Meet the puffer fish whose zombifying poison can paralyse in minutes, the snake venom that can cause your whole body to haemorrhage and a bacteria that lives all around us oozing the most deadly substance known to man.

With stunning animation and macro-photography we feel the full force of poisons as they unleash their devastating powers inside the human body. From spitting spiders, killer snails and hair-throwing tarantulas, Poison! confronts nature’s strangest killers. Yet some of their poisons are also saving millions of lives: the poison of the African willow bush could be a powerful new weapon against cancer; snake venom is preventing millions of heart attacks and the world's most lethal bacteria is helping young children to walk again.

Poison! takes us on a roller-coaster ride into the world of poisons. By mixing an extraordinary range of film techniques from reconstruction, actuality, time-lapse and high speed photograph, ground-breaking animation and special effects, the latest in macro-photography and natural history, the boundaries of the documentary genre have been pushed to their limits.

Poison! goes beyond just recounting what happens to victims who confront these killers but delves inside the human body showing just how poisons affect our bodies. From the deadly affects of snake venom to an anaphylactic reaction to a wasp sting we witness the full horror of killer poisons in our bodies. From the zombifying effects of the puffer fish we re-live the spine-chilling experiences of those who have escaped near-death with nature’s most deadly toxins. But Poison! goes well beyond just recounting what happens to the victims. Whilst showing the damage poisons can cause in the wrong hands we also see just how precious poisons can be, saving millions of lives every year from the treatment of heart disease to cancer.

Remarkable close tracking shots following tarantulas and high speed shots of spiders spitting venomous webs were achieved by using medical endoscopes and specialist cold lights. The in-body journeys are heightened by wonderful alien sound fx that create frighteningly realistic mood.

From the projection of poisonous spiders and scorpions on the night skyline of New York City to colourful explosions of poisons as devices to transition sequences, from split screens, crash zooms and technically challenging blue screens the film is visual treat.

Publicity

“Very stylish and innovatively executed. Probably the best use of victims as actors I’ve seen to date. Well done.” Greg Diefenbach, Devillier Donegan Enterprises.

To view Press Clippings of Poison! CLICK HERE

Awards

International Wildlife Film Festival, Missoula 2002 – Merit Award for Special Effects and Animation.

National Academy of Television Arts and Science 2002 – Emmy nominations for Best Director, Best Music and Sound, Best Graphic and Artistic Design.

Television Special Monitor Award 2002

New York Film Festival 2001 – Silver Medal for Best Special Effects, Bronze Medal for Best Animation.

Links

Credits

Supervising Producer: Sarah Cunliffe
Producer and Director: Nick Stringer
Year: 2001
Duration: 50 mins
Editor: Rick Aplin
Music: Elizabeth Parker
Narration: Ron David
Natural History Photography: Tony Allen, Keith Brust Sync
Photography: Paul Williams, Robin Probyn
Animation: BBC Resources 3D London
Production Manager: Angela Palmerton
Assistant Producer: Madelaine Westwood

A Big Wave Productions Ltd. Production for National Geographic Television