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 | |
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Directed by | Todd Haynes |
Screenplay by | Todd Haynes |
Based on | Three novels by Jean Genet
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Produced by | |
Starring |
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Narrated by | Richard Hansen |
Cinematography | Maryse Alberti |
Edited by |
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Music by | James Bennett |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Zeitgeist Films |
Release dates |
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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.
Three stories intertwine throughout the film, named in the closing credits:[4]
Segment: Hero
Segment: Horror
Segment: Homo
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]
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".[8]
The film was not without controversy as culture wars conservatives like Senator Jesse Helms and head of American Family Association Rev. Donald Wildmon denounced the "explicit porno scenes of homosexuals involved in anal sex".[9][10]