POISON IVY (1992) 

• Director: Katt Shea
• Cast: Drew Barrymore, Sara Gilbert, Tom Skerritt, Cheryl Ladd
• Film: 93mins | USA | No Subtitles | Intermission
• Event: 20:45 – 23:15 [18+]

“Ivy thought her best friend had the perfect house, the perfect family, the perfect life. So she took them.”

In the early 90s, as the erotic thriller genre exploded at the box office, studios asked the inevitable question: why couldn’t we make these exact same films for and starring teens? Well, lots of sensible reasons, you might answer – but no-one at the time did, and so the teen erotic thriller was born!

We’re glad this problematic genre exists, because it enabled Roger Corman protégée Katt Shea to subvert New Line Cinema’s expectations and make POISON IVY (1992) – a sensational but complex portrait of intense female friendship that was detested by the studio and attacked by critics but found generation after generation of fans, who have read it as everything from queer coming of age story to class warfare film. “They wanted straight exploitation,” Shea said, “and I gave them Poison Ivy.”

Sylvie Cooper is a lonely outcast with a troubled home life, that is until she meets a new friend, – ‘Ivy’. The two quickly grow enamoured, and before long Ivy has wrapped her tendrils around the family completely.

POISON IVY was the comeback vehicle for 16-year-old Drew Barrymore, freshly recovered from early addiction and looking to make the jump from forgotten child star into her GIRL TRASH GODDESS era. She very nearly didn’t get the role, standing Shea up for multiple meetings and cementing her problem-child reputation. But at the last minute she pulled it together, stayed sober and – just like her character – used everything in her arsenal to make everyone on set fall in love with her. 

Come see what all the fuss was about – and decide for yourself what kind of film Katt Shea actually made.

Polite notice: We are screening POISON IVY without subtitles from the best available digital source.

/// GIRL TRASH celebrates the femme filmmakers of trash and exploitation cinema, hosted by Zodiac Film Club and Token Homo. All films are served with introductions, intermissions, prize giveaways, and subtitles / captions where possible. Tickets from £3.50 + fees. Adults 18+ only. Follow @zodiacfilmclub and @tokenhomo on Instagram for info and updates. Please contact the venue for access information. ///