| | | The true story of a crime that shocked the nation.
Features: DVD, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1, Dolby Digital Stereo
Thrilling and provocative, Heavenly Creatures is the highly acclaimed, true-life story of the shocking crime that stunned a nation! When circumstances bring together two bright and highly imaginative teenage schoolgirls, they quickly form an unwavering bond, creating a fantasy world that only they can share. But soon their parents, disturbed by the intensity of the friendship, threaten to keep them apart. In retaliation, the girls vow to stay together, devising a secret plan that leads to shocking consequences! With captivating performances and startlingly original visual effects, Heavenly Creatures is gripping entertainment you won't soon forget!
"...(a)uniquely powerful film..." James Berardinelli's ReelViews
"...an unforgettable experience." Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle
"...Jackson's style is poetic." Hal Hinson, The Washington Post
Editor's Note
HEAVENLY CREATURES represented a departure of sorts for horror director Peter Jackson and was the first film to earn him widespread critical acclaim. Jackson both co-wrote and co-produced the picture, which is based on an actual 1954 murder case. The two protagonists, New Zealand schoolgirls Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme, first meet when Juliet (Kate Winslet in her silver-screen debut) is introduced to Pauline's class as a new student. Pauline (Melanie Lynskey), an introvert who feels misunderstood by her family and peers, is instantly smitten with the sophisticated and self-confident newcomer, and the girls become best friends.Eventually, Pauline and Juliet begin spending more and more time together, withdrawing into a magical land of their own invention--Borovnia, a fairy-tale kingdom populated by lifesize clay figures. The girls' distraught families fear that the friendship is becoming unhealthy, and Juliet's parents decide to end things by sending their daughter away. Faced with their impending separation, the girls decide nothing will tear them apart, leading to an unexpectedly grisly denouement made even more unnerving by the ignorance of their own delusion. A harrowing story of misdirected adolescent creativity, Jackson's HEAVENLY CREATURES is chillingly unforgettable.
Plot Summary
Set in a small New Zealand town in 1952, this disturbing yet fascinating film is the story of two girls from different social backgrounds who become inseparable friends. The stronger their unique bond grows, the more reluctant they are to interact with the outside world, and they begin to invent an alternate reality for themselves from which everyone else is barred. When their parents' intervention finally threatens to disrupt their fantasy, the girls decide to strike back--with horrific consequences.
| Features | Theatrical Trailer | | English Dolby Surround |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Buena Vista |
| Release Date: 1/10/2006 |
| Running Time: 99 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1994 | | Catalog ID: 1744703 | | UPC: 00717951002976 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1995) | | | Francis Walsh, Peter Jackson, Nominee, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly For The Screen |
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| | Professional Reviews | Premiere
"...Exhilaratingly weird....Cruel logic and pitch-black humor..." - Recommended 06/01/1995 p.117Rolling Stone
"...A startling and haunting film....Blazing performances..." 11/03/1994 p.104-106 New York Times
"...A feverish intensity to recommend it....[Lynskey and Winslet are] disturbingly effective..." 11/16/1994 p.C17 Entertainment Weekly
"...Intense and disturbing....Breathtakingly vital..." -- Rating: A 05/19/1995 p.72 Film Comment
"...Major passion, seamless narrative...and a berserk admonitory vibrancy....The film is inspired..." 11/01/1995 p.80-1 Los Angeles Times
"...CREATURES has a witty, overwrought visual style that the girls themselves would probably favor, and it makes good dramatic use of state-of-the-art special effects..." 11/23/1994 p.F1 Chicago Sun-Times
"...Enthralling and frightening..." 11/23/1994 p.54 USA Today
"...Unknowns Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet are exceptional finds..." 05/26/1995 p.8D Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
Casting is a delicate matter in telling a story like this, and in Melanie Lynskey as Pauline and Kate Winslet as Juliet, Jackson has found the right two actresses. There is a way Lynskey has of looking up from beneath glowering eyebrows that lets you know her insides are churning. And Juliet, superficially so "bright" and normal, laughs too much, agrees too quickly, always exists just this side of hysteria... In the case of Pauline and Juliet, that truth is complicated by their own emotional maladjustments. What makes Jackson's film enthralling and frightening is the way it shows these two unhappy girls, creating an alternative world so safe and attractive they thought it was worth killing for. - Roger Ebert
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