Veneno para las hadas (1984)
Poison for the Fairies (1984)
DVD5 | ISO+MDS | NTSC 4:3 | 01:29:40 | 3,62 Gb
Audio: Spanish AC3 2.0 @ 192 Kbps | Subs: English
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery | 5 wins | Mexico
DVD5 | ISO+MDS | NTSC 4:3 | 01:29:40 | 3,62 Gb
Audio: Spanish AC3 2.0 @ 192 Kbps | Subs: English
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery | 5 wins | Mexico
Fabiola (Elsa María Gutiérrez) is a rich but very lonesome young girl living in Mexico City who becomes friends with an orphan named Graciela (Ana Patricia Rojo). Although Graciela has a strange and potentially harmful interest in witchcraft, Fabiola is delighted with her newfound friendship, even when Graciela convinces her that she's a witch. As things grow more twisted, the girls get caught up in a dangerous murder plot.
IMDB
Mexican director Carlos Enrique Taboada has become a cult-figure in the history of Mexican cinema due to his four entries in the Gothic horror genre, a style not very well explored in Mexico's cinematography. While he never achieved fame while alive, nowadays his films are quite popular and modern Mexican filmmakers like Guillermo Del Toro often cite him as a big influence. Completed almost 20 years after his last horror film, "Veneno para las Hadas" ("Poison for the Fairies") was his final work and while probably less known than the previous three, it's a fitting closure for the career of who is probably the most important figure of Mexican horror cinema.
Veneno para las hadas (1984)
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Set in the late 50s, "Veneno para las Hadas" is the story of the strange friendship between two little girls. Flavia (Elsa María Gutiérrez) is a very rich girl who has just moved to the city and in her first day of school befriends Verónica (Ana Patricia Rojo), a very smart girl who is fascinated with witchcraft and claims to be a witch herself. What at first is an innocent friendship soon becomes a nightmare as the gullible Flavia is tortured psychologically by the possessive Verónica and her threats of using her witchcraft against her.Written by Taboada himself, the film moves away from his previous horror films ("Hasta el Viento Tiene Miedo", "El Libro De Piedra" and "Mas Negro Que la Noche") where the supernatural had a predominant presence, and focuses on a subtler and slightly more realistic kind of horror.
Veneno para las hadas (1984)
![Veneno para las hadas (1984)]()
The story unfolds at a very slow pace (at times too slow for its own sake), but it carefully develops the bond between the two girls and the details of their bizarre relationship. Completely told from the point of view of the two girls, the story focuses only on the two main characters with the development of the supportive characters being almost non-existent. While this approach leads to a definitely less shocking horror, its very appropriate and its portrait of childhood is frightening and very realistic.The film strongest point is its beautiful cinematography, and no matter if its in interior or in exteriors Taboada manages to create haunting Gothic images that show an influence from Italian filmmakers.
Veneno para las hadas (1984)
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Children's powerful imagination is a recurrent theme in the movie and the film makes use of surreal compositions of great beauty to portray it successfully. As the story is told from the children's eyes, Taboada makes sure that we rarely see an adult's face, keeping us inside the girls' world of fantasy and magic.Given that the film focuses on only two characters their performances are vital for the film, and while a mixed bag, the overall result is positive considering that children who can act are a rare thing. Elsa María Gutiérrez as Flavia is the weakest of the two and many times seems wooden and unprepared. Ana Patricia Rojo is the total opposite as her performance as Verónica is an absolute joy to watch. She makes her character both adorable and hateful at the same, and displays a lot of talent for her young age (no wonder why she has had a somewhat successful career in her country). Taboada's final film may be disappointing to fans waiting for another pack of his grandiose Gothic set pieces.
Veneno para las hadas (1984)
![Veneno para las hadas (1984)]()
The horror in this film is even subtler than in his previous films and it's incredibly slow pace makes it more akin to a melodrama with traces of psychological thriller than a horror in the strict sense of the word. This slow pace is probably what hurts the film the most, as at times it makes it drag a bit too much and may turn off some viewers. The fact that it focuses on children and their fears may also make it look as childish or silly, but the film offers an interesting study in the nature of evil and the powers of imagination.While nowhere near as famous as "Hasta el Viento Tiene Miedo", and definitely nowhere near as wonderful as his Gothic masterpiece "El Libro De Piedra"; this little gem is a nice entry in the Gothic horror sub genre and a wonderful film to introduce children to the genre while being entertaining enough for adults. A fitting closure to a great director's career.Cassandra Maples, Rottentomatoes
Veneno para las hadas (1984)
Word of advice: if you're looking for a genuine horror film with decent scares and gore, don't expect any of those things in this movie. "Poison for the fairies" is not a horror movie, although it was advertised as one. It was directed by the well known Mexican horror director Carlos Enrique Taboada, which probably led to some misinterpretation when it came out. I would probably label this movie as an exceedingly captivating, charming and stylish adventure/family/dark-comedy with some mildly disturbing situations here and there. Other than that, I would never recommend this film to anyone who is in the mood for real horror. As a matter of fact, I think this movie is in reality suitable for all audiences, including children. The final scene is a little bit wicked, that's true, but the rest of the story is somehow childish and naive in a good way. Even though this film ended up being poles apart from what I was actually expecting, I must say that this film is charming and lovable in a way that I would have never imagined.
Veneno para las hadas (1984)
![Veneno para las hadas (1984)]()
"Poison for the fairies", is some kind of wicked fairy tale about two little girls who become friends, despite the fact that there entirely unlike. Flavia is the nice, innocent girl who doesn't know anyone at school and has no friends. On the other hand, Veronica is a weird and yet sweet-looking blonde schoolgirl who happens to be fixated with witches and all kinds of sinister things. This fascination for witchcraft and her peculiar manners, earn her a very bad reputation among the other girls. Regardless, Veronica doesn't seem to care and she even claims to be a witch herself!. At first, Flavia doesn't trust her friend's menacing side, but eventually, she becomes a victim of Veronica's delusional reality and constant charades, until she finally ends up believing what is clearly a lie. In "Poison for the fairies", we see this amusing friendship that connects these two little girls and their deplorable attempts for black magic.
Veneno para las hadas (1984)
![Veneno para las hadas (1984)]()
I honestly didn't think I was going to be so fascinated by a movie that didn't promise anything at all, to begin with. "Poison for the fairies" is a movie that reminded me of some of some Italian horror films, due to its artistic virtues and antique settings. "Poison for the fairies" is a very naïve adventure/family/horror fairy tale that shows a magical and dark world seen by an untrained and hopeless little girl who sees an alternative reality. The circumstances that Flavia and Veronica undergo to during the course of this film, are adorably entertaining. I'll never understand why "Poison for the fairies" is actually measured as a horror film by some people. The only scenes that may have a little share of horror, are the ones in which the figure of a creepy witch appears very quickly. Also, the final minutes are a little bit too dark and dramatic for a movie that didn't prepare the audience for something like that and it was the only thing I didn't enjoy that much. Other than that, this film is highly enjoyable, calm and enchanting. Be prepared to enjoy a dark comedy for children, with a very unexpected and powerful ending.IMDB Reviewer
Veneno para las hadas (1984)
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