“Honestly, I’m not just saying this,” Boyens asserts, after Jackson playfully suggests she pick his zombie comedy, Braindead (aka Dead Alive for North Americans). “Heavenly Creatures is one of those films that when I saw it, I was so proud to be a Kiwi. I love the writing, I love the performances and the imagination that you guys brought to it. It’s one that holds up.”
Actress Miranda Otto, whose Rings character Éowyn narrates War of the Rohirrim, also names Heavenly Creatures as one of her four faves, mentioning that she’s about due for a rewatch. In order to do so, Otto plans to “hit Pete up” for a DVD, since the based-on-a-true story about teenage friends Juliet Hulme and Pauline Parker, who murdered Parker’s mother in 1954, is a rare find, seemingly available only as a secondhand DVD at present.
Rated an average of 3.8-out-of-five stars by the 89,000-odd members who have managed to see it, Heavenly Creatures turns out to be the one feature in his filmography that the director has confidently brought himself to rewatch. “Yeah, I did watch Heavenly Creatures again,” he admits, which means he must have a copy somewhere. Bring on the restoration and re-release, PJ.
