The Young Poisoner’s Handbook

Set in postwar Britain, the narrative situates a teenage crisis in a era of limited psychological understanding and evolving forensic methods. The late 1950s into the early 1960s provide the backdrop for Graham Young’s formative years, his crimes, and subsequent confinement. This period reflects social attitudes toward psychiatry, punishment, and rehabilitation that shape the story’s framing.

The story begins in Neasden, a London suburb, before moving through institutional spaces that shape Graham's life. It traverses a domestic home, a psychiatric hospital where treatment attempts occur, a factory where the poisonings resume, and the prison system that confines him. These settings highlight the journey from adolescence to criminal adulthood and the institutions involved in attempts at rehabilitation and punishment.

🧪 Obsession

Graham Young’s fixation with death and the macabre drives his actions. His high intelligence and chemistry skills amplify a dangerous curiosity about poisoning. The film traces how the lure of danger can escalate into compulsion, pushing him toward increasingly lethal experiments. This obsession anchors the narrative and reveals the line between genius and moral decline.

🎭 Deceit

Deception sits at the core of the story: Graham’s manipulation extends to borrowing dreams from a fellow prisoner and presenting a façade of reform to doctors. He maintains a calm, cooperative front while secretly engineering poison, eroding trust within families, medical professionals, and colleagues. The film shows how deceit can persist even within therapeutic and institutional settings, until exposure becomes unavoidable.

⚖️ Consequences

The narrative builds toward arrest, trial, and confinement, illustrating society's attempt to contain dangerous behavior. The hospital and prison serve as endpoints for his dangerous arc, while the doctors' efforts at rehabilitation confront the limits of treatment. The eventual outcomes—custodial sentences and self-poisoning—highlight the somber consequences of his actions and the gravity of accountability.