Poison for the Fairies

1986
7.2| 1h30m| en| More Info
Released: 02 October 1986 Released
Producted By: Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía
Country: Mexico
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

In 1965 Mexico City, Flavia, a wealthy yet lonely schoolgirl, befriends Veronica, a young orphan girl who has a fascination with witchcraft. Veronica convinces Flavia that she is a real witch and forces her to be her assistant. The children's games gradually become more serious and Veronica demands more from Flavia.

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Edgar Soberon Torchia Somebody complained about my short reflection on ethnic structure in Latin America which I wrote as a prologue to my opinion about this movie, so my review was deleted "based on an abuse report filed by another user". Well, gone my "abuse" is, but it does not change my impression that Carlos Enrique Taboada's "horror" films are insufferable: this one, "Hasta el viento tiene miedo" and "El libro de piedra" are metaphors of the (very boring and bored) petty bourgeoisie's fears, that Taboada expressed following the rules of the horror genre and that, in the end, are more foolish than horrific. This time, a very rich girl and her not quite rich friend play at being witches in an endless succession of silly scenes of events that are supposed to be scary. If there is a more simple way to read this tale, one may assume that not-too-rich Veronica envies richer Flavia, who has a big room for herself, a dog called Hippie, a gold pen, a ranch by a lake, and a big doll that she carries around like a 4-5 year old girl. Veronica is so mean and bitchy that she enjoys frightening Flavia to gain control over her. But that is all. Since most of the time they are bored to death, these two little girls have nothing else to do but "Satanic rites" to kill people, or get the ingredients to make a poison for the fairies. So beware, don't be a fairy and avoid this poisonous film.
Johan Louwet The movie is filmed in Mexico taking place during the sixties. We have Flavia an aristocratic girl of 11 being the new kid on the block. She befriends Veronica, pretty blonde and angelic face who lives with her grandmother and nanny. Her parents died but it's never specified how. Veronica is not really popular in school with the other kids claiming she is a witch. Flavia gets intrigued by this and asks Veroinica if she can cast a spell on her piano teacher as she really hates the lessons. Much to Flavia's surprise the spell actually works but not like she wanted it. Flavia who is kind-hearted feels guilty and Veronica handily takes advantage of that, manipulating her friend to do things she never dared or give away things that are dear to Flavia. How long can Flavia take the psychological domination from her friend? The movie really isn't for the ones expecting horror even the atmosphere is one of a youth drama. I would say psychological thriller at most. The whole movie is focused on the 2 girls (I don't think there is any scene which doesn't have either Flavia or Veronica in it) which is even enforced by rarely showing the faces of the adults. They are usually filmed from the back or chest height. Kudos to the director, really loved that technique. There is lots of scenes (different places outside in mostly sunny landscapes) where the girls gather the most strange ingredients to eventually make the poison for fairies. According to Veronica fairies are the enemies of witches that's why she wants them dead. Most of the scenes look pretty innocent even lovely, fun between two friends. However the ending is quite unexpected and pretty strong. During the whole movie I thought about giving it a 7 or 7,5 but that ending was so good I give it an 8/10.
brujavu There are many things I liked about this film... the main thing being that everything that happens in the film is entirely plausible. To me, that is an essential ingredient for a good suspense film (I would not classify this as a horror film, which to me, implies a lot of slash and gore... although the film does open up with such a scene, it is incongruous with the rest of the story). Another thing that I really liked was the way that we never see the faces of the adults, and in fact, rarely see their heads. Most shots of the adults are of their feet and legs, sometimes their torsos. In this way, it's a bit reminiscent of watching a Charlie Brown cartoon. This technique allows us to focus on the children, and shows the adults as being peripheral to everything that is going on in the little girls' room. I think the main theme is bullying, and it shows how easily a relationship like this can be established, not just among children. I never had the idea that Flavia actually liked Veronica, but once she was convinced of Veroncia's powers (and again, this happened in a very convincing and plausible way), she was terrified of her and also felt beholden to her. I love the way that the offhand remarks that the adults make in response to the children's questions about witches, the devil, etc. form a part of the girls' psychological landscape, influencing their future actions. It is just such a chance conversation with her father that moves Flavia to take her final decisive action when she is threatened with separation from her beloved pet. A very atmospheric piece, with a lot of the action happening in broad daylight in very beautiful settings. My husband wandered into the room several times while I was watching it without ever suspecting that I was watching a "horror" film.
bensonmum2 As I sit and think about Poison for the Fairies, I realize that I may not being fair with the film. My rating of 3/10 may have more to do with my disappointment with the film than its actual quality or entertainment value. Based on the plot description, reviews on IMDb, and the 7.6 IMDb rating, I would sure that I had stumbled on a little known gem. Sadly, it just didn't do much for me. For whatever reason, Poison for the Fairies all but put me to sleep.Poison for the Fairies is the story of two young girls in 1965 Mexico City. One of the girls, Veronica, is a compulsive liar and tells her friend that she, Veronica, is a witch. The other girl, Flavia, is so gullible that she believes and is frightened by everything her friend tells her. That's really about it. In reality, nothing much happens and the film drags on and on as Veronica attempts to terrorize and dominate Flavia. One commenter on IMDb described it as "the scariest film in 80's Mexican cinema". My comment – if that's the case, there must not have been many horror films made in Mexico in the 80s. Another commenter wrote, "Watch it if you wanna get scared." My comment – are you sure we're talking about the same movie? My opinion is diametrically opposed to these examples I've given. To me, it was dull, uninspired, and poorly acted. The scene framing is especially annoying as director Carlos Enrique Taboada doesn't ever show the faces of any of the other characters. Veronica and Flavia carry-on long, drawn-out conversations with members of their families and their teacher, but we never actually see these peoples' faces. It's an annoying gimmick.