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.
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.
"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.
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.
Poison for the Fairies, or Veneno para las Hadas, is well-deserving of the praise I've seen heaped onto it. Using a story of two children from very different situations to explore themes ranging from inequality to control to blackmail to revenge is a wonderful idea, and Taboada did a wonderful job executing the film.
Veneno paras las Hadas is a very slow burn. In fact, up until the last ten minutes, you might find yourself questioning whether this film really fits into the horror genre or if it's a misclassified drama. By the end of the film, you won't have any more questions in that regard.
The title and the beginnings of the film frame this as a supernatural horror, perhaps one about children getting in too deep in over their heads with forces they don't fully understand. That last bit isn't particularly out, but by the end of the film, it's clear the supernatural aspects of this film aren't all that supernatural. In fact, that probably makes things a little more frightening.
The movie isn't a horror film that's going to give you scares along the way. There are no jump scares. I don't recall any scary music. The horror all comes from the realities of this movie, most of which are realized in the final minutes.
Everything we realize in the final minutes is shown throughout the rest of the movie, but it wasn't hitting me over the head with how frightening it all was because of how mundane it feels. Orphans being made fun of and finding weird niches is common. That leading to the child being made fun of is way too common. That leading to the child acting out is even more common. Then the child gets put in a situation with a small amount of power, and that position of power happens to be over another child who fits the same profile as many making fun of her. That position of power turns into an uglier and uglier controlling force until both children are too wrapped up in the relationship to end it easily. So they end it in the worst possible fashion, which comes after the controlling child pushes her subservient 'friend' a bit too far.
The terrifying part of this film is just how relatable both children are. Neither is evil. Both are misunderstood. Most people will probably be able to relate with both children at one point or another. This is the terrifying part, as the ending climax, which I won't fully spoil, comes about so organically that it's almost met with relief or a sense of victory--until you remember that both parties in this film are children.
