Although Alfred Hitchcock is one of my all time favourite directors, not everything he did was great and he did some misfires too. This is true with his episodes of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' as director as well. While there were fantastic episodes (that were season and series high points), such as Season 1's "Breakdown", there were also misfires such as Season 2's "Wet Saturday" (which also boasted one of the series' worst performances). Roald Dahl was a childhood favourite author of mine and am still fond of his work, and this is one of his best short stories.
"Poison" is an absolutely brilliant first episode to Season 4, to me it is a very strong contender for the best 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' opener. It is a great representation of Dahl's work too, though very different to the family literature that he is so famous and justly highly regarded for. In my view as well, it is one of the master of suspense's best episodes of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', along with "Breakdown", "One More Mile to Go" and "Lamb to the Slaughter".
It is impeccably acted by Wendall Corey and James Donald, Donald really unnerves in a difficult role that is very reliant on facial expressions and body language than words and where one really feels the sweat. While Corey is at his most unsettlingly insensitive. The chemistry is very strong throughout.
Hitchcock's bookending is humorously ironic, which gels with the story with ease, with no sense of jarring or disjointed-ness, and his direction is some of his most tension filled and most inspired in look and atmosphere. He wasn't coined the Master of Suspense for nothing. "Poison" is one of the series' best looking episodes, with the eerily moody photography being very atmospheric and more cinematic than most 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episodes. "Funeral March of a Marionette" was an inspired and perfect choice for the series' main theme.
Furthermore, "Poison" is extremely well written and intelligently adapted, unmistakably Dahl at his darkest and also unmistakably Hitchcock. This sounds like an odd couple on paper, with the two being very different in style but that odd coupling feel did not at all translate on screen. The story is full of dark suspense and unnerving dread, while also having some offbeat-ness. The story didn't to me feel padded or over-stuffed, while also being easy to follow without being simplistic, actually didn't find the ending too prematurely easy to figure out and it stayed with me for a while after.
Overall, a brilliant start to Season 4. 10/10.
"Poison" is an absolutely brilliant first episode to Season 4, to me it is a very strong contender for the best 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' opener. It is a great representation of Dahl's work too, though very different to the family literature that he is so famous and justly highly regarded for. In my view as well, it is one of the master of suspense's best episodes of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', along with "Breakdown", "One More Mile to Go" and "Lamb to the Slaughter".
It is impeccably acted by Wendall Corey and James Donald, Donald really unnerves in a difficult role that is very reliant on facial expressions and body language than words and where one really feels the sweat. While Corey is at his most unsettlingly insensitive. The chemistry is very strong throughout.
Hitchcock's bookending is humorously ironic, which gels with the story with ease, with no sense of jarring or disjointed-ness, and his direction is some of his most tension filled and most inspired in look and atmosphere. He wasn't coined the Master of Suspense for nothing. "Poison" is one of the series' best looking episodes, with the eerily moody photography being very atmospheric and more cinematic than most 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episodes. "Funeral March of a Marionette" was an inspired and perfect choice for the series' main theme.
Furthermore, "Poison" is extremely well written and intelligently adapted, unmistakably Dahl at his darkest and also unmistakably Hitchcock. This sounds like an odd couple on paper, with the two being very different in style but that odd coupling feel did not at all translate on screen. The story is full of dark suspense and unnerving dread, while also having some offbeat-ness. The story didn't to me feel padded or over-stuffed, while also being easy to follow without being simplistic, actually didn't find the ending too prematurely easy to figure out and it stayed with me for a while after.
Overall, a brilliant start to Season 4. 10/10.