Contextual Study: The Parker–Hulme Murder Case (Heavenly Creatures)

    The Parker–Hulme murder case took place in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, on 22 June 1954, when Honorah Rieper was killed by her teenage daughter, Pauline Parker, and Pauline's close friend Juliet Hulme.

    As a child, Parker had suffered from osteomyelitis; and Hulme had suffered from tuberculosis, and was sent by her parents to the Bahamas to recover. The girls initially bonded over their respective illnesses, but, as their friendship developed, they formed an elaborate fantasy life together. They would often sneak out and spend the night acting out stories involving the fictional characters they had created. Their parents found this disturbing and worried that their relationship might be sexual. Homosexuality at the time was considered a serious mental illness, so both sets of parents attempted to prevent the girls from seeing each other. 

    In 1954, Juliet's parents separated; her father lost his job at Canterbury College and planned to return to England. It was then decided that Juliet would be sent to live with relatives in South Africa—mainly for her health, but also so that the girls would be more effectively, if not permanently, separated. Pauline told her mother that she wanted to accompany Juliet, but Pauline's mother made it clear it would not be allowed. The girls then formed a plan to murder Pauline's mother and leave the country for Hollywood in the United States.

     

On 22 June 1954, the body of Honorah Rieper was discovered in Victoria Park, in Christchurch, New Zealand. That morning Honorah had gone for a walk through Victoria Park with her daughter Pauline Parker, and Juliet Hulme. Down the path, in a wooded area of the park, Hulme and Parker bludgeoned Rieper to death with a brick placed in an old stocking.  After committing the murder they had planned together, the girls fled, covered in blood, back to the tea kiosk where the three of them had eaten only minutes before. Major lacerations were found about her head, neck, and face, with minor injuries to her fingers. Police soon discovered the murder weapon in the nearby woods, and the girls' story of Rieper's accidental death quickly fell apart.

The trial was an astonishing spectacle, with speculation about the girls possible lesbianism and insanity. The girls were convicted on 28 August 1954, and each of them spent five years in prison as they were too young to be considered for the death penalty. They were later released, and adopted new identities. 

Case Study: The Purpose of Jackson’s Use of The Humming Chorus From Puccini's Opera “Madam Butterfly”

    In 'Heavenly Creatures', Jackson uses an aria from Puccini's opera 'Madam Butterfly'; of which Juliet Hulme sings on the eve of the murder she and Pauline Parker commit. This amplifies the importance of the events that follow, and adds dimension to the film.

    The inter-textual reference to Puccini's 'Madam Butterfly' in 'Heavenly Creatures' is one of great significance. The reference to opera is reflective of the two girls delusional view of their lives as some kind of grand opera, along with the actual reference to 'Madam Butterfly' in regards to tragedy and drama.
     Audiences who recognise the reference to the tragic story of 'Madam Butterfly' will be able to create a link between Butterfly's traumatic demise and the calamitous struggle that Juliet and Pauline find themselves with. In Puccini's opera, Butterfly - a 15 year old Japanese girl - marries a U.S Naval officer named Pinkerton; who leaves shortly after their wedding. Three years later, Butterfly is still waiting on Pinkerton's return - that many have told her will not happen- and it is revealed that she has given birth to his son. It is then that pinkerton arrives back to the house in Japan - but with his new American wife, Kate; as she has agreed to take care of the child. Agreeing to give up her child if Pinkerton comes to see her himself, Butterfly then prays to statues of her ancestral gods, says goodbye to her son, and blindfolds him. She places a small American flag into his hands and goes behind a screen, killing herself with her father's hara-kiri knife. It is then that Pinkton rushes in to see Butterly, but to his dismay he is too late. 

   For audiences with knowledge of Butterfly's excruciating demise, jackson's choice of soundtrack creates emphasis on the harrowing events that are about to unfold for Juliet and Pauline. It enables the audience to relate the tragedy and anguish of Butterfly's destruction to the agonising deed that is about to occur in 'Heavenly creatures', foreshadowing the events about to take place. 

Contextual Study: Psychopathy & Empathy

   As a generic character type of Thriller texts is a 'psychotic individual', i carried out some research into psychopathy and empathy.



   In the early 1800s, doctors who worked with mental patients began to notice that some of their patients who appeared outwardly normal had what they termed a “moral depravity” or “moral insanity,” in that they seemed to possess no sense of ethics or of the rights of other people. The term “psychopath” was first applied to these people around 1900. The term was changed to “sociopath” in the 1930s to emphasize the damage they do to society.

   Psychopathy can be described as an aspect of personality or as a personality disorder. As a personality disorder, it is characterized by enduring antisocial behaviour, diminished empathy and remorse, and disinhibited or bold behaviour. As an aspect of personality, it represents scores on different dimensions of personality found throughout the population in varying combinations.

   A psychopath could be described as a person with an antisocial personality disorder, manifested in aggressive, perverted, criminal, or amoral behavior without empathy or remorse.

  

   In this scene of Tarantino's 'Jackie Brown', we see the character Louis - the 'psychotic individual'- kill Melanie in a public place in broad daylight.

   The fact that Louis shoots Melanie in a public place - such as the car park- in broad daylight portrays him as a fairly psychotic character as he has not been secretive about the murder; and seems to show very little recognition for his actions, along with the fact that he still talks to her as if she's beside him; when she's laying dead on the floor after being shot twice.



  

   Psychopaths exhibit antisocial and aggressive behaviour, as well as emotional and interpersonal deficits including shallow emotions and a lack of remorse and empathy. Studies suggest psychopaths have atypical responses to distress cues (e.g. facial and vocal expressions of fear and sadness), including decreased activation of the fusiform (part of the temporal lobe and occipital lobe, located between the inferior temporal gyrus and the parahippocampal gyrus) and extrastriate cortical regions (the region of the occipital cortex of the mammalian brain located next to the primary visual cortex), which may partly account for impaired recognition of and reduced autonomic responsiveness to expressions of fear, and impairments of empathy.

Thriller Production: Shooting Schedule

Thriller Production: Final Idea - Rough planning

Thriller Production: Moodboard

Thriller Production Moodboard

Thriller Production: Location

Weybourne Beach

This location is an effective choice for our thriller production as the primeval setting of the beach helps to reinforce the predatory feel of our antagonist in our narrative. This setting also helps to portray a certain frigidness by appearing to lack all warmth and feeling, reflecting the antagonist and any possible ordeal that may occur. As it is a beach location, the audience can recognise and associate their own experiences of such places in numbing weather; adding to the bleak and steely atmosphere we intend to portray. 

Baconsthorpe Castle

This location is an effective choice for our thriller production as it's aesthetically pleasing greenery creates a welcomed contrast between the brutal iciness of the beach location, yet is also isolated; luring the audience -along with the victim in our narrative - into a false sense of security. The ruins of the castle surrounding the grounds could be seen as metaphorical of the antagonists decaying sanity, symbolising their eroding mental state.