Poison Ivy: The New Seduction

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Poison Ivy: The New Seduction
Directed by	Kurt Voss
Produced by	Catalaine Knell
Written by	Karen Kelly
Starring	Jaime Pressly Michael Des Barres Megan Edwards Greg Vaughan Susan Tyrrell Athena Massey Susan Ward
Music by	Reg Powell
Cinematography	Feliks Parnell
Editing by	John Rosenberg
Distributed by	New Line Cinema
Release date(s)	May 20, 1997 (USA)
Running time	95 min. (unrated version)
Language	English
Budget	Unknown
Preceded by	Poison Ivy II: Lily
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Poison Ivy: The New Seduction is a 1997 erotic thriller and drama film starring Jaime Pressly. It was directed by Kurt Voss and written by Karen Kelly. The original music score is composed by Reg Powell. The film is marketed with the tagline "All the rules are about to be broken."

[edit] General Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Poison Ivy: The New Seduction focuses on the central conflict between the obsessed hedonist Violet and her friend and foe Joy of a more complacent and sensible personality.

The drama's only setting is the Greer family's California hillside mansion. In 1987 Ivan and Catherine Greer live with their 9-year-old daughter Joy and their housekeeper Rebecca and her two daughters, Ivy 9, and Violet 8. The three young girls live as sisters but the more rambunctious Ivy is bored by their childish games of tea and rejoices at Ivan's unexpected early day return from the office, "There's going to be fireworks."

As Ivy predicts, Ivan catches Rebecca in bed with the handsome pool boy, and the two men scuffle. As Ivan tends to his wounds he and Rebecca begin a loud argument about their adulterous affair. The shouting brings Catherine's attention from the garden, who upon learning of the affair immediately evicts Rebecca and her children. Rebecca retaliates that Catherine is unfulfilling to Ivan's sexual desires. As she and her daughters leave the Greer mansion Joy is heartbroken to lose her only known siblings.

In 1997 the Nordic beauty Violet returns to Greer home and is reunited with Joy for the first time in ten years. Violet states that she is looking for a summer time residence while working as a waitress at Denny's Restaurants and planning to attend the local Junior College. Joy suggests that she reside with them and stay in the late Catherine's room. Joy is an amateur tennis star and engaged to her Princeton boyfriend Michael whom will be working as an intern for Mr. Greer's bank.

During a late night party Violet feels isolated and ridiculed by Joy's Ivy League friends and excuses herself for late shift work. Afterwards Michael takes Joy to her room and initiates foreplay only to be rejected. He accuses Joy of being sexual frigid and insultingly says he understands her father's infidelity. As Michael is on his way out he runs into Violet dressed in a sadomasochistic costume which causes him to question her employment at Denny's. Violet quickly initiates sex with him.

Violet's obsession with Joy motivates her to destroy all of her other relationships. When her tennis partner Jamie comes over to practice with Joy, Violet spikes their drinks with alcohol and then undresses in bed with the unconscious and handcuffed Jaimie convincing her the three have just engaged in sex. A horrified, half clothed, and handcuffed Jamie flees the Greers thus ending their friendship.

Michael is Violet's next target. While by the Greer pool she convinces him Joy has been unfaithful and seduces him into sex and provides him with cocaine to reignite his former addiction. Michael is not appreciative of her vices and vows never to see her again, thus confirming her bias that all men uncaring and deceitful.

Ivan is the next to be seduced as Violet sabotages his date, swims topless in his pool, and dresses in his late wife's clothing. The two wish to rekindle the passion between Ivan's affair with Rebecca.

The Greer house keeper Mrs. B quickly catches on to the affair and makes enemies with Violet in her attempts to thwart her schemes.

Michael confronts Violet while she is "street walking". He has lost his internship at the bank due to drugs and reveals that he knows of her schemes including working as a sadomasochistic prostitute, her false employment at Denny's, and her dark family history including the death of Ivy. (Alluding to the original film.) He threatens that she must leave the Greers before he tells Joy the truth.

When Michael arrives at the Greers' later that day, Violet attacks him and murders him with a drug overdose.

Joy returns from a failed tennis match distraught at the recent drama of events only to learn of Michael's death and walk in on her father and Violet in sadomasochism. As a traumatized Joy flees, Ivan tells Violet she must leave, to which she accuses him of repeating the abandonment of her mother. She knocks Ivan unconscious and places him in the garage fatally poisoning him with carbon monoxide by leaving a car engine running.

After a drive Joy returns that same night to now discover Mrs. B also murdered. Violet induces Joy to dress up and play tea like children where they will commit suicide by drinking poison. Joy violently resists and during the brawl, Violet suffers a fatal fall down the stairs.

Joy calmly exits the mansion. The loss of her entire family circle is saddening, but it may provide her with the opportunity to begin anew and leave behind the darkness of her family past.