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The Young Poisoner's Handbook
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The Young Poisoner's Handbook (1995) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.0/10   1,864 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 16% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Benjamin Ross
Writers:
Jeff Rawle (writer)
Benjamin Ross (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Young Poisoner's Handbook on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
23 February 1996 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama more
Tagline:
Meet Graham. He's not your ordinary teenager. more
Plot:
This film is based on a true story about a British teenager who allegedly poisoned family, friends, and co-workers... more | add synopsis
Awards:
1 nomination more
User Comments:
The best thing since "A Clockwork Orange" more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Das Handbuch des jungen Giftmischers (Germany)
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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 more
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

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The movie does take some liberties: an example is that Young did not kill his Stepmother in real life -- indeed he was close and devoted to her as she had a terminal illness. However, due to his sociopathic behavior, the film seems to explore the possibility he had a hand in her death. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: At the end scene, Young scratches/grinds his mother's diamond with a razor blade. It's simply impossible as steel hardness is way below that of diamonds. more
Quotes:
Molly: You contaminate everything you touch. I'm going to scrub you till you are raw. more
Movie Connections:
References A Clockwork Orange (1971) more
Soundtrack:
Nut Rocker more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful:-
The best thing since "A Clockwork Orange", 29 June 2001
Author: Slice of LIfe from Hong Kong

I don't know what to make of it, honestly. When I first saw it (on late night, and I stayed up till three AM watching it), I thought it was a little like "A Clockwork Orange".

Graham Young (Hugh O'Conor) I found an odd mixture of three parts: curiosity (what leads him to poisoning), clinical detachment (as he watches the results), and a longing to belong (when he tries to be normal -and fails miserably).

First he silently threatens everyone with a gruesome retaliation for the slightest things, and then charts their decline with frightful accuracy as they get sicker and sicker. After that, he retreats into his den again until something better comes along. And then he gets caught.

Then there's that uproarious scene when he's out with a girl, and he tries to get her in a conversation on disembowelment. You can almost see her turn green as he gets into stride. To him, it's an innocent thing; something he likes. For her (and for us, the audience), it's...sick.

I thought that the rehabilitation sequence was a farce. It's as ludicrous as the rest of this quirky gem of a movie, with great performances by all the actors, particularly Hugh O'Conor. He says more with his eyes than most could with their lips.

I mean, the movie is funny (not ha ha funny, though), dripping with corrosive irony. Young is all at once twisted and innocent, torn between conforming and that endless fascination with poison. The comparisons between this and "Clockwork" are almost inevitable, but unlike Kubrick's thriller, this one has a more subtle, menacing tone, for the mind rather than for the eye. It's not a laugh-out-loud film, though it's undeniably hilarious. Whatever you feel, it's kept inside.

If you're one with a sensitive stomach, suicidal tendencies, strange addictions, goody-goodies/puritans, then stay away. Otherwise, WATCH THIS FILM!

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Message Boards

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Soundtrack Tracklist ... donranby
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Similarities to A Clockwork Orange? minorthreat
Incorrect trivia statement missmarie1971
OST Liner Notes by Benjamin Ross BornJaded
What's the song under the closing credits? imdb-484
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