Crwthod A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Gary The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

tomsview An insightful and witty script, assured but understated direction plus inspired performances by Anthony Perkins and Tuesday Weld make "Pretty Poison" a unique experience.Towards the end of the film, Anthony Perkins' character, Dennis Pitt, is visited in jail by his case officer, Mr Azenauer, played by John Randolph. Azenauer has begun to realise that Dennis is innocent of the crime for which he has been jailed. Asked why he doesn't protest his innocence, Dennis replies with a classic line: 'I've learned that people only pay attention to what they discover for themselves'. "Pretty Poison" is full of offbeat wisdom such as this. The story begins as Dennis Pitt is paroled from the mental institution where he has been for a number of years. Among other issues Dennis is thought to have an overactive imagination and trouble separating fact from fantasy. Before he leaves he is warned that he is going out into a very tough and real world that has no place at all for fantasies. Dennis travels to a small town where a job has been arranged for him at a chemical plant. He becomes involved with a 17 year-old high school student, Sue Ann Stepanek, played by Tuesday Weld. He attracts her by pretending to be an undercover agent. Sue Ann goes along with this pretence but it seems more a way of injecting excitement into her dull and restricted life, much of which she blames on her mother.Alarmed at pollution to the waterways caused by the chemical plant, Dennis plots a little sabotage. He involves Sue Ann in the plan, but this proves to be the catalyst for her to reveal her sociopathic tendencies. She gets her hands on a gun, and has a scheme of her own with matricide in mind. It is a reversal of roles; Sue Ann now takes charge while the increasingly apprehensive and guilt-wracked Dennis is no match for her ruthlessness or cunning. Their feelings for each other change with the changing circumstances. At the end, Dennis is back in prison, a far wiser soul with few illusions left; only Azenauer suspects he is innocent.As the plot gets darker, the film retains a lightness of touch – its wry humour helped by the great screen chemistry between Anthony Perkins and Tuesday Weld – although their roles seemed to be the stereotypes from which both actors were trying to free themselves. In Perkins' case it was from the neurotic, arrested personality of Norman Bates that he had made famous in "Psycho". Tuesday Weld, on the other hand, brings to her role memories of Thalia Menninger, the gap-toothed nymphet she portrayed in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis". Both their parts in "Pretty Poison", while not parodies of those earlier roles, are beautifully realised variations with a twist. Perkins invests Dennis Pitt with a vulnerability and sensitivity that makes him the most worthwhile character in the movie, especially when contrasted with the meaner-spirited but more 'normal' people around him.Don't be put off by the 1968 date of manufacture – other than superficialities such as cars, hairstyles and lack of iPhones, "Pretty Poison" hasn't really dated, it is still a surprising and rewarding experience that, to paraphrase Dennis Pitt, is waiting for people to discover for themselves.

wes-connors Out-on-parole arsonist Anthony Perkins (as Dennis Pitt) gets a job in a small Massachusetts lumber yard, which turns out to be a polluting chemical plant. He's not a good worker, daydreaming about the high school majorettes in mini-skirts he enjoys watching. While at "Pete's" outdoor eatery, Mr. Perkins meets mature-looking 17-year-old Tuesday Weld (as Sue Ann Stepanek), probably the prettiest of the marching cheerleaders. Perkins intrigues Ms. Weld with secret agent-type behavior. Believing Perkins works for the CIA, she asks him to investigate her typist mother Beverly Garland, who is "not queer" but "mixed up" with a mysterious man. "He could be subversive," Weld explains. Perkins tells Weld suspect enemy agents are plotting a terrorist attack through the water supply. Perkins may be playfully psychotic, but Weld could be deadly..."Pretty Poison" is perfectly cast. Looking ten years younger, Perkins pulls off a different psycho characterization; he is not the man you're expecting. Weld counterpoints beautifully; she polled at #2 in the annual "Best Actress" contest held by The New York Film Critics. If the film were a hit instead of a sleeper, Ms. Garland might have received some "Supporting Actress" attention. The east coast helps provide a great extended cast. Three day players from "Dark Shadows" appear, with the show's "Mrs. Johnson" Clarice Blackburn (as Mrs. Bronson) offering the usual good support. Dick O'Neill (as Bud) and Joseph Bova (as Pete) are likewise perfect. There is also a good role for intuitive John Randolph (as Morton Azenauer), a parole office pivotal in imagining what might happen between Weld and gullible Ken Kercheval (as Harry Jackson).******** Pretty Poison (7/19/68) Noel Black ~ Anthony Perkins, Tuesday Weld, Beverly Garland, John Randolph

edwagreen Miserable film. What was this supposed to be a continuation of Anthony Perkins in "Psycho."He made this dreadful film 8 years after "Psycho" and he was certainly building on the type of a sick person. While Perkins did make the far better "Friendly Persuasion," he did the marvelous "Fear Strikes Out," but again he seemed to be typecast as a guy with severe emotional and mental hang-ups.This picture certainly proves that poison is bad for you. Perkins is really demented here and how the Tuesday Weld character could fall for him as a secret agent is beyond me. All right, so she is supposed to be a naive 18 years of age in the film.Murder, mayhem and other misery best describe this film.

sunznc Pretty Poison is interesting to watch just for the cast. Beverly Garland, Anthony Perkins and Tuesday Weld. How did anyone get all of these people together? Doesn't Anthony Perkins seem strange outside of Psycho?Anyway, Pretty Poison isn't a bad film it just suffers from a 'made-for-TV-feel' at times. The acting isn't bad but it seems kind of soapy or lurid whenever Sue Anne's mother comes onto the screen. She almost seems like a mother from a daytime soap.The dialogue in the film is not deep. It almost could have been written by a bunch of high schoolers. I think the interesting thing here is watching Tuesday Weld's character responding to Anthony Perkins fantasies of the CIA and undercover work. Does she let on that she believes him to use him later? Or does she really believe his wild stories in the beginning?This is the part that keeps a person interested in the story and it's up to you to decide. Nothing earth shattering here but I've seen much worse.