What is the name of the real-life murder case depicted in Heavenly Creatures?

Heavenly Creatures depicts the Parker–Hulme murder case, a notorious 1954 crime in Christchurch, New Zealand. The real case involved teenagers Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme, whose intense friendship culminated in the killing of Parker’s mother, Honorah Mary Rieper.

The murder took place on 22 June 1954 in Victoria Park. Parker and Hulme attacked Rieper with half of a brick concealed inside a stocking, then initially claimed that she had suffered an accidental fall. Investigators soon became suspicious, particularly after discovering evidence connected to the girls’ plan and Parker’s writings.

Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh’s 1994 film focuses strongly on the girls’ imaginative inner world and friendship. In the story, Pauline and Juliet create the fantasy kingdom of Borovnia, write stories together, and fear separation when Hulme’s family plans to leave New Zealand. The film received the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

A common confusion is calling the crime simply the “Heavenly Creatures murder.” Heavenly Creatures is the film’s title; Parker–Hulme murder case is the name generally used for the real-life case. Juliet Hulme later became the crime novelist Anne Perry.