What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedHeavenly Creatures
Peter Jackson · Film · 1994
If you loved Heavenly Creatures, start with My Brilliant Friend (Saverio Costanzo, 2018) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Heavenly Creatures across media.
What hooked you in Heavenly Creatures was the dark, consuming intensity of female bonds that blur the lines between reality and fantasy.
Books on the same thread
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
J. K. Rowling · Book · 1999
Explores: Justice and Injustice, Friendship, Facing Fears.
Just as Heavenly Creatures explores the transformative power of shared imagination between outsiders, this story captures the way friendship provides a necessary refuge against a darkening, dangerous world.
Bridge to Terabithia
Katherine Paterson · Book · 1979
Shares a thread with Heavenly Creatures: Escapism.
If you were moved by the escapist fantasy world built by the girls in Heavenly Creatures, you will recognize that same profound, fragile bond defined by shared secret realities.
Ghost World
Daniel Clowes · Book · 2001
Shares a thread with Heavenly Creatures: Female friendship.
Like the central duo in Heavenly Creatures, Enid and Becky navigate the isolating threshold of adolescence, bound together by a cynical detachment that eventually begins to fracture their friendship.
The Haunting of Hill House
Shirley Jackson · Book · 1987
Explores: isolation, sanity, female hysteria.
This gothic exploration of isolation and fraying sanity mirrors the psychological decline found in Heavenly Creatures, where the internal worlds of the protagonists eventually overwhelm their physical surroundings.
Series on the same thread
Twin Peaks
Mark Frost · Series · 1990
Shares a thread with Heavenly Creatures: Psychological Thriller.
The surreal, unsettling atmosphere of this mystery echoes the mounting paranoia in Heavenly Creatures, where the veneer of a quiet life hides deep, disturbing secrets beneath the surface.
Killing Eve
Phoebe Waller-Bridge · Series · 2018
Shares a thread with Heavenly Creatures: Psychological Thriller.
The obsessive, all-consuming dynamic between these two women mirrors the intense, singular focus of the protagonists in Heavenly Creatures, where mutual fascination rapidly spirals into a dangerous, dark game.
Angels in America
Series · 2003
Explores: AIDS Epidemic, Identity, Sexuality.
This narrative captures the same raw, fractured humanity seen in Heavenly Creatures, focusing on how individuals form intense, life-altering connections while facing overwhelming external pressures and social exclusion.
My Brilliant Friend
Saverio Costanzo · Series · 2018
Shares 2 threads with Heavenly Creatures: Female Friendship, Coming-of-Age Drama.
Much like the complex, lifelong connection in Heavenly Creatures, this story examines the weight of a formative female friendship and the lasting impact it leaves on one's identity.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Girls Uninterrupted
Podcast
Explores: Friendship, Relatable, Humor.
If the candid, unfiltered nature of the bond in Heavenly Creatures resonated with you, this podcast offers a similar, intimate look at the depths of female friendship and connection.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts · Podcast · 2026
Shares a thread with Heavenly Creatures: female friendship.
This podcast explores the intersection of dark subject matter and female friendship, reflecting the same morbid curiosity and intimate connection that defined the central relationship in Heavenly Creatures.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Heavenly Creatures based on a true story?
Heavenly Creatures is directed by Peter Jackson and depicts the intense, obsessive bond between two teenagers, Juliet and Pauline, who meet in New Zealand. The film explores how their shared love of fantasy and literature develops into a dangerous relationship.
What is the premise of Heavenly Creatures?
Heavenly Creatures follows a precocious teenager named Juliet who moves to New Zealand. She forms a deep friendship with a quiet, brooding girl named Pauline. Their connection is defined by a mutual interest in literature and fantasy, which eventually evolves into an obsessive bond.
Who are the main characters in Heavenly Creatures?
The main characters in Heavenly Creatures are Juliet, a precocious teenager who moves to New Zealand with her family, and Pauline, a quiet and brooding girl. The film centers on the development of their intense and obsessive friendship.
How does the friendship in Heavenly Creatures begin?
In Heavenly Creatures, the friendship begins after Juliet moves to New Zealand with her family. She meets Pauline, and the two bond over their shared passion for literature and fantasy. This initial connection quickly grows into an intense and obsessive relationship between the two teenagers.