Pretty Poison (1968)

A young man (Anthony Perkins) is released from a mental hospital after being incarcerated for arson (which killed his Aunt) from the age of 15. He is prone to fantasies and making up things. In the small Massachusetts town where he is working, he meets a teenage girl (Tuesday Weld) and tries to impress her. He will soon find out how lethal she is. Based on the book SHE LET HIM CONTINUE by Stephen Geller and directed by Noel Black. This stunning neo noir tanked when it was first released. Having no faith in the movie, 20th Century Fox pretty much dumped it on the market without any screenings for critics. Today, it is recognized for the mini-masterpiece it is. Much of it is due to Lorenzo Semple Jr.'s exact screenplay which rightly won the New York Film Critics award. Perkins and Weld inhabit their characters so precisely that you don't even think of their "acting" until the film is over and realize how magnificent they are. Kudos also to "scream queen" Beverly Garland, who gives a career best performance as Weld's bitchy mother. One would think a major career would have happened for Noel Black after this film but his star quickly crashed. With John Randolph and Joe Bova.