This Mexican horror/fantasy is a tale told from a child's perspective, so much so that all of the adult characters in the story are only ever partially shown – an arm, a leg, a hand, etc. It's quite a good stylistic choice and creates very much a child's world. It focuses on two young girls who meet at a Catholic school, one of whom claims to be a witch. Events transpire to back this up somewhat and so both of them then go on an extended search for ingredients to make a poison that will kill fairies, who are traditional enemies of witches.This is quite far from being a straight horror film. Its focus on folklore aligns it more with the fantasy genre, while its coming-of-age central storyline is not always interested in the macabre. It is certainly an interesting work from a stylistic perspective, yet not much really happens in its runtime and it does consequently drag somewhat at times. Its punctuated by some dreamlike imagery of witches and the like and these add some atmosphere. But the feeling I had mainly was this was a film that never really maximised its potential. It has excellent ingredients, just not mixed in quite the right way.

The movie is filmed in Mexico taking place during the sixties. We have Flavia an aristocratic girl of 11 being the new kid on the block. She befriends Veronica, pretty blonde and angelic face who lives with her grandmother and nanny. Her parents died but it's never specified how. Veronica is not really popular in school with the other kids claiming she is a witch. Flavia gets intrigued by this and asks Veroinica if she can cast a spell on her piano teacher as she really hates the lessons. Much to Flavia's surprise the spell actually works but not like she wanted it. Flavia who is kind-hearted feels guilty and Veronica handily takes advantage of that, manipulating her friend to do things she never dared or give away things that are dear to Flavia. How long can Flavia take the psychological domination from her friend? The movie really isn't for the ones expecting horror even the atmosphere is one of a youth drama. I would say psychological thriller at most. The whole movie is focused on the 2 girls (I don't think there is any scene which doesn't have either Flavia or Veronica in it) which is even enforced by rarely showing the faces of the adults. They are usually filmed from the back or chest height. Kudos to the director, really loved that technique. There is lots of scenes (different places outside in mostly sunny landscapes) where the girls gather the most strange ingredients to eventually make the poison for fairies. According to Veronica fairies are the enemies of witches that's why she wants them dead. Most of the scenes look pretty innocent even lovely, fun between two friends. However the ending is quite unexpected and pretty strong. During the whole movie I thought about giving it a 7 or 7,5 but that ending was so good I give it an 8/10.

There are many things I liked about this film... the main thing being that everything that happens in the film is entirely plausible. To me, that is an essential ingredient for a good suspense film (I would not classify this as a horror film, which to me, implies a lot of slash and gore... although the film does open up with such a scene, it is incongruous with the rest of the story). Another thing that I really liked was the way that we never see the faces of the adults, and in fact, rarely see their heads. Most shots of the adults are of their feet and legs, sometimes their torsos. In this way, it's a bit reminiscent of watching a Charlie Brown cartoon. This technique allows us to focus on the children, and shows the adults as being peripheral to everything that is going on in the little girls' room. I think the main theme is bullying, and it shows how easily a relationship like this can be established, not just among children. I never had the idea that Flavia actually liked Veronica, but once she was convinced of Veroncia's powers (and again, this happened in a very convincing and plausible way), she was terrified of her and also felt beholden to her. I love the way that the offhand remarks that the adults make in response to the children's questions about witches, the devil, etc. form a part of the girls' psychological landscape, influencing their future actions. It is just such a chance conversation with her father that moves Flavia to take her final decisive action when she is threatened with separation from her beloved pet. A very atmospheric piece, with a lot of the action happening in broad daylight in very beautiful settings. My husband wandered into the room several times while I was watching it without ever suspecting that I was watching a "horror" film.

At first, Poison for the Fairies may remind American viewers of the classic "Wonderful World of Disney" feature films, leading some people to believe they have been tricked into watching a children's movie. However, it is not for children. It is instead an atmospheric, absorbing fairy tale about two little girls and their intense, unsettling friendship--if one can rightly call a relationship based on psychological dominance as "friendly." The plot is deceptively simple: Lonely, aristocratic Flavia comes to a new school, where she instantly grabs the attention of Veronica, a girl from a lower-class family, who pretends to be a witch in order to comfort herself for a lack of power in the real world. All the other girls have long since learned to ignore Veronica, but Flavia is just innocent enough to believe that Veronica truly is a witch, her beliefs helped along once several macabre coincidences seem to reinforce Veronica's claims that she possesses black magic. Gradually the line between childhood friendship and a master and slave is blurred, and Veronica's games of make-believe witchcraft have filled Flavia with a fear and despair that are far too real.People who expect a traditional horror film will definitely be disappointed in Poison for the Fairies. The pace of the film, along with the lack of violence or even blood, may be too slow for some viewers to tolerate. Visually, the film looks dated, and certain stylistic techniques (particularly the lengths to which the camera goes in avoiding the faces of adults) seem a little hackneyed. But all in all, this is a film of culminating, creepy horror building to a shocking but inevitable denouement, and well worth a watch.