The Young Poisoner's Handbook (1995)

Director:

Benjamin Ross

Writers:

Jeff Rawle (writer)
Benjamin Ross (writer)

Release Date:

23 February 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Meet Graham. He's not your ordinary teenager.

Plot:

This film is based on a true story about a British teenager who allegedly poisoned family, friends, and co-workers...

Plot Keywords:

1960s | Psychiatrist | Suicide | Black Comedy | London England

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Tobias Arnold	...	Young Graham
Ruth Sheen	...	Molly
Roger Lloyd-Pack	...	Fred (as Roger Lloyd Pack)
Hugh O'Conor	...	Graham Young
Norman Caro	...	Mr. Goez
Dorothea Alexander	...	Mrs. Goez
Charlotte Coleman	...	Winnie
Paul Stacey	...	Dennis
Samantha Edmonds	...	Sue
Robert Demeger	...	Mr. Dexter
Jack Deam	...	Mick
Peter Pacey	...	Dickie Boone
Joost Siedhoff	...	Dr. Scott
Vilma Hollingbery	...	Aunty Panty
Frank Mills	...	Uncle Jack

Also Known As:

Handbuch des jungen Giftmischers, Das (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for murders by poisoning, language and some nude photos.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

UK | Germany | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-16 (video premiere) | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | Sweden:15 | USA:R | UK:15

Company:

Bavaria Film and Television Fund

Trivia:

The "Newton's Diamond" that Graham is obsessed with is a fictional device. Antimony sulfide forms a crystal called stibnite which is gray and opaque, not clear and colorless like most gem-quality diamonds. "Diamond" was the name of Isaac Newton's dog.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Dr. Zeigler visits the institution for mentally unstable criminals in which Graham is hospitalized, the director of the institution says, referred to another patient: "Vulpes pilum mutat, non mores", saying it means "The leopard never changes his spots". Graham corrects him, saying it means instead: "The wolf changes its fur, but not its nature". Actually, "vulpes" means "fox".

Quotes:

Molly: You contaminate everything you touch. I'm going to scrub you till you are raw.

Movie Connections:

References A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Soundtrack:

Low Rider

Darkly and grimly humorous, but not comfortable watching

What happens when a young man gets a chemistry set and doesn't get along with his family? Experiments, of course. Graham Young is the young chemist, as played by Hugh O'Conor (the little boy in Rawhead Rex, several years before) and while he's normal enough on the surface he is also quite curious as to the effects of certain chemicals on the human body (but not HIS) and is apparently missing some trip-switch in his brain that tells him what he's doing is wrong. First he experiments on his stepmother, and while I like this film a lot, watching her deteriorate was almost too much for me. Then his sister, then his dad, and then, he gets busted and off to the loony bin for a while. He weasels his way into working with this doctor while he's there, because Graham truly is a smart little bugger, and he eventually gets released and goes to work in a camera factory. Old habits die hard though, especially when he finds out what chemicals they have stockpiled there for use in manufacturing. Pretty soon curmudgeonly co-workers are dropping like flies. Eventually, of course, suspicion rears its ugly head & he's in trouble again. This is a pretty dark film but not without humor, and it's not exactly laugh out loud humor, it's more the "why am I finding this funny?" humor, but this is still a very good watch. Some of the music is straight out of Clockwork Orange but still appropriate here. Check it out, and it IS available on DVD, if you scrounge at Big Lots or someplace like that, on the Platinum label....very "no frills" but still played great and I was happy with it. 8 out of 10.