This week's must see movie looks at how far we will go for popularity in teen comedy Heathers starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater.Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) has sacrificed everything in order to preserve her place in Westerburg High's most impenetrable social clique, the Heathers. As the only member of the group not named "Heather", Veronica has to work extra hard just to stay afloat. Going against her own morals and intelligence, Veronica succumbs to peer pressure on a daily basis, faking her delight in the humiliation of the school's less popular students. Bored of the frat parties and cow tipping so popular among her friends, Veronica's curiosity is peaked when a mysterious new guy named JD comes to town. The dark, brooding JD (Christian Slater) observes Veronica among her pack in the lunchroom, where social hierarchy is most clearly displayed, concluding that Veronica is not a Heather at heart. When Veronica confides in JD that she hates her friends and wishes Heather #1 was dead, she never expects her words to have such dire consequences.
Before she knows what's happening, JD is dragging Veronica on a killing spree staged as a teen suicide outbreak.
But as Veronica soon learns, even death cannot stop the Heathers. As one Heather dies, her red scrunchee (the symbol of all power) gets passed on to the next Heather in line, and the clique that was the Heathers starts to feel like an inescapable social disease. How far will this war for popularity go?
Director Michael Lehmann, with what was his debut feature, has very successfully blended comedy and horror along with everyday teenage worries of high school cliques and popularity to produce the darkest teen comedy.
Heathers takes a new look at high school politics and teenage alienation and with the inclusion of murder/suicide is a savage satire, if somewhat humorous take, on high school life.
The film won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature in 1990 as well as Daniel Waters winning the Edgar Award for his screenplay in the same year.
Despite this Heathers was a failure at the box office grossing just over $1.1 million, but had a budget of $2 million.
It did however gain a huge cult following when it was released on DVD and VHS and has made a very significant impact on the teen movies that would follow it.
The movie didn't harm the careers of the two leads Winona Ryder and Christian Slater who went on to star in Edward Scissorhands and Robin Hood Prince of Thieves not long after.
Over the years the popularity of this film has continued to grow with great performances from the cast, a toe tapping soundtrack murder has never been this much fun.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw