Pretty Poison (1968)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Noel Black

Writers:

Stephen Geller (novel)
Lorenzo Semple Jr. (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 July 1968 (West Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

She's such a sweet girl. He's such a nice boy. They'll scare the hell out of you.

Plot:

When a mentally disturbed young man tells a pretty girl that he's a secret agent, she believes him, and murder and mayhem ensue.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | High School | Ex Convict | Chemical | Family Relationships

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Anthony Perkins	...	Dennis Pitt
Tuesday Weld	...	Sue Ann Stepanek
Beverly Garland	...	Mrs. Stepanek
John Randolph	...	Morton Azenauer
Dick O'Neill	...	Bud Munsch
Clarice Blackburn	...	Mrs. Bronson
Joseph Bova	...	Pete
Ken Kercheval	...	Harry Jackson
Don Fellows	...	Detective
George Ryan	...	Drillmaster & Team (as George Ryan's Winslow High-Steppers)

Also Known As:

She Let Him Continue (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | West Germany:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1988) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:Approved | USA:R (re-rating) (1968)

Filming Locations:

Great Barrington, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Tuesday Weld hated working with director Noel Black and told film critic Rex Reed that she thought she gave her "worst performance" in the film.

Quotes:

Dennis Pitt: Boy. What a week. I met you on Monday, fell in love with you on Tuesday, Wednesday I was unfaithful, Thursday we killed a guy together. How about that for a crazy week, Sue Ann?
Sue Ann Stepanek: "Unfaithful Wednesday?"
Dennis Pitt: I was just joking, Sue Anne. That was in another country. Forget it. I do, no kidding, love you. I love you.

Movie Connections:

References The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967)

Soundtrack:

The Thunderer

Unnerving crime drama with psychological overtones

Eight years after "Psycho", Anthony Perkins, who seemed to quickly lose his way in ill-suited romantic dramas of the mid-'60s, finally gets a role here well-tailored to his wild-eyed personality, that of an introvert with simmering disorders forced by circumstance into playing "normal". A former teen arsonist in Massachusettes is released from the institution as a young man and is given a job at the lumber mill; he's perpetually wrapped up in CIA fantasies and conspiracy theories, and is thrilled when he meets up with a 17-year-old beauty from the local high school who is happy to play along with his games. Adapted from Stephen Geller's book "She Let Him Continue", this is a peculiar, well-made and written cult movie which works itself under your skin. Perkins lets himself relax a bit on-camera and gives one of his most notable performances, and Tuesday Weld (despite being a few years too old for her role) rarely strikes a false note as his new girlfriend with a somewhat sordid past herself (one that mirrors her mother's, whom she hates). The concluding events aren't really satisfying (with echoes of "Psycho" besides), and the circular plot-device posed at the tag doesn't work at all, but the performances really drive this thing, making it an engrossing and memorable sleeper. **1/2 from ****