Pretty Poison (1968)

28 Apr 2023

Rating: 3.5/5

Anthony Perkins plays Dennis Pitt, a man recently released from a mental institution on parole. Cut to Dennis sitting outside a high school, watching the majorettes practice, picking his target for his next delusional fantasy — that he is a CIA agent

He “hires” Sue Ann — Tuesday Weld — to aid him in a convoluted plan to take down some alien poisoning plot. Sue Ann is more than game to play along, excited at the prospect of having someone who can look in on her mother’s boyfriend

Of course, they start hooking up, and the lies continue. Laying there in a post-sex haze, they talk about their feelings, and Sue Anne says, “I feel empty,” with a blank smile on her face

Things take a turn when, during a “sabotage mission” at the plant Dennis works at, Sue Ann kills a guard and steals his gun. Not only that, she seems utterly unfazed by the whole ordeal 

This movie is a lot of fun in its own messed-up way. Perkins is great at being an okay liar who can’t keep it all together. Tuesday Weld is so funny and brilliant at how she plays off of Perkins

My biggest complaint is that, by today’s standards, the plot moves slowly, so you can see what’s coming early on. But the script is so full of weird jokes that it’s still enjoyable to be along for the ride

Stray Thoughts:


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