POISON

USA | 1991 | 35mm | 85 min.
Director: Todd Haynes
Cast: Edith Meeks, Scott Renderer, James Lyons
Notoriously renown for the bevy of right-wing protests sparked by its initial release, Haynes’ first feature strings together the brutally sadistic tales of a father gunned down by his 7-year old son, a mad-scientist’s STD-inducing love potion, and a berated homosexual prisoner hopelessly enamored with his fellow inmate. While all three tableaus are linked together through their corrupting portrayals of sex, Haynes imbues each separate vignette with a distinct style that recall television newsmagazine stories, 50s horror films, and the work of Jean Genet.