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.
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 televisionnews 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.
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]
Controversy
The film was not without controversy as culture wars conservatives like Senator Jesse Helms and head of American Family Association Rev. Donald Wildmon denonuced the "explicit porno scenes of homosexuals involved in anal sex".[9][10]
