Released in '89
R.I.P Kim Walker
R.I.P Jeremy Applegate
Casting and auditions
Heathers Lingo
Interesting Trivia
Welcome to the veryheathers page. Here I would like to discuss many trivial things about the best movie of the 1980s! Heathers is a flick to take an alternate view at teen life. Instead of your usual 80s John Hughes film, where parents are the villains, Heathers is about teens who are disconnected from their parents and the world around them. School is society.
Jason Dean (played by Christian Slater) is a rebel. A rebel AND a psychotic. Veronica Sawyer (played by Winona Ryder) is in the most powerful clique in school. She hangs out with her friends Heather Chandler (played by Kim Walker)-the red Heather, Heather Duke (played by Shannon Doherty)-the green Heather, and Heather Macnamara (played by Lisanne Falk)-the yellow Heather. Veronica's signature color is blue. The Heathers like to make everybodies life hell. They are looked up to, and feared.
As the German advertisement says 'She doesn't like her friends, and he doesn't like them either!' Jason Dean a man with a mission seems to be able to convince Veronica that the 'accidents' they keep having resulting in the death of the hateful and popular students is purely accidental. In the most humerous manor possible, they make the killings look like a suicide.
The girls play croquet and use balls in the color of their respective clothing. Jason Dean wears black for almost the whole film, and uses a black croquet ball.
During the strip croquet scene, there is a falic arrangement involving 2 croquet balls and a croquet stick. Betty Finn later uses an orange croquet ball while playing with Veronica.Jason Dean rides a motorbike and smokes like a chimney. The movie portrays female self abuse well. Examples of this are Heather Dukes Bullemia which unfortunately had to be both played down, and severely edited from the original script for New World to film it! Veronica also burns her hand in two seperate scenes. One scene at the Remington party, another in the car with J.D.
After Heather Chandler is murdered, Heather Duke soon fills the position. She also stops being bullemic (a subtlety one would only notice after seeing the film a few times), and migrates into the red clothing Chandler once wore.
Heather Chandler is the most powerful popular girl in school (until she dies) this is represented by her wearing red. Heather Duke wears green. This could represent being 'green with envy'. Heather Macnamara is too yellow bellied to stand on her own feet without the clique. This could be why yellow was her chosen color. Veronica is both depressed and depressing. She is constantly soul searching and doing what she feels is wrong. This could be why she wears gloomy blue. Jason Dean wears black coz he's bad bad bad!
Daniel Waters did an amazing job at creating a complete new language of dialogue in this awesome film. With terms such as 'How Very!' to describe something as good. Other terms like 'Pillowcase' 'Pudwhacker' (an old term that Waters graciously reminded us of!), 'Big Blue', 'Brain tumor for breakfast', 'What's your damage?', 'Sword fight', (how rude!), 'Color me stoked', 'shower nosel masturbation material', and many more!
TopHeathers has been bagged by some, and unfortunately didn't get as much promotion as it should have, as New World Entertainment went bust 3 weeks after filming. If they had started filming Heathers any later, the film would not have been completed! With a budget of $2 million, and trying to work with Ryder around her school schedule, the movie was amazing. New World entertainment however did not want to produce the movie the way Daniel Waters had originally written it. They adjusted the movie to what New World wanted it to be, rather than not getting it filmed at all.
Originally the ending was very different and if you have seen the movie, I would highly recommend you read the 1987 version of the script (found on this website) and see what you think. The musical score is amazing. David Newman made such a perfect soundtrack. Rene Estevez (Emilios sister) plays Betty Finn, the nerdish friend of Veronica Sawyer.
Note Betty and Veronica. (Archie comics)/ Sawyer and Finn (Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn). I'm not sure where the name Heather came from, as opposed to Mary or Nicole. However surely 'Heathers' is a catchy title! There were previous suggestions that the film be called 'Lethal Attraction' or 'Fatal Game'. 'Heathers' was chosen.
Actually the shower scene which involves Veronica washing herself in the gym showers with her clothes on to absolve herself, was originally filmed with all the girls copying her and joining her with their clothes on. Boys then peeping through holes at the fully clothed girls in showers and questioning 'what the?' However they deleted this scene. A dvd with this scene has yet to be released.
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GUESS WHO THEY WANTED! Heather Graeme auditioned and apparently was liked! However her parents thought that the film was highly innapproapriate and would not allow her to star in it. Brad Pitt was amongst the men who auditioned for Jason Dean. However he was told he was 'too nice' to play Jason Dean. As much as we love Brad Pitt, I sure am glad Slater got the job. Jennifer Connolly (from The Labyrinth) was a desired star to play Veronica Sawyer. Justine Bateman (Mallory from Family Ties) was also trying to get the role. However somebody liked Winona, and Winona liked Slater, and Slater dated Walker so we ended up with the cast we had!
In 1989 Heathers starred the actors of tomorrow, who 18 years later (1989-2007) are the actors of today! Ryder, Doherty, Slater!
TopShannon Doherty was spotted in this film by Tori Spelling who liked her so much she told father Aaron Spelling to use Doherty for the role of Brenda on Beverly Hills 90210.
Lisanne Falk and Rene Estevez acted together again in the 1991 mtv movie 'Dead Silence' aka 'Crash' about 3 girls involved in a hit and run case. Yet another coincidence occurs here! Lisanne Falk (who played Heather Macnamara and attempted suicide in Heathers) really does suicide in this movie. While Estevez plays a very dislikable character.
Every type of suicide is in this film. Shooting, Poison, Hanging, Bombing, Wrist Slashing, Pill popping, and Walking in front of a truck. Please don't get the wrong idea. Heathers does NOT promote suicide. If anything I am sure it would have prevented the suicide of many youths over the last 2 decades.
Apparently there is a film called 'Massacre at Central High' from 1976 starring 4 boys at school with problems, that has been rumoured to have inspired Heathers in 1989. However I have never seen any text or interviews of Daniel Waters indicating that this is so. In the 90's some people were trying to pin an assosiation of 'Heathers' to school violence, however in my opinion, and the opinion of fans the world over this is NOT what Heathers is about.
Cincinnati and Defiance in Ohio both have locations named 'Sherwood'. However apparently Heathers was meant to be in Columbus??
Westerburg was named after a band Winona liked.
'Big Blue' was used because Waters had named a brand that for copyright purposes could not be used in the film.
A school named John Adams Middle School was used to be the highschool Westerburg.
It took 32 days and $2 million to film Heathers.
Total Film mag voted Heathers the 32nd best comedy flick ever in 2000.
Stanley Kubrick was who Daniel Waters had in mind to film Heathers. However apparently he declined, or was not contactable. Other sources say he claimed he did not want to make 'a high school film'.
Winona Ryders parents enjoyed unusual names. Her siblings are named Yuri, Jubal, and Sunyata! Ryder was only 17 in the role of BeetleJuice. During the strip croquet scene in Heathers she was so self conscience that she had to wear a body suit! They rushed the filming of the scene because Ryder had to be at the release for BeetleJuice. Winona Ryders agent was very against Ryder starring in Heathers. Ryder even lost roles in other movies when directors found out she had starred in Heathers. They wanted no association with the film. almost 18 years later and Winona has doubled in age. This is now regarded the best role of Ryders career so far. Ryder dated Slater who dumped Walker during filming to date her. Then shortly after in 1990 Ryder dated Johnny Depp during the filming of Edward Scissorhands. Heathers is regarded now hugely as a Cult movie. Her next cult landing was Reality Bites in '94.
Daniel Waters and Winona Ryder are yet to team up again for next years film 'Sex and Death 101' (tbr next year). They finished filming it on July 6th '06 for an '07 release. Heathers 2 is next in line. (see the Heathers 2 page for more details.)
Shannon Doherty who played Heather Duke was also in highly reccomended comedy 'Mallrats' in 1995.
Aside from Heathers, if you're looking for something with a similar theme, then try Elephant by Gus Van Sant, or Jawbreakers starring Rose Mcgowan.
More images in the 'Characters' section. Also join the veryheathers google group for updates, and to meet other Heathers fans.
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