Criaturas celestiales

Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet were so strongly into their roles that they would interact with each other as their characters off-screen.

When Juliet Hulme is introduced in the movie, it depicts her being called down by both her French and Art teachers. However, none of Hulme's instructors ever spoke to her harshly or even punished her. In fact, the opposite was true. According to classmates of Hulme, because her father was Rector of Canterbury University College and her family was English, she was treated very well by students and instructors alike. Girls Hulme attended classes with have stated in interviews that when a group of them got caught in mischief, they would simply have Hulme say it was her idea and there would be no consequences. Hulme's instructors gave her special allowances based on her father's position, even though he was not well liked by his colleagues, and Hulme's classmates found her very exotic because she was from England.

Preceding the end credits: "In the hours following Honora's murder, a police search of the Rieper house unearthed Pauline's diaries. This resulted in her immediate arrest for the murder of her mother. Juliet was arrested and charged with murder the following day. After Pauline's arrest it was discovered that Honora and Herbert Rieper had never married. Pauline was therefore charged under her mother's maiden name of Parker. In August 1954, a plea of insanity was rejected by the jury in the Christchurch Supreme Court trial, and Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme were found guilty of murder. Too young for the death penalty, they were sent to separate prisons to be 'Detained at Her Majesty's Pleasure.' Juliet was released in November, 1959 and immediately left New Zealand to join her mother overseas. Pauline was released two weeks later but remained in New Zealand on parole until 1965. It was a condition of their release that they never meet again."

The original New Zealand version ran 108 min. Peter Jackson then cut 9 minutes from the film for the international release. (he has mentioned that the 99 min. cut is the one he prefers.)

Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Interview with the Vampire/Pontiac Moon/The Santa Clause/Heavenly Creatures/Dr. Strangelove (1994)