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Poison

Directed by Todd Haynes

Release: 1991
Runtime: 85
Country: U.S.
Language: English

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 1991 Sundance Film Festival

The second feature directed by Haynes—the Oscar-nominated filmmaker of Far from Heaven, I’m Not There and the HBO mini-series Mildred Pierce—this groundbreaking American Indie was the most fervently debated film of the 1990s and a trailblazing landmark of queer cinema. A work of immense visual invention, Haynes’ spectacular follow-up to his legendary Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story is audacious, disturbing and thrillingly cinematic.

Inspired by the writings of Jean Genet, Poison deftly interweaves trio of transgressive tales-“Hero,” “Horror” and “Homo”-that build toward a devastating climax. “Hero,” shot in mock TV-documentary style, tells a bizarre story of suburban patricide and a miraculous flight from justice; “Horror,” filmed like a delirious ’50s B-movie melodrama, is a gothic tale of a mad sex experiment which unleashes a disfiguring plague; while “Homo” explores the obsessive sexual relationship between two prison inmates.

A runaway hit which made national headlines when it was attacked by right-wing figures including Dick Armey, Ralph Reed and minister Donald Wildmon, Poison is unsettling, unforgettable and thoroughly entertaining.

Poison was re-released on a 20th anniversary DVD in 2011

See also Dottie Gets Spanked

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Technical Info

  • Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
  • Color: Color and B&W