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Pretty Poison

Play trailer Poster for Pretty Poison R Released Oct 23, 1968 1h 29m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Paranoid parolee Dennis Pitt (Anthony Perkins) strives to fit into everyday life working at a chemical factory but soon comes to believe the company is purposely polluting the town's water supply. Befriended by an attractive high school drum majorette, Sue Ann Stepanek (Tuesday Weld), Dennis is delighted when she approves of his scheme to pretend to be a CIA agent in order to destroy the factory. The plan goes awry, and the hapless Dennis becomes a pawn in Sue Ann's own devious plot.
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Pretty Poison

Critics Reviews

View All (11) Critics Reviews
Pauline Kael The New Yorker Pretty Poison is a good little movie, and I use “little” not in a pejorative sense but as a form of protection and also a term of affection. Jul 6, 2022 Full Review Joe Morgenstern Newsweek This is a lot for a ninety-minute movie to have on its mind, yet Black builds his scenes and directs his actors with great lucidity. Jul 6, 2022 Full Review Richard Brody The New Yorker The nerve-jangling tale of looming chaos in idyllic surroundings conveys a sense of a world out of whack; it virtually shrieks with the era’s political and social turmoil. Apr 14, 2020 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Tuesday Weld is excellent as the lethal Lolita. Rated: 3/4 May 13, 2023 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand ...He's an older guy, to be sure, and she's a beautiful high school majorette seemingly charmed by his secretive life and acronym-dotted small talk, but behind her schoolgirl smile is a cagey, bored girl with a sociopathic streak ... Jan 27, 2017 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Over the years has developed a strong cult following. Rated: A Nov 20, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Kevin L Well that was pretty wacky. Wacky Tony Perkins all loaded with delusions to apparently make up for a lackluster personal image. Then there's loopy Tuesday Weld, all fire and psychopathy. She's esp. good here, and there's good chemistry between the two of them. But this movie also smacks (like a burger patty slammed on a grill) of old-timey directing and writing. The boss at the factory is played by Dick O'Neill, a ham from way back. John Randolph is competent as the one person who has belief in Perkins' Dennis. Beverly Garland is fine as a skeptical mother with a taste for booze and a roll in the hay. The ending works pretty well, esp. Dennis' last words to Randolph's Mr. Azenuaer. That and Weld's sexy femme very fatale gets it to a 3. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/25/25 Full Review Jen O Fantastic study of two troubled young people, with surprises aplenty. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/24/25 Full Review Audience Member Has the look, sound, and feel of an average episode of Love American Style. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review steve d The ending makes the entire ride worth it. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member The vulnerable strangeness of Anthony Perkins blends perfectly with a truly unsettling performance by Tuesday Weld. A very disturbing little picture that gets under your skin and stays there. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member An excellent black comedy from the late 60s that more than stands the test of time, but I take issue with Hal Erickson's description of the lead character as "psychotic," much more of a fantasist around who things go horribly wrong. Perkins and Weld play their roles to perfection. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Pretty Poison

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Cast & Crew

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Noel Black

Director

Anthony Perkins

Dennis Pitt

Tuesday Weld

Sue Ann Stepanek

Beverly Garland

Mrs. Stepanek

John Randolph

Morton Azenauer

Dick O'Neill

Bud Munsch

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Pretty Poison

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Movie Info

Synopsis Paranoid parolee Dennis Pitt (Anthony Perkins) strives to fit into everyday life working at a chemical factory but soon comes to believe the company is purposely polluting the town's water supply. Befriended by an attractive high school drum majorette, Sue Ann Stepanek (Tuesday Weld), Dennis is delighted when she approves of his scheme to pretend to be a CIA agent in order to destroy the factory. The plan goes awry, and the hapless Dennis becomes a pawn in Sue Ann's own devious plot.
Director
Noel Black
Producer
Marshall Backlar, Noel Black
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
20th Century Fox
Rating
R
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 23, 1968, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 1, 2010
Runtime
1h 29m
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