Heavenly Creatures

Heavenly Creatures

1994
Romance, Drama
1h 39m
Two girls have an intense fantasy life; their parents, concerned the fantasy is too intense, separate them, and the girls take revenge. (imdb)
Your probable score
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Heavenly Creatures

1994
Romance, Drama
1h 39m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 62.84% from 2499 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(2499)
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Rated 14 Aug 2007
84
81st
Such a graceful and dynamic camera, such wit and imagination, such boldness. Very impressive work, but it's hard not to get annoyed with the main characters.
Rated 28 Dec 2008
1
12th
PSI 89. What the hell? I don't get why this is so critically acclaimed and has achieved such a cult following. It's stupid. The 2 leads are husky, elitist, idiotic lesbians who, besides Winslet's health, have the most petty problems I have ever seen. Oh no, people don't get me. I'm soooo original. My friend is moving away. Boo-hoo. Shut the fuck up and get over it. You killed your mom cause she wouldn't let you move to Africa? YOU ARE 14 BITCH. No parent would allow that. My God.
Rated 20 Jan 2009
9
90th
An intense and fascinating film that's remarkable in a number of ways - the dynamic cinematography, the wonderful imagination, the acting, the frenetic editing...everything is top notch. Kate Winslet is particularly good.
Rated 01 Mar 2009
68
78th
Perfectly scripted real story of two young very imaginative (and spoiled, i might add) girls, who are more than just a friends. And in the end decides to kill one of their mothers, so they could stay together. I loved aggressive shooting tecniques of this movie. Camera never stands still, It follows characters, it runs with them, it goes up and down. I was fascinated with the way it was filmed. I think acting was good to, because i really wanted to bitchslap Winslet's character:)
Rated 30 Mar 2007
100
95th
Brilliant. Wild and beautiful and terrifying
Rated 27 Jan 2008
88
77th
I love how this film somehow manages to turn a joyful comedy about two lesbians into a dark murder drama in a blink of an eye. An excellent entry in Jackson's very eclectic filmography.
Rated 30 Aug 2008
91
95th
fantastic
Rated 27 Jan 2007
92
88th
Winslett's performance is mind blowing. Unfathomable how she didn't win the Oscar for this one.
Rated 06 Feb 2007
55
62nd
Some strong acting, some interesting fantasy elements, but ultimately a film about teenage lesbians made by a man who has experience with neither teenage girls nor lesbians.
Rated 24 Feb 2007
60
62nd
Good film.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
72nd
If one more person says that Peter Jackson can only do big budget special effects films, I'm going to hit them over the head multiple times with this movie.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
95
97th
Although it's Peter Jackson's break through film, I feel that it's over looked now as the terrific psychological drama it is. Jackson really created another world with his special effects and told the story with them, not pasting them on top to make it look good. These effects are intrigated with the plot. I think it's Jackson's greatest film.
Rated 16 Nov 2008
85
89th
The perfect blend of a director's artistic individuality and a true story as the source to tell a moment in people's lives.
Rated 13 Feb 2009
60
65th
I found the two girls completly unlikable, selfish, and down right evil by the end, however it was an interesting movie to say the least.
Rated 09 Mar 2009
84
94th
An amazing performance by Winslet and a truly interesting, horrifying plot create a very passionate film based on a terrible true story. The film is enhanced more by Jackson's beautiful direction.
Rated 07 Jul 2009
83
89th
Powerful and audacious, Heavenly Creatures is an early feature that shows how Peter Jacskon is a visionary director.
Rated 10 Dec 2009
78
62nd
From the strikingly real performance of Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey to the way the camera acts, to the story which is both funny at times and seriously pessimistic on the other side. The time setting is one of the best (the 50s!), and the movie raised to me quite some questions about love, homosexuality, society and culture. Even the special effects kind of fit into this movie although one would expect they wouldn't. Above many dramas.
Rated 28 Dec 2009
95
96th
Sublime, ultimately shocking and sad fairy tale of the modern world, in the Grimm mold. Jackson melds the real and fantasy worlds of his characters using special effects that blend seamlessly. Two actresses with clashing styles are at the core of the story.
Rated 13 Sep 2011
60
34th
Needs more clay orgy.
Rated 15 Dec 2011
55
43rd
Successfully manages to capture the febrile intensity of imagination and obsession that can only be experienced in your teenage years. Perhaps because of that, I found it a little annoying at times - there's only so much crying and snivelling I can take before mentally tuning out. I liked how the mix of fantasy and reality got more and more bizarre as the situation intensified, and the death scene is indeed chilling.
Rated 25 Dec 2011
83
78th
I loved the creative visuals, and the camera work was really impressive. Just a great, unique film.
Rated 22 Jan 2014
80
83rd
Riveting account of two impetuous young girls with gigantic imaginations. They form such a strong unnatural bond with each other that the idea of being separated is inconceivable to them. The roles of both Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey are plucky, strong, passionate, petty and utterly mesmerizing, and their intense attachment can only be described as extreme adolescent madness. Engaging and entertaining throughout, and being a true story, is every parents worst nightmare.
Rated 10 Sep 2015
70
41st
Feels sort of like a Tim Burton movie with much higher stakes and much better writing. It took a while for me to get over the dated-ness of it (all those unmistakably '90s Dutch angles and rapid zooms), not to mention the campiness, but as the film progressed both of those things seemed like assets rather than liabilities. Grows impressively towards its well-judged and genuinely horrifying climax (my jaw literally dropped even though I knew exactly what was coming), but ends far too abruptly.
Rated 12 Apr 2020
76
50th
An unusually cold (and austere) effort from Jackson has well crafted individual elements, even if Jackson can't quite mesh everything together - the girls' flights of fancy are creatively designed and executed but cause a whiplashing in tone from time to time when contrasting with the more conventional domestic drama scenes. By design, we never really get to know what makes the two leads tick, which reduces this unpleasant story to a long-winded lead-up to its horrific (if well executed) climax.
Rated 22 Nov 2020
80
75th
I was wondering how Peter Jackson directed this, and then I got to the clay orgy scene and it all made sense. Still surprising he made a dreamy film about female friendship, and then would forget everything about women when making LOTR.
Rated 31 May 2007
60
23rd
Besides seeing the girl's imaginary characters, there wasn't much there to hold my attention. Kind of a ho-hum throughout.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
5
98th
Great performances all around, beautiful cinematography and an engaging story.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
86
82nd
Watching it, it doesn't seem like a Peter Jackson film, but it definitely doesn't detrat from his resume at all. Finely acted and beautifully shot, with a powerful story.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
85th
Powerful. And a little terrifying. An insanely good drama, and then some. The acting is simply amazing.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
68th
Fascinating, but the main characters are slightly annoying, and it's a little too fantastical at points.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
95
84th
Saw it a while back so from memory... a touching story of two girls attempting to step into adulthood while maintaining their identities.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
82nd
A great story told brilliantly and through visuals that really make use of the medium.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
92
87th
Beautifully acted and directed. Kate Winslet made her debut in this film.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
100
93rd
First Peter Jackson first great movie! First Kate Winslet first breathtaking performance!
Rated 14 Aug 2007
75
27th
I kind of liked this story of friendship. Nice to see Kate Winslet before she got Titanic.
Rated 27 Aug 2007
95
98th
Unbelievably awesome, with great visuals and performances from all concerned. From the days when Peter Jackson could do no wrong, my how times have changed. toe knee :-)
Rated 16 Sep 2007
70
63rd
Solid film.
Rated 23 Oct 2007
65
17th
Wobbly narrative, poor execution. A necessarily poor movie when coming from Bad Taste, Braindead and the Feebles into drama. Which should never have happened.
Rated 16 Nov 2007
50
56th
geh ~ what a gross movie ~ great performances though.
Rated 02 Dec 2007
75
74th
I like both lead actressess in this story. As I do the director. But somehow I cannot give more points for the story. Not as much I would have given before.
Rated 02 Jan 2008
97
98th
This is the movie that got Peter Jackson LOTR. I was shocked to know so many film nrrds somehow don't know about this movie. Maybe just my friends...
Rated 04 Apr 2008
82
75th
Pretty surreal. I didn't really see the point of Pauline's relationship with the older boarder, however. The girls didn't seem very interested in boys, and there were more lesbian overtones than otherwise--although the girls were supposedly not lesbians.
Rated 05 May 2008
74
90th
eng;
Rated 15 Jun 2008
87
96th
Very Great
Rated 02 Sep 2008
80
67th
Nice movie, but not really fantastic, though a good start for Peter Jackson after his kind of horror movies.
Rated 27 Feb 2009
65
39th
The antinomy worked , but still , the first half of the movie was quite unbearable .
Rated 31 Mar 2009
72
37th
this movie has the most disturbing dead scene i've seen in my life
Rated 10 Apr 2009
75
82nd
Chilling, sensitively directed account of the dangerous mixture of fantasy and reality that precipitated a tragic and violent death. It is a considerable achievement and an unexpected advance from a director hitherto known for slapdash, gore-filled horror movies such as _Braindead_.
Rated 01 Aug 2009
60
52nd
Well performed, with some interesting character interaction. But the two lead characters are completely unlikable.
Rated 19 Aug 2009
85
63rd
Good watch. Based on a true story. Directed by Peter Jackson (LOTR)
Rated 02 Sep 2009
83
95th
Brutally amazing!
Rated 20 Oct 2009
8
80th
Brutal. Great Direction.
Rated 21 Dec 2009
86
71st
A strange, memorable film about friendship, obsession and murder. This was made back when Peter Jackson showed promise.
Rated 28 Jul 2010
80
88th
A beautifully shot, convincingly acted, engrossing dive into the minds of two obsessive teenagers, that captures their wide range of emotions in a vivid, striking and utterly memorable manner.
Rated 05 Oct 2010
80
85th
Turns out that before Peter Jackson made "Lord of the Rings", he had also directed a dark, twisted story about two disturbed if brilliant young girls and their destructive relationship. "Heavenly Creatures" is macabre and has a very cynical sense of humor, but, for the most part, it works like gangbusters. Jackson's style is innovative and smart and the performances are also very solid. It's a peculiar film, but also extremely interesting, engaging, entertaining and, finally, shocking.
Rated 30 Dec 2010
92
96th
92.000
Rated 13 Jun 2011
69
40th
Beautifully constructed, visually and technically interesting film
Rated 24 Aug 2011
70
53rd
Very good coming-of-age film with excellent directing by Jackson (now I know why they picked him for "Lord of the Rings").
Rated 23 Nov 2011
70
36th
A painful movie to watch.
Rated 18 Feb 2012
89
68th
Wow.
Rated 10 Mar 2012
84
88th
A very good film from Peter Jackson. I thought both Winslet and Lynskey were good and the story was decent. Jackson did a good job of balancing reality and surrealism.
Rated 20 Jun 2012
98
97th
My favorite Peter Jackson film, and his last where he could still be considered something of an independent filmmaker, this movie is pretty much required viewing.
Rated 27 Jul 2012
68
14th
Something about it just feels off...
Rated 29 Jul 2012
60
62nd
Heavenly Creatures is an ambitious work, even if it's not entirely successful. The position it puts the audience in is difficult to make work, and while I think it will succeed for those who give it a lot of attention, more casual moviegoers will be put off and will not enjoy the film as a result. It's a life film with good performances and some fantasy, but it's mostly a story about two girls and their addiction, for better or worse, to one another. It's a good film that rewards second viewings
Rated 30 Jul 2012
4
91st
Memorable crime-of-passion drama.
Rated 08 Oct 2012
60
54th
A well done movie all around. Jackson is in control of form and shows some panache, and his and Walsh's script is decent. Most importantly, they based it on an intriguing true story. To its detriment, it's a bit superficial. Some of the characters are caricaturized, and the supporting cast plays them almost comically. As a result, the film is none too complex or realistic. It's content with making just the obvious points about the fascinating events portrayed.
Rated 31 Oct 2012
91
56th
90.500
Rated 06 Nov 2012
88
60th
87.500
Rated 30 Dec 2012
88
95th
87.500
Rated 04 Jan 2013
94
79th
Great depiction of the mind's grey area between fantasy and reality. Unique, very creative, hats off to Peter Jackson.
Rated 09 Jan 2013
58
21st
Whatever was the intention, I did not get it. I thought Sandra Bernhard's character from King of Speech was the most annoying characters ever but that fat, curly girl beat her all right.
Rated 08 Feb 2013
60
38th
The first Peter Jackson movie I saw was Dead Alive, then I went back and watched Bad Taste, so you can imagine my disappointment when I saw this and the only hint at blood is that the girls are probably on their periods the whole time.
Rated 12 Feb 2013
80
78th
Top badass moment? Juliet walks into a French lesson at her posh new school and within 30 secs tells the teacher she's made a mistake. Having myself once been teaching on a butterfly ID course and had a learner suddenly shout out I'd misidentified a butterfly on a slide I was showing, I can personally relate to just how badass that is. I've never run that training course since. I hate butterflies now, they're scum. 1 decapitation (although it happens off-screen), no cats or chainsaws.
Rated 03 Mar 2013
40
27th
annoying..
Rated 04 Sep 2013
75
64th
Interesting effects and a story strong enough not to be steamrolled by them. The ending is suitably shocking but there's no denouement. Jackson's frantic style of direction sometimes feels wrong for the material.
Rated 07 Sep 2013
68
51st
Jackson's melodramatic instincts both hurt and help this film about obsession and societal pressures. His love of camp is evident in the zooms, the shaky handheld pans, the often garish lighting, the fledgling actresses' performances skewed towards the manic. All these factors enhance the film's surreality but tend to deflate otherwise tense scenes.
Rated 22 Sep 2013
82
91st
Highly disturbing drama, one that really got under my skin. Not an easy watch, but a very memorable one. Acting is really good and the whole film is fascinating.
Rated 23 Dec 2013
94
85th
Dark, stylish, and captivating, Heavenly Creatures signals both the auspicious debut of Kate Winslet and the arrival of Peter Jackson as more than just a cult director.
Rated 27 Jan 2014
71
23rd
fuck
Rated 30 Dec 2014
4
70th
Pitched with such intensity that its fever-dream "romance" becomes legitimately hair-raising. Shot more like a horror movie than anything else.
Rated 12 Jul 2015
85
85th
Stunningly powerful early effort from Peter Jackson. The visuals are stylish, the acting is great (particularly from Kate Winslet in her first screen role) - this movie is the reason Peter Jackson got the Lord of the Rings gig. Yes, it's that good. As others have pointed out, it's got all the intensity of a really good horror movie, and you can tell that's the genre the director came from.
Rated 17 Jul 2015
80
87th
This film is very well done, with some charming friendship story and fantastic chemistry between actors. The story was a bit stalled towards the end, but nevertheless is a memorable film. I also founded interesting that is told almost like a Greek tragedy.
Rated 27 Jan 2016
84
74th
Strikes a perfect tone between camp melodrama and tragedy, comedy and creepy, feels like a terse psychological horror much of the time, Winslet and Lynskey do so well at pulling off characters who are certainly not made perfect but still draw in empathy.
Rated 06 Dec 2016
90
89th
I think I finally get the Kate Winslet hype? She is fucking hilarious in this. That tiny moment when she's explaining her sketch to the art teacher is one of the funniest bits of facial acting I've ever seen. Seems like she turned into a Serious Actor after this, which is truly a tragedy. Also, holy shit, Jackson's camera! He never moved it like this again. And Lynskey ended up in 2½ Men. This thing is an inventory of failed potential! Or I'm just in a shitty mood and I really loved this movie.
Rated 10 Dec 2016
80
89th
Teenage in a nutshell: Edipo; the power and the danger of immagination; the child dreams together with the selfish and violent attitude of an adult; the confusion about what we are and the basic lack of self-confidence.
Rated 22 Jun 2017
55
31st
داستان قشنکی بود و میشد گفت سه گانه ها رو کنار بزاریم این دومین فیلم پیتر جکسون است
Rated 23 Oct 2017
85
30th
very long, but also pretty gay so thats great
Rated 24 Mar 2018
60
26th
Cut off the parricidal ending and you'll get yourself an almost Disney-like (that is, quite dull) film for children about friendship. All sexual and homosexual content the script potentially had is in fact skillfully annihilated on film. If you want to know how to make a homoerotic scene that is totally suitable for children under 7, study this movie. Dream sequences are incredibly dull. No real humor, no edge at all. And, I almost forgot, the borovian stuff looks like sh...t, literally.
Rated 24 Jun 2019
84
86th
Sweet and bitter
Rated 14 Apr 2020
74
63rd
73.6
Rated 30 Nov 2020
75
83rd
This shit still plays with my psyche after years. Could have been a bit more in-depth with some aspects of the plot and supporting characters, but it's well-crafted and unique overall.
Rated 31 Jan 2021
90
43rd
https://esperwatchesfilms.tumblr.com/post/641855220328120320/heavenly-creatures-1994
Rated 07 Feb 2022
69
92nd
Takes a while for it to get going but once it does it becomes an amazing movie.
Rated 04 Jul 2022
70
54th
Makes you wonder what could’ve been for Jackson had he stuck with this sort of thing. Can’t say he or the general film community regrets it tho
Rated 02 Dec 2022
80
14th
I didn't like this one as much as I wanted to. The inventive visual sequences in the girls' fantasy lives are unique and Peter Jackson is clearly in his element here, but the tonal shift from imaginative playmates into murderers doesn't work for me and the movie is more often mopey than it is interesting.
Rated 12 May 2023
80
73rd
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Rated 19 Feb 2024
35
15th
Really quite a well-made film, but I don't like the proliferation of stylistic flourishes myself. Very effective at capturing the ever intensifying psychological detachment and euphoria of the girls, and yet this is only ever rendered as a spectacle without real substance or weight.

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