Synopsis

At Westerburg High, Veronica Sawyer joins the elite clique known as the Heathers, despite growing uneasy with their cruelty and social dominance. Her life takes a dangerous turn after she becomes involved with the rebellious Jason Dean, who helps her expose the school's toxic hierarchy through increasingly violent schemes. Veronica must decide whether to follow his destructive vision or challenge it.

Factoids & Trivia

• Daniel Waters began writing the screenplay in 1986 while working at a video store. He originally hoped Stanley Kubrick would direct, inspired by Kubrick's dark satire in "Dr. Strangelove."

• The cafeteria sequence was conceived as an homage to the opening barracks scene in "Full Metal Jacket."

• Waters' original ending was considerably darker: Jason Dean successfully destroyed Westerburg High, followed by a surreal prom attended by the dead students in heaven. The ending was changed during development.

• Although the story is set in Ohio, the entire production was filmed in Los Angeles. Westerburg High was created from footage of several Southern California schools.

• Principal photography took place in only 33 days, with an estimated budget of $3 million.

• The film premiered in Italy in October 1988 and reached the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 1989. Its U.S. theatrical release followed on March 31, 1989.

• "Heathers" initially performed poorly at the box office, in part because distributor New World Pictures was facing bankruptcy around the time of its release.

• The film later developed a major cult following and won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature. Waters also received an Edgar Allan Poe Award for the screenplay.

• The film's distinctive slang and rapid-fire dialogue were written in full by Waters rather than improvised on set.

• "Heathers" became the basis for a stage musical by Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy, which premiered in Los Angeles before moving to Off-Broadway.