Heathers (1988) Limited Edition 4K UHD Review

4 star restoration of a macabre but funny cult classic.

Heathers is an American teen black comedy drama originally released in 1988. It was written by Daniel Waters (Hudson Hawk, Batman Returns) and directed by Michael Lehmann (40 Days and 40 Nights, Flakes) in both of their respective feature debuts.

It has enjoyed a 4K UHD restoration courtesy of Arrow Films and is available on 4K UHD Limited Edition from 5th August 2024.

“Dear diary. Heather told me she teaches people real life. She said, real life sucks losers dry. If you wanna f*ck with the eagles, you have to learn to fly.”

Veronica (Winona Ryder – Little Women, Mermaids) is an intelligent teenager who has made the decision to hang out with the coolest girls at her school in a clique known as the Heathers, despite their sometimes poor treatment of both herself and others they consider beneath them. The leader is Heather Chandler (Kim Walker – Say Anything, The Favor), with her two friends Heather Duke (Shannen Doherty – Beverly Hills 90210, Mallrats) and Heather McNamara (Lisanne Falk – Less Than Zero, Suicide Kings), hence the name.

They pick on the nerds and Veronica is becoming uncomfortable with their behaviour, especially when they use her talent at copying handwriting against fellow student Martha Dumptruck (Carrie Lynn – Hula Gods, Disturbed). She also feels like she has abandoned former best friend Betty Finn (Renee Estevez – Mercy of the Sea, The Way).

When edgy new boy Jason ‘J.D.’ Dean (Christian Slater – True Romance, Broken Arrow) catches her attention, she sees an opportunity to start taking back control. They try to play a prank on Heather Chandler, but end up accidentally poisoning her and writing a suicide note to cover it up. This sets in motion a series of events that will rock Westerburg High School and it’s students to the core.

“F*ck me gently with a chainsaw. Do I look like Mother Teresa? If I did, I probably wouldn’t mind talking to the geek squad.”

Heathers is a very enjoyable, if occasionally uncomfortable, film to watch. It was extremely controversial upon its release and still feels as brooding and dangerous as it did back then. With its uncompromising satire of the sickly sweet teenage movies being made at the time, it blazed a trail for teen black comedy which is still being followed today.

The acting is truly brilliant, launching the careers of both Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. The other performances are all equally impressive and bring a disturbing level of plausibility to the proceedings.

This restoration is fantastic, the film looks and sounds great and it’s packed with special features. The release is particularly poignant in light of the recent passing of Shannen Doherty. A real delight and fans will rejoice to add this to their 4K collection.

“I’ve been moved around all my life. Dallas, Baton Rouge, Vegas, Sherwood Ohio. There’s always a snappy snack shack. Any town, any time, I can pop a ham and cheese in the microwave and feast on a turbo dog. Keeps me sane.”

HEATHERS is available on Limited Edition 4K UHD and ARROW from 5th August.

https://www.arrow-player.com/

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• New restoration from a 4K scan of the original camera negative by Arrow Films
• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original 1.0 mono, and optional stereo 2.0 and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio sound
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Audio commentary by director Michael Lehmann, producer Denise Di Novi and writer Daniel Waters
• Lehmann’s Terms, an interview with director Michael Lehmann
• Pizzicato Croquet, composer David Newman and director Michael Lehmann discuss the music of Heathers
• How Very: The Art and Design of Heathers, production designer Jon Hutman, art director Kara Lindstrom and director Michael Lehmann discuss the look of Heathers
• Casting Westerberg High, casting director Julie Selzer discusses the casting process for Heathers
• Poor Little Heather, an interview with actress Lisanne Falk
• Scott and Larry and Dan and Heathers, an interview between screenwriting team Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (Ed Wood, The People vs Larry Flint), and Heathers screenwriter Daniel Waters
• The Big Bowie Theory, an appreciation by the writer, actor and comedian John Ross Bowie
• Return to Westerberg High, an archival featurette providing further insight into the film’s production
• Swatch Dogs and Diet Coke Heads, an archival featurette with the cast and crew featuring Winona Ryder, Christian Slater and writer Daniel Waters
• The Beaver Gets a Boner, Michael Lehmann’s student film from 1985 made at the USC School of Cinematic Arts
• Original trailers
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Robert Sammelin