Heavenly Creatures is a 1994 New Zealand drama film directed by Peter Jackson, from a screenplay he co-wrote with his wife, Fran Walsh, about the notorious 1954 Parker–Hulme murder case in Christchurch, New Zealand. The film features Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet in their screen debuts. The main premise deals with the obsessive relationship between two teenage girls, Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme, who murder Parker's mother. The events of the film cover the period from the girls' meeting in 1953 to the murder one year later.
The film opened to strong critical acclaim at the 51st Venice International Film Festival in 1994 and became one of the best-received films of the year. Reviewers praised most aspects of the production. Particular attention was given to the performances by the previously unknown Winslet and Lynskey, and for Jackson's directing. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, but ultimately lost to Pulp Fiction.