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The Young Poisoner's Handbook (1995)

The Young Poisoner's Handbook (1995)

7.2

A teenager grows up to be a poisoner in this creepy yet cheeky dark comedy biopic

Movie

France, Germany
English
Comedy, Crime, Drama
1995
imdb
rt
wiki

TLDR

Funny, but let’s keep this away from aspiring/amateur chemists, shall we?

What it's about

London, 1960s. After discovering his aptitude for chemistry, teenage misfit Graham Young turns to his passion for deadly ends.

The take

While terrible in nature, there’s always a curiosity towards serial killers, even if only in hope to identify and protect one’s self from a potential one. The Young Poisoner's Handbook depicts one such killer named the Teacup Murderer, but while the usual serial killing tropes are present (e.g. the fascination towards death, the disregard for others, and the possible psychosis), the film is equal parts creepy and funny. It doesn’t really delight in the gore, with poison as his weapon, but it mostly takes pleasure in how captivated he is with his experiments– the meticulous method he recorded, the thought he placed into his endeavors, and the way he was able to escape detection, even from those who knew him. One should obviously not follow The Young Poisoner's Handbook, but one can’t deny how Hugh O’Conor makes said poisoner a fascinating watch.

What stands out

Hugh O’Conor reminds me somewhat of Wednesday with a special interest in poisons and without a supportive gothic family.

Comments

This movie sucks. It’s not funny, but rather long drawn out, and is mostly him talking to people. A much better choice for a dark comedy would be Some Guy Who Kills People.

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