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Heavenly Creatures

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Heavenly Creatures (1994)

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95 %
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Reviews Counted: 42

Fresh: 40

Rotten:2

Average Rating: 8.3/10

Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: 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... 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. [More]

Starring: Melanie Lynskey, Kate Winslet, Sarah Peirse, Diana Kent

Starring: Melanie Lynskey, Kate Winslet, Sarah Peirse, Diana Kent, Clive Merrison, Simon O'Connor

Director: Peter Jackson

Director: Peter Jackson

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Sep 24, 2002

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Heavenly Creatures
  • 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!
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for Heavenly Creatures

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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    The inner tension of the film emerges from Jackson's enjoyment of the girls' bustling insanity and then his gradual withdrawal from it.

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
    03/11/08
    Rob Gonsalves
    eFilmCritic.com

    Combines original vision, a drop-dead command of the medium and a successful marriage between a dazzling, kinetic techno-show and a complex, credible portrait of the out-of-control relationship between the crime's two schoolgirl perpetrators.

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    02/11/08
    David Rooney
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Unlike the campy excess of Jackson's earlier Dead Alive, deliberate overkill ltimately points toward a dearth of ideas rather than a surfeit.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
    02/11/08
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    01/10/08
    John A. Nesbit
    Old School Reviews

    This incredible film may be director Peter Jackson's masterpiece.

    Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
    02/07/07
    Jeffrey M. Anderson
    Combustible Celluloid

    A dark, astounding film from Peter Jackson, showing his mastery of blending fact and fantasy. A deserved winner of Venice Festival's Silver Lion and Toronto Fest's Critics Award. Along with Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, this is 1994's most audacious film.

    Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
    12/04/06
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com

    Fantasy and reality blur in a chilling film that shows Jackson's limitless potential

    comment Comment
    09/06/06
    Rob Thomas
    Capital Times (Madison, WI)

    Acted with conviction, and directed and written with febrile vibrancy.

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    06/24/06
    Geoff Andrew
    Time Out

    The movie that first got Jackson & Winslet noticed

    comment Comment
    03/29/06
    Lori Hoffman
    Atlantic City Weekly

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    07/18/05
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    07/07/05
    Joe Williams
    St. Louis Post-Dispatch

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    06/29/05
    Jon Niccum
    Lawrence Journal-World

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    04/22/05
    Philip Martin
    Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    02/20/04
    Carol Cling
    Las Vegas Review-Journal

    Peter Jackson creates a rich, haunting atmosphere, deftly juggling the eerily giddy fantasy world of the girls and their harsh, violent reality.

    Full Review Source: Mr. Brown's Movies | comment Comment
    01/11/04
    Michael Dequina
    Mr. Brown's Movies

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    08/01/03
    Tony Toscano
    Talking Pictures (U.S.)

    A disturbing, boldly conceived story.

    Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
    07/30/03
    TV Guide's Movie Guide

    An odd, but mostly effective mix of melodrama, fantasy and voice-over.

    Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
    05/20/03
    Monica Hayde
    Palo Alto Weekly

    Stylish and eerily compelling before it overplays its campy excesses, Heavenly Creatures does have a feverish intensity to recommend it.

    Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
    05/20/03
    Janet Maslin
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    02/13/03
    Mike McGranaghan
    Aisle Seat
     
     
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