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Heavenly Creatures

  • 1994
  • 16
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
67K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,517
616
Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey in Heavenly Creatures (1994)
From his humble beginnings as a gore auteur, to the master innovator of some of Hollywood's grandest spectacles, Peter Jackson has dazzled audiences with his distinct, visionary style for more than 30 years. Through 'Bad Taste' and 'The Frighteners', two 'Lord of the Rings' trilogies and 'King Kong,' IMDb explores the unique trademarks of the Oscar-winning writer and director.
Play clip1:33
Watch A Guide to the Films of Peter Jackson
2 Videos
99+ Photos
BiographyCrimeDrama

Two teenage girls share a unique bond; their parents, concerned that the friendship is too intense, separate them, and the girls take revenge.Two teenage girls share a unique bond; their parents, concerned that the friendship is too intense, separate them, and the girls take revenge.Two teenage girls share a unique bond; their parents, concerned that the friendship is too intense, separate them, and the girls take revenge.

  • Director
    • Peter Jackson
  • Writers
    • Fran Walsh
    • Peter Jackson
  • Stars
    • Melanie Lynskey
    • Kate Winslet
    • Sarah Peirse
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    67K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,517
    616
    • Director
      • Peter Jackson
    • Writers
      • Fran Walsh
      • Peter Jackson
    • Stars
      • Melanie Lynskey
      • Kate Winslet
      • Sarah Peirse
    • 299User reviews
    • 97Critic reviews
    • 86Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 17 wins & 17 nominations total

    Videos2

    Heavenly Creatures
    Trailer 1:26
    Watch Heavenly Creatures
    A Guide to the Films of Peter Jackson
    Clip 1:33
    Watch A Guide to the Films of Peter Jackson

    Photos107

    Kate Winslet in Heavenly Creatures (1994)
    Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey in Heavenly Creatures (1994)
    Melanie Lynskey in Heavenly Creatures (1994)
    Kate Winslet, Melanie Lynskey, and Sarah Peirse in Heavenly Creatures (1994)
    Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey in Heavenly Creatures (1994)
    Kate Winslet in Heavenly Creatures (1994)
    Peter Jackson in Heavenly Creatures (1994)
    Melanie Lynskey at an event for Heavenly Creatures (1994)
    Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey in Heavenly Creatures (1994)
    Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey in Heavenly Creatures (1994)
    Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey in Heavenly Creatures (1994)
    Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey in Heavenly Creatures (1994)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Melanie Lynskey
    Melanie Lynskey
    • Pauline
    Kate Winslet
    Kate Winslet
    • Juliet
    Sarah Peirse
    Sarah Peirse
    • Honora
    Diana Kent
    Diana Kent
    • Hilda
    Clive Merrison
    Clive Merrison
    • Henry
    Simon O'Connor
    Simon O'Connor
    • Herbert
    Jed Brophy
    Jed Brophy
    • John…
    Peter Elliott
    Peter Elliott
    • Bill Perry
    Gilbert Goldie
    Gilbert Goldie
    • Dr. Bennett
    Geoffrey Heath
    Geoffrey Heath
    • Rev. Norris
    Kirsti Ferry
    Kirsti Ferry
    • Wendy
    Ben Skjellerup
    • Jonathan
    Darien Takle
    Darien Takle
    • Miss Stewart
    Elizabeth Moody
    Elizabeth Moody
    • Miss Waller
    Liz Mullane
    Liz Mullane
    • Mrs. Collins
    Moreen Eason
    • Mrs. Stevens
    Pearl Carpenter
    • Mrs. Zwartz
    Lou Dobson
    • Grandma Parker
    • Director
      • Peter Jackson
    • Writers
      • Fran Walsh
      • Peter Jackson
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet were so strongly into their roles that they would interact with each other as their characters off-screen.
    • Goofs
      When Juliet Hulme is introduced in the movie, it depicts her being called down by both her French and Art teachers. However, none of Hulme's instructors ever spoke to her harshly or even punished her. In fact, the opposite was true. According to classmates of Hulme, because her father was Rector of Canterbury University College and her family was English, she was treated very well by students and instructors alike. Girls Hulme attended classes with have stated in interviews that when a group of them got caught in mischief, they would simply have Hulme say it was her idea and there would be no consequences. Hulme's instructors gave her special allowances based on her father's position, even though he was not well liked by his colleagues, and Hulme's classmates found her very exotic because she was from England.
    • Quotes

      Juliet Hulme: All the best people have bad chests and bone diseases. It's all frightfully romantic.

    • Crazy credits
      Preceding the end credits: "In the hours following Honora's murder, a police search of the Rieper house unearthed Pauline's diaries. This resulted in her immediate arrest for the murder of her mother. Juliet was arrested and charged with murder the following day. After Pauline's arrest it was discovered that Honora and Herbert Rieper had never married. Pauline was therefore charged under her mother's maiden name of Parker. In August 1954, a plea of insanity was rejected by the jury in the Christchurch Supreme Court trial, and Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme were found guilty of murder. Too young for the death penalty, they were sent to separate prisons to be 'Detained at Her Majesty's Pleasure.' Juliet was released in November, 1959 and immediately left New Zealand to join her mother overseas. Pauline was released two weeks later but remained in New Zealand on parole until 1965. It was a condition of their release that they never meet again."
    • Alternate versions
      The original New Zealand version ran 108 min. Peter Jackson then cut 9 minutes from the film for the international release. (he has mentioned that the 99 min. cut is the one he prefers.)
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Interview with the Vampire/Pontiac Moon/The Santa Clause/Heavenly Creatures/Dr. Strangelove (1994)
    • Soundtracks
      Just a Closer Walk With Thee
      (Trad. Arr. Rosemary Turnbull)

      Performed by Choirs of Burnside High School, Cashmere High School, Hagley Community College,

      Villa Maria College

      Musical Director - Rosemary Turnbull

    User reviews299

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    The Fourth World of the Third Man
    Perhaps the premier concern of modern filmmakers is locating somewhere in the film exactly where the film-making process is. This is often incorrectly called irony, self-reference or the odd construction of reflexivity. I call it 'folding' and it seems to be everywhere and often in rich and engaging forms. Moreover, it seem to be a central concern of the Australian performing arts community. I imagine it can be traced back to a single person in the seventies on Bennelong Point.

    So much of what we have gotten from this tradition has enriched us all, not the least of which are the actresses who master folded acting. That's where we get a portrayal of a character and another simultaneous portrayal of an actor portraying that character. Sometimes the 'character' in these two portrayals isn't quite the same. Three mainstream film actresses today can do this. Two are Australian, and one is Kate.

    This is her first film, and it is no surprise at all that the filmmaker has chosen to build a structure that is a representation and is about representation. The original, true story is about two girls, enwrapped in mutual fantasy, probably enhanced by the flush of sex, whose fantastic adventures get out of hand. From this, Jackson reshapes it all. It is now a film about films. Now the girls' fantasy world is a Camelot driven by forces in film. They write. They sculpt characters, based on film characters. Those film characters come 'alive' and form a world in which the girls live in parallel with the real world. So far so good.

    But Jackson goes further. Some of the film prototypes are simple characters: Mario Lanza-like. Simple glamour with no pretense or irony. But there is the amazing Orson Welles also. Orson is not pretty, he is not direct, he is a folded prototype himself. The two worlds conflict, and that conflict is reflected in each world. In the Borovnian ('borrow'-nian) world, this is a conflict between two clay figures: the Welles and the Lanza, the winner getting to bed and impregnate both princesses. In the 'real' world, the conflict carries over to the two houses, and even within Juliet's house between the bookish metaphysical father and the sexy 'psychologist- but touchy-feely' mother.

    Welles was the one who reinvented the ordinary flat world of film into a melange of folding techniques. The film world since the late forties has been a combination of struggles and syntheses between the forth world of Welles and the simple dramatic stage of Griffith.

    Even the very young Kate surfs and exploits these levels with aplomb. Even as a teenager she gives us messages from each of these folds - not at precisely the same time as Julianne would later, but strongly nonetheless.

    Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 4: Worth watching.
    helpful•18
    12
    • tedg
    • Apr 29, 2003

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    FAQ25

    • How long is Heavenly Creatures?Powered by Alexa
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    • Is this a true story?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 12, 1995 (Germany)
    • Countries of origin
      • New Zealand
      • Germany
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Himmlische Kreaturen
    • Filming locations
      • Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
    • Production companies
      • WingNut Films
      • Fontana Productions
      • New Zealand Film Commission
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $5,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $3,049,135
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $31,592
      • Nov 20, 1994
    • Gross worldwide
      • $3,049,950
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 39 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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