LOST IN THE ARTHOUSE is a monthly series hosted by Arkadin co-owner Keith Watson that takes you to hidden corners of filmdom far from Hollywood. From must-see classics to obscurities waiting to be discovered, these films stand at cinema’s bleeding edge.

Todd Haynes may well be America’s greatest living filmmaker, and POISON, his second feature (following his brilliant and controversial Karen Carpenter biopic Superstar, made with Barbie dolls), proves why. After winning the Grand Jury Prize at the 1991 Sundance Film Festival, the film was viciously attacked by Christian conservatives like Dick Armey and Ralph Reed for its unapologetic gay erotic content. Little did these right-wing blowhards know, they were inadvertently creating an arthouse hit! The film achieved far more lavish success than anyone could have expected of a low-budget work of transgressive erotic surrealism.

POISON was inspired by the writings of French surrealist Jean Genet, about whom Haynes wrote that he “held the world permanently in contempt, vowing from an early age to reject it as it had rejected him. And his resolve is still inspiring me.” Haynes’ film interweaves a trio of tales, each of which builds toward a devastating climax: “Hero,” shot in mock TV-documentary style, tells a bizarre story of suburban patricide and a miraculous flight from justice; “Horror,” filmed like a delirious ’50s B-movie melodrama, is a gothic tale of a mad sex experiment which unleashes a disfiguring plague; and “Homo” explores the obsessive sexual relationship between two prison inmates, drawing on Genet’s own film, the legendary art-porn Un Chant d’Amour.

Unsettling, unforgettable, and wildly entertaining, POISON became the quintessential work of a burgeoning movement that would come to be known as New Queer Cinema. It remains a potent expression of alienation, deviance, and disease. And if that’s not enough for you, then maybe you’ll listen to John Waters, who, upon watching POISON, said of Haynes: “He has restored my faith in youth.”

This film is screening as part of Arkadin’s Pride Month-long spotlight on queer cinema.

Arkadin does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. However, we encourage researching titles to determine if a screening may contain content that could be upsetting to you. Please feel free to contact us for guidance on specific films. Information about content can also be found on Common Sense Media, IMDB and DoesTheDogDie.com, as well as through general internet searches.