Heavenly Creatures

"Not all angels are innocent."

1994 1h 49m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 1,069

DramaFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Precocious teenager Juliet moves to New Zealand with her family and soon befriends the quiet, brooding Pauline through their shared love of fantasy and literature. This friendship gradually develops into an intense and obsessive bond.

“Not all angels are innocent.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Melanie Lynskey
Pauline Parker
Kate Winslet
Juliet Hulme
Sarah Peirse
Honorah Parker Rieper
Diana Kent
Hilda Hulme
Clive Merrison
Dr. Henry Hulme
Simon O'Connor
Herbert Rieper
Jed Brophy
John / Nicholas
Peter Elliott
Bill Perry

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter Jackson
Writers: Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh
Languages: English
Countries: New Zealand, United States of America, Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 61% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

32 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: New Zealand, United States of America, Germany.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Peter Jackson, shot by Alun Bollinger. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Peter Dasent. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jamie Selkirk shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet and Sarah Peirse carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Not all angels are innocent.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter Jackson directs. Alun Bollinger behind the camera. Peter Dasent scores. Jamie Selkirk cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in New Zealand, United States of America, Germany. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 61% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
232 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 3 countries: New Zealand, United States of America, Germany.
4Directed by Peter Jackson, shot by Alun Bollinger. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Peter Dasent. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Jamie Selkirk shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet and Sarah Peirse carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Not all angels are innocent.".
9IMDB entry: tt0110005 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 13 themes, including "mother", "obsession", "literature", "christchurch".
11Released under 14 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Alun Bollinger
Original score: Peter Dasent
Editing: Jamie Selkirk
Production design: Grant Major
Costume design: Ngila Dickson
Makeup / hair: Marjory Hamlin
Runtime: 109 min · 1h 49m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $5,000,000
Box office: $3,049,135
Return: 61% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Heavenly Creatures (1994)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Peter Jackson

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

badelf2023-04-14
★ 9/10
Should be required viewing in Parenting 101 courses. And also for anyone who thinks conversion therapy for gender issues is the solution. This film was the first jewel in the crown of Peter Jackson, a truly creative director, with clear vision. We're not worthy.
Filipe Manuel Neto2023-11-01
★ 7/10
An excellent film that shows the talent of Peter Jackson and the strength and commitment of a magnificent duo of young actresses. I really liked this film. Like the overwhelming majority of people, I didn't know about the real crime behind the story of this film, where the friendship between two teenagers turns into a sexual and romantic obsession and leads the two young women to kill the mother of one of them, in hope that they can run away or stay together. Directed by Peter Jackson, still a long way from dreaming that he would be as successful as “The Lord of the Rings”, the film is excellent and does a great job in terms of recreating the events and psychology of the two central characters. Of course, according to what I've read, the facts are not entirely clear as to the nature of the relationship the two girls had, but it seems quite clear that, at the very least, there was a very strong obsession between them and a certain dissociation from reality. , through the creation of a fantasy alternative world that functioned as an escape. The film shows us this clearly and manages to maintain a certain ambiguity where it seems most necessary. This was the debut film for young Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynksey. None of them seem exactly like newcomers or inexperienced in the cinematographic art, which can only be a revealing parameter of talent, and of the great qualities that both have revealed since then, most especially Winslet, who has dedicated more time to cinema and achieved a different level of recognition. In addition to them, we also have the excellent performances by Sarah Peirse, Clive Morrison and Diana Kent, in the role of three of the paternal figures. Technically, the film doesn't have any major problems. The pace is ideal, there are no dead moments or situations that seem to be too much or to have been stilted, and the editing is very good and well executed. The cinematography is excellent, with great color and light, particularly in the fantasy scenes, where we enter the fantastic world that these young women created for themselves. The sets are good and, together with the costumes, recreate the period portrayed with verisimilitude. The filming locations are magnificent, very well selected and used. The soundtrack is equally good.
Chandler Danier2024-08-12
★ 9/10
I had no idea what this story was about. I had no idea what these girls were about. Great to put it all together and shocking to see them carry it out. And it happened. And one is an author...crazy. This is so crazy. The camera sure does lots of moves.