Poison
A trio of interweaved transgressive tales, telling a bizarre stories of suburban patricide and a miraculous flight from justice, a mad sex experiment which unleashes a disfiguring plague, and the obsessive sexual relationship between two prison inmates.
Where to watch
Criterion Channel
Stream
Kino Film Collection
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Kanopy
Free
Hoopla
Free
Amazon Video
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Apple TV Store
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Cast
82 people
Todd Haynes Director · James Bennett Composer Maryse Alberti Cinematographer
Worldwide gross $610K · Budget $250K · United States release April 5, 1991
Box office
Budget
$250,000
Worldwide gross
$609,524
Gross vs. budget
2.4×
Production
Bronze Eye Productions
Production
Poison L.P.
Production
United States
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
English
Release dates
United States · January 11, 1991
Premiere · Sundance Film Festival
United States · April 5, 1991
Limited theatrical
United States · December 10, 2025
Digital · Letterboxd Video Store
United States
April 19, 1991 · Premiere · USA Film festival
Australia
May 21, 1992 · Theatrical
December 10, 2025 · Digital · Letterboxd Video Store
Canada
December 10, 2025 · Digital · Letterboxd Video Store
Denmark
November 9, 1992 · Theatrical
December 10, 2025 · Digital · Letterboxd Video Store
Finland
March 5, 1993 · Theatrical
December 10, 2025 · Digital · Letterboxd Video Store
France
November 27, 1991 · Theatrical
Germany
February 1, 1991 · Premiere · Berlin International Film Festival
Iceland
December 10, 2025 · Digital · Letterboxd Video Store
Ireland
December 10, 2025 · Digital · Letterboxd Video Store
Israel
July 1, 1991 · Premiere · Jerusalem film festival
Netherlands
February 7, 1992 · Limited theatrical
December 10, 2025 · Digital · Letterboxd Video Store
New Zealand
July 18, 1991 · Premiere · Wellington film festival
December 10, 2025 · Digital · Letterboxd Video Store
Norway
December 10, 2025 · Digital · Letterboxd Video Store
Portugal
February 1, 1992 · Theatrical · Fantasporto film festival
May 8, 1992 · Theatrical
Spain
February 28, 1992 · Theatrical
January 30, 1995 · Physical
Sweden
February 1, 1991 · Premiere · Göteborg Film Festival
August 16, 1991 · Limited theatrical
December 10, 2025 · Digital · Letterboxd Video Store
United Kingdom
October 11, 1991 · Theatrical
December 10, 2025 · Digital · Letterboxd Video Store
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Some details come from TheTVDB.