When Heathers came out back in 1988, no one had seen anything like it. And it is pretty safe to say no one has since.
Seen as an antidote to the somewhat saccharine nature of 1980's John Hughes teen films like Sixteen Candles, Pretty In Pink and Some Kind Of Wonderful (films I adore by the way) Heathers brought the teen angst to a whole new level no one dared to.
Directed by Michael Lehmann (who sadly followed this up with Hudson Hawk and Airheads amongst others before redeeming himself directing episodes of The West Wing, Californication and True Blood) Heathers starred Winona Ryder who at that point was best known for her role in Beetlejuice and Christian Slater.
Ryder plays Veronica who is desperate to get in to her high schools clique 'The Heathers' (Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk and Kim Walker) when she suddenly meets mysterious new student JD (Slater) and when they get together the bodies start to drop...
One of the great things about this film is knowing that there is no way it would ever get remade. In these times when 6 months doesn't pass when you don't hear about another Columbine or Virginia Tech a film that portrays high school shootings (and not to mention teen suicide) would be positively radioactive.
Heathers wasn't heavy handed in it's writing either, but brilliantly dissecting what students reaction would be if this happened, and at the same time spawning a whole new language for teenagers to spout a decade before anyone had even said the name 'Juno'. "What's your damage?" "I gotta book" and "Get crucial" all memorable lines still.
Obviously with its subject matter the comedy is dark, dark, dark. The second funeral is one of the funniest scenes in the movie ("I love my dead gay son!") and the scenes in the teachers lounge are terrific - ambivalence to OTT media whoring in one room.
The film also contains Christian Slater's best performance (next to True Romance of course) and a great turn from Winona Ryder, who sadly seems to be in less and less these days. Or maybe I'm just not seeing what she is in.
Heathers was a one of a kind, and even though it gets a little silly in places I wouldn't change it.
****The original anti-teen movie. Not seen it? You best book!
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