10 Best Heathers Moments
2. J.D Shoots Kurt and Ram
When J.D. first appears onscreen, he is introduced as a leather jacket-wearing misanthrope who plays the sax and listens to Bach. His obvious coolness as well as his effect on Veronica leads Kurt and Ram to confront him at lunch, where they play to “give him a good scare.” The two go on to harass J.D., antagonizing him and calling him a homophobic slur. In response, J.D. calmly reaches into his jacket and pulls out a gun, firing two shots.
It is later revealed that they were just blanks – subtle foreshadowing for the deaths that await Kurt and Ram later. However, when we first watch the scene, we don’t know that. This is one of several shocking moments in Heathers that throws us for a loop, making us question the kind of movie we’re watching.
It also firmly establishes J.D. as a character. While it’s fun to see Kurt and Ram, two bullies in their own right, get what they deserve, it’s also unsettling to see J.D. go to whatever lengths necessary to get his point across. As he would later tell Veronica, “The extreme always seems to make an impression.”
1. J.D Lights His Cigarette on Veronica’s Burning Flesh
After Veronica and J.D. murder Kurt and Ram, the gravity of the situation finally hits her. Sitting in her car just as school is starting, Veronica comes to terms with the fact that she had a hand in ending someone’s life. She grabs a cigarette and presses the button on the car lighter. Overcome with shame, she drops the cigarette and presses the lighter to her palm. As she screams out in pain, J.D grabs her wrist and lights his cigarette from her burning flesh.
This is probably the most morbid and disturbing moment in the whole film. It showcases how Heathers manages, again and again, to find the perfect balance between humor and darkness. We can feel the anguish that Veronica does. Perhaps she wants to punish herself for being so naïve or maybe she just wants to feel something – to shock herself back to reality
This moment also highlights how good Heathers is at misdirection. From thinking J.D. fired real bullets at Kurt and Ram in the cafeteria and Veronica pretending to hang herself so J.D. will think she’s dead, to covering up murders by staging suicides, Heathers masters the art of dramatic irony. In this moment in particular, we’re clearly meant to believe that J.D. is grabbing her wrist to stop Veronica from hurting herself, but then he does something completely different instead. And, not unlike the entire film, it’s something horrifyingly brutal.
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Given our current irony-laden culture, Heathers is perhaps even more relevant today than it was more than three decades ago. What are some of your favorite moments from Heathers? Did we miss an iconic line or two? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow @thefilmagazine across social media, including Facebook and X (Twitter), for more insightful movie lists.
