10 Best Heathers Moments
8. Tipping Cows
Most of the humor in Heathers is incredibly dark and morbid, but there are a few moments of silliness that go a long way in lightening the mood.
After Heather Chandler’s funeral, Heather McNamara begs Veronica to accompany her on a double date with two very stupid football players, Kurt Kelly (Lance Fenton) and Ram Sweeney (Patrick Labyorteaux). Veronica warns McNamara that they better not go to a pasture to tip cows, but of course, that’s exactly what ends up happening. The look of shame McNamara gives Veronica as they stand there, shoes caked in mud, as Kurt and Ram run around trying to tip cows, is as hilarious as it is priceless.
In a film jam-packed with heavy topics like teenage suicide, murder, and rape, a moment like this stands out by providing some much-needed relief from the otherwise constant existential dread.
7. Heather McNamara Tries to Kill Herself
After Kurt and Ram are murdered by J.D. and Veronica, with the whole school believing that they died by suicide, Heather McNamara calls into a radio show to talk about her depression. Although she uses a fake name, Heather Duke, who has now replaced Heather Chandler as the queen bee of the school, tells everyone about it.
Unable to cope with the bullying, McNamara heads into the girl’s bathroom to try and down a bottle of sleeping pills. Thankfully Veronica comes running into the bathroom just in time to make her spit the pills out. “What are you trying to do, kill me?” McNamara quips, after slamming herself against the wall.
Heathers may be a highly stylized movie, but it wouldn’t pack nearly as hard of a punch if it didn’t use that to highlight the very real problems people, especially young adults, face. McNamara’s feelings of loneliness and despair are painfully relatable, and Heathers tackles those emotions head on.
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6. Heather Chandler’s Death
After fighting with Heather Chandler at the college party, Veronica goes to her house, along with J.D., with the intention of feeding her a disgusting mix of orange juice and milk as payback. Veronica merely wants to see her puke, but J.D. has other plans and pours a mug of drain cleaner instead, which Veronica accidentally grabs. Chandler unknowingly drinks it and dies almost immediately, in the most disturbing and spectacular fashion imaginable, falling head first into her glass coffee table.
This is probably one of the most shocking moments in the film and it sets the rest of the plot in motion. Not only does it kill off a character we expected to be the main antagonist, but it also reveals to us that J.D. is far more dangerous than we thought. He knew Veronica had the wrong glass and didn’t do a thing to stop her.
Although it’s clear from the start that Heathers is not your average feel-good high school romp, Heather Chander’s death solidifies it as a film where anything can happen and all bets are off.
