Veneno para las Hadas

    Movie Poster
    Release year
    1986
    Director
    Carlos Enrique Taboada
    Biography of director(s)
    Carlos Enrique Taboada, born on July 18th, 1929, was a Mexican writer and director best known for his horror films. His most famous movies include “Veneno para las Hadas,” “La Guerra Santa”, and “La telaraña.” He died on August 15th, 1997.
    Country
    México
    Original synopsis of the film

    In 1960s Mexico, a girl named Flavia befriends Veronica, a classmate of hers who claims she is a witch. Flavia is both intrigued and horrified by her friend’s “powers,” having nightmares about witches. As they grow closer, Veronica becomes increasingly more manipulative towards Flavia while Flavia becomes more submissive, obeying her every command. While on vacation with Flavia’s family, Veronica decides to make a “fairy poison.” After they are caught by Flavia’s parents and she confesses to what they have been doing, Veronica demands Flavia give her her dog as punishment. As Veronica prepares to complete the poison, Flavia stands up to her, trapping her in a barn she sets on fire. Holding her dog, Flavia watches as the barn goes up in flames.

    Film Awards
    Ariel Award for Best Picture 1986
    Ariel Award for Best Direction 1986
    Ariel Award for Best Cinematography 1986
    Film still
    Flavia and Veronica performing a ritual to get rid of Flavia's piano teacher

    Describes the setting of a scene in a play or a film. It refers to everything placed on the stage or in front of the camera—including people. In other words, mise en scène is a catch-all for everything that contributes to the visual presentation and overall “look” of a production. When translated from French, it means “placing on stage.”

    Setting
    Setting
    Explanation
    This scene occurs inside a barn on Flavia's family's estate. It has a rustic and familiar look, making what happens inside all the more horrifying. Ordinary objects like matches and firewood are used as weapons, transforming the barn from an everyday place into a site of violence and confrontation
    Film Still
    Flavia watching the barn burning.
    Props
    Lighting
    Lighting
    Explanation
    The scene is lit by the dim light in the cabin and later on the flames. The flames reflect on Flavia's face as she stands outside the cabin, distorting her features. This makes her appear sinister, highlighting the cruelty of her act. It also makes her expressions the emotional focus of this scene.
    As the flames grow, smoke begins to fill the cabin, making Veronica seem blurred. This shifts away the viewer's attention from her and onto Flavia, showing how she loses her hold on Flavia as she begins to die.
    Film Still
    Lighting on Flavia
    Costume
    Hair and Makeup
    Explanation
    Flavia and Veronica wear dresses, Mary Jane shoes, and bows in their hair, clothing suitable for their age and class. They look like the stereotype of a proper little girl, which makes the violence that happens more unsettling because the viewers are reminded that the characters are just children.
    The clothing highlights the contrast between their supposed childlike innocence and the capacity for manipulation and violence that humans of all ages possess.
    Film Still
    Veronica's hair and costume
    Figure Behavior
    Representative Clip

    This is the art of photography and visual storytelling in a motion picture or television show. Cinematography comprises all on-screen visual elements, including lighting, framing, composition, camera motion, camera angles, film selection, lens choices, depth of field, zoom, focus, color, exposure, and filtration. Cinematography sets and supports the overall look and mood of a film’s visual narrative. Each visual element that appears on screen, a.k.a. the mise-en-scène of a film, can serve and enhance the story—so it is the cinematographer’s responsibility to ensure that every element is cohesive and support the story. Filmmakers often choose to spend the majority of their budget on high-quality cinematography to guarantee that the film will look incredible on the big screen.

    Point of View
    Point of View
    Comments
    One of the most important cinematographic pieces of the movie is it's point of view. "Veneno Para Las Hadas" is told entirely through the children's point of view. Although Flavia's parents, Veronica's grandmother, and Madame Ricard are characters in the movie, their faces are never shown on-screen, mostly only existing as voices. This omission allows the horror to center on the children's perspective. It also creates the impression that adult authority is powerless or distant, leaving the girls' world to be entirely self-contained and that they must face the increasing horror throughout the film all by themselves. As seen in the film still, Flavia's parents appear as shadows or at best are seen from behind, their faces never revealed. Most of the movie has eye-level shots that put us eye-to-eye with Flavia and Veronica, allowing us to see the world of "Veneno para Las Hadas" through their eyes only.
    Film Still
    Flavia's parents faces are never shown even though they are characters within the film.
    Quality
    Quality
    Comments
    Color greatly shapes the tone and meaning of the film. The color palette for "Veneno para Las Hadas" is a mix of pastels, warm browns, and earthy tones, shown in the girls' homes and their clothing. This allows the scenes to feel homey and nostalgic, almost how one might remember one's childhood. This color scheme also provides a connection to the fairy-tale aspect of the movie. The girls are dressed in soft, pastel colors that match with the interiors of their homes, creating a soothing color palette that contrasts with the psychological horror and unease that prevails throughout the movie. In scenes where Veronica is performing witchcraft and where the horror becomes more overt, we can see harsher colors being used, such as the bright red of the fire or the harsh shadows on the girls, which shows how the shifts in color hint to the shifts in mood. For the most part though, the colors used in "Veneno para Las Hadas" are incredibly deliberate and reinforce the film's blend of naivete and sinister cruelty.
    Film Still
    Flavia is dressed in pastel purple that matches with the set.
    All the items in the movie fit with one particular color scheme.
    Framing
    Framing
    Comments
    Framing in this film is carefully controlled to create a sense of intimacy and vulnerability between the two girls. The use of eye-level shots positioned at Flavia and Veronica's heights allows us to directly drop into the scene with then. Throuh this framing technique we are able to stay within the girls' physical space instead of taking an adult perspective. As mentioned in the Point of View section, this leads to a highly subjective experience of the events of the film, as we are only able to experience what happens through the lens of a easily impressionable, confused, and scared little girl instead of knowing the full story.
    When adults appear, they are partially framed and we see them as though we would be the same height as Flavia and Veronica. This allows for a level of separation between us and the adults in the film, showing that they are inaccessible for help and support for Flavia and Veronica and that they must fend for themselves.
    Film Still
    We are able to experience the girls' interactions at eye level, making them feel more personal.
    Scale
    Comments
    Medium shots dominate, allowing us to observe the girl's interactions and body language while also being able to take in their surroundings. Close-ups are used, but not as frequently, and are purposely used in moments of fear, manipulation, or conflict. This draws attention to the girls' emotions and heightens the psychological tension we feel.
    Close-ups are most noticeably used in the final scene of the film, where we see how even "good" characters are capable of true evil. In this scene, Flavia has finally understood the unhealthy and dangerous amount of power Veronica holds over her, so she starts a fire and traps Veronica inside. As we watch the flames consume Veronica, we also see a close-up of Flavia watching the scene unfold. This close-up (seen in the first still) adds to the disturbing nature of this final scene, where we see a child commit such a cruel act of violence.
    Film Still
    The disturbing final scene.
    Most shots are medium-close up allowing us to focus on the relationship between the 2 girls.
    Movement
    Movement
    Comments
    The camera employs tracking shots instead of more dramatic motion. They play a major role in shaping how the viewer experiences the girls
    world. These shots frequently trails behind the girls as they walk, creating a sense that we are physically moving with them rather than observing from far away. This adds to the subjective point of view of the movie, as if we are seeing the world through a child-level perspective.
    At the same time, the camera moves quite slowly and deliberately, creating the sensation that the girls are being watched by some unseen presence. This gives the film an eerie tone, adding to the unsettling nature of "Veneno Para Las Hadas." These movements allow us to gradually take in the girls' surrounding environment.

    Editing is the process of putting a film together–the selection and arrangement of shots and scenes. Editing can condense space and time, emphasize separate elements and bring them together, and organize material in such a way that patterns of meaning become apparent. In addition, editing can determine how a film is perceived: for instance, quick, rapid cuts can create a feeling of tension, while a long take can create a more dramatic effect. The first photoplays generally had no cutting, owing to the fact that they were single-reel films; once filming began, you could not stop until the film ran out. (https://filmglossary.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/term/editing/)

    Coherence, Continuity, and Rhythym
    Comments
    The film's editing emphasizes coherence and continuity, keeping the viewer grounded in the girls' world without drawing attention to the cuts. It employs a style of continuity editing for the most part, making the story feel realistic and plot points to flow into each other. Stylistically, this allows for the tension to steadily grow as the movie progresses. When more unsettling moments happen, the film employs jerky cuts, that stand out precisely because they are used very sparingly in contrast to the otherwise smooth transitions. Overall, the consistent rhythm, occasionally disrupted by jarring transitions, helps build the eerily calm atmosphere of the film.
    Editing Style
    Editing Style
    Comments
    Continuity editing is employed in "Veneno Para Las Hadas." Transitions in the movie feel smooth, allowing scenes to flow naturally. This supports the film's realistic tone and allows the viewer to focus more on the relationship between the two girls rather than any stylized editing. This editing reflects the ordinary world, directly contrasting the unsettling things that unfold in the narrative.
    Transitions
    Match
    Comments
    The final scene of the movie uses an eyeline match to heighten the emotional impact of the climax. As Flavia watches the barn from afar, the editing cuts directly from her gaze to the barn engulfed in flames. The transition pulls the viewer into Flavia's perspective, making the horrifying moment feel immediate and personal. On the closing credits, her face is also superimposed onto the flames, fusing her image to the fire, implying that she cannot be separated from her actions. The technique also suggest that beneath her innocent exterior lies the capacity for violence. Although the eyeline match is simple, its very simplicity intensifies the emotional weight of the scene.
    Film Still
    The ending scene.
    Match
    Expansion and Compression of Time
    Editing General Comments

    Sound is an integral part in a film. It refers to everything that the audience hears including sound effects, words and music. Sound is used in films for various purposes, including: providing the information to the viewer about the location of the scene, heightening the mood, telling the audience about the characters and advancing the plot. Every person who watches a film realizes that the choice of voices, soundtrack and music present in a film affect the way that the viewer perceives a particular film. As a result, the sound is an important and integral element of the film, one that determines the way that the viewer experiences and understands a film as a visual experience.

    Sound Type

    Narrative analysis is an examination of the story elements, including narrative structure, character, and plot. A narrative can be considered to be the chain of events in a cause-effect relationship occurring in time and space. In order to analyze the narrative of a film, we need to first make the distinction between the plot of the film and the story of the film. This is sometimes referred to as the discourse and story of a film. Narrative may also be called the story thought story mainly refers to the events that describe the narrative.

    Plot Comments
    Story Comments
    Narrator Type
    Narrative Structure

    Film genres are various forms or identifiable types, categories, classifications or groups of films. (Genre comes from the French word meaning "kind," "category," or "type"). These provide a convenient way for scriptwriters and film-makers to produce, cast and structure their narratives within a manageable, well-defined framework. Genres also offer the studios an easily 'marketable' product, and give audiences satisfying, expected and predictable choices. Genres refers to recurring, repeating and similar, familiar or instantly-recognizable patterns, styles, themes, syntax, templates, paradigms, motifs, rules or generic conventions.

    Category