DVD Release Date: February 15, 2000

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Stats: 116 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (116)

  • creepfreak
    December 13, 2008
    creepfreak
    A beautiful, deeply eerie, and disgusting film. This controversial NC-17 movie is a small masterpiece.

    Story 1:
    "Hero"

    Tells the story of seven-year old Richie Beacon, who kills his brutally abusive fa... read morether, and disappears in a mysterious way, according to his mother.

    Hero is shot in a documentary style, with interviews from people's accounts on the story and re-enactments. This story was the creepiest to me, especially the shocking and most bizarre ending. Everything in this story felt very real, and it was always convincing.

    What really happened to Richie Beacon? And most of all...who was he REALLY?
    Chilling stuff!

    Story 2:
    "Horror"

    Shot in black and white, and plays off like a 50's sc-fi movie. Horror tells the story of a scientist who isolates the elixir of human sexuality, drinks it, and becomes a festering, contagious murderer. This story was fu*king gross. Disgusting and nauseating. But it was great too! It's a love story entangled with sheer terror. Very fascinating...and icky at the same time!


    Story 3:
    "The Homo"

    Revolves around lifelong prisoner John Broom's obsession with fellow inmate Jack Bolten. Told through Broom's thoughts, much of this story within a story is communicated through flashbacks and vignettes that develop the characters of the two men.

    The Homo is a depressing and revolting story. Amazing character development and storytelling, but very difficult to stomach, especially the "spitting" scene. It's sad, bleak, and uncompromising. This one will leave a bad taste in your mouth.


    All these stories are told throughout and are in no specific order, although each are linked thematically to make a whole. It's a shocking, and bizarre movie, but yet has lot's of meaning. Great performances and solid storytelling, and great script. A very disturbing movie, but I highly recommend it to people who are looking for something quite different.


    "Todd Haynes's "Poison" is a vision of unrelenting, febrile darkness. It presents three disparate stories in three greatly varied styles, all inspired by the work of Jean Genet, and its effect, as a whole, is like that of an especially vile infection; it moves diabolically through your system, spreading fever and nausea as it goes."
    - Washington Post

    "Poison weaves a trio of disparate stories into a fragmentary, postmodern triptych, one held together (however vaguely)by lurid themes of sexuality, violence, and personal revolt. The movie wants to shock, and it does."
    - EW

    "Poison is a very tough, queasy film, but extremely powerful and a strong feature debut for Haynes."
    - Celebrity Wonder

    "Many films try to be subversive, try to undermine the status quo in ways large and small (and Haynes is still up to that, to a lesser extent), but few succeed, too often ending in broad strokes or empty campiness (John Waters' films). Poison works because it is unafraid of being shocking, but still has a point to get across, and handles the balance well."
    - HDFest


    "Poison is a disturbing film. It will make you uncomfortable, but it also will make you think."
    - Filmreference

    "Part horror film, part drama, part expose, Poison is 1991's most controversial film."
    - Café DVD

    "Poison is a wholly original, provocative, unsettling and intelligent film that is a must-see for adventurous videophiles."
    - TLA Video
  • michaelcorleone
    January 24, 2011
    michaelcorleone
    The small budget for this film did not hold back Todd Haynes' big ideas. This is a disquieting, challenging movie that presents us wiith heavy subject matter without offering immediate or obvious explanations. The structure, tone and concept are extremely polished. A great debut.
  • divinetrash
    January 2, 2008
    divinetrash
    It has been made perfectly clear that Todd Haynes will never disappoint me and this film is the proof of that. His fascinating storytelling creativity flows beautifully in these tales of haunted and human characters.
  • fb756328268
    January 8, 2012
    fb756328268
    wow. really cool movie. i'm not the biggest fan of todd haynes (i can't stand velvet goldmine) but i liked this a lot.
  • SDTERP
    April 5, 2009
    SDTERP
    LOVE this film and is responsible for my deeper appreciation of independent films. Three stories shot in various styles with a single, common thread. If you haven't seen this film, you must.
  • jes25924
    June 30, 2008
    jes25924
    Three stories each in different genre's connected by the writings of Jean Genet, which abstractly connect in theme are weaved together, one is mockumentary about a boy who shot his father and then flew out of the window, the other is a black and whit...(read more)e Roger Cormanes... read moreque science fiction horror film about a mad scientist who distills the sex drive and becomes an infectious leperous monster, while the other is about an obsessive abusive sexual relationship between two prison inmantes. The latter plot almost got the film banned after the complaints of religious groups, because it shows an erect penis. If you likewise are afraid or made uncomfortable by explicit sexuality you will be ruffled by this. If not you may find this fascinating, challenging, and provacotive. Years before "I'm Not There", director Todd Haynes was working in experimental narrative, his first film a biography of Karen Carpenter using only Barbie Dolls, and then this, and this is a quantumn leap forward. A one of a kind film, about the awesome and divergent power of human sexuality.
  • ahegele
    March 7, 2008
    ahegele
    Interesting first effort for Haynes. You can see the roots of disjointed chronology with poetic narrative that flourishes his later work.
  • jrmcm
    September 13, 2007
    jrmcm
    'Homo' kind of sucks, 'Hero' is decent, and 'Horror' is pretty good. Overall it's not bad if you can tolerate moral stories that have a sense of humor and beat around the bush. Society is poison.
  • bsanderson1
    September 8, 2007
    bsanderson1
    I love everything about this movie. Especially that it nearly destroyed the National Endowment of the Arts through being so totally GAY. You go girls. Todd Haynes has huge balls and I love him for it.
  • nanoqna
    January 15, 2007
    nanoqna
    u should watch this in a film class. its a good movie. its about an actor. the guy does lots of cool stuff. i thin there should of been more lights. but then its about darkness. theres also some politics. i thought it was good. but i dunno if he was trying to make a point? nobody... read more will underestand it if he is. i dunno ppl who would get it. s watch another movie.

View All Poison Reviews

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum
November 9, 2010
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

I could have done without the designer prison, but most of the other stylistic conceits work. Full Review

Rob Nelson
November 9, 2010
Rob Nelson, Village Voice

Arguably the strongest American debut feature of the '90s. Full Review

Variety Staff
March 26, 2009
Variety Staff, Variety

Todd Haynes' Poison is a conceptually bold, stylistically audacious first feature, a compelling study of different forms of deviance. Full Review

David Ansen
March 31, 2008
David Ansen, Newsweek

Boldly self conscious, Poison switches channels among its three stylistically varied but thematically linked tales with cumulative, claustrophobic power. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

The movie needs to evoke more than the ghost of Genet to give it resonance. Full Review

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

Its effect, as a whole, is like that of an especially vile infection; it moves diabolically through your system, spreading fever and nausea as it goes. Full Review

Owen Gleiberman
April 5, 1991
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

What's truly revolutionary about this filmmaker -- his perverse, ironic humanity -- is only intermittently on display in this quasi-provocative formalist knickknack Full Review

November 9, 2010
Film4

A stylish study of human deviance at its dirtiest. Full Review

November 9, 2010
TV Guide's Movie Guide

An exercise in cinema of ideas that, while audacious and occasionally compelling, is ultimately less than the sum of its parts. Full Review

John A. Nesbit
February 16, 2010
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews

captures the spirit of Genet's work Full Review

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