Color is a dominant part of any film. It often gives the audience a different feel for what certain colors could be representing. In Heathers, there are many ways that the colors throughout the movie can be examined. It may also seem, in this film, that if the colors of a certain scene were to be changed, the scene would have a completely different feel to it; there are also many different standards of colors, helping the viewer make connections to other parts of the film or feel a certain way when watching a scene.
Associative colors are dominant in Heathers, specifically when it comes to J.D.’s character. It seems that whenever J.D. is on screen, there is often a blue tint to the color of the scene; the color of the poison that J.D. uses is even a shade of blue. Blue, when presented, can pertain to an array of different meanings and interpretations. In the case of J.D., blue could be representing the isolation that J.D. seems to have from the rest of his classmates or even the rest of society, as he takes more proactive means for a variety of situations.
Monochromatic colors can be seen throughout Veronica’s character development in the film. She is often seen around many blue objects and lighting schemes. Also, the outfit that she wears for a big portion of the film is blue. The blue undertones could also be representative of her connection with J.D.
The red pops of color from Heather Chandler’s character can be seen as a discordant color in a way. At her funeral, the church has mostly green undertones. As people come up to pray by Heather’s side, the attention of the viewer is drawn back to Heather, as the red flowers she holds and the red accents surrounding stand out among the color scheme of the church.
Complementary colors are seen through the film as well, as opposite shades of the color wheel make for a scene to stand out. While Veronica and J.D. are in a convenience store, the vivid shades of orange and blue are seen throughout, making this scene very vivid and hard to forget; these colors give this aspect of the movie a more vibrant feel to them, as it is the time where J.D. and Veronica are first really acquainted.
A transition of color can be seen when Veronica’s typical blue shades slowly start to become more red. One example of this could be when she is in the church, yet again, and visited by Heather Chandler. This time, she is not with J.D. and the colors appear to be that of a red tone. This transitional type of colors can also be seen when comparing that of the boiler room and the pep rally; the pep rally, where Veronica would want to be associated with, shows many red tones and people in high spirits, whereas the boiler room, where J.D. is, shows the blue undertones yet again.
In the well-known film, perhaps the most memorable color scheme would be that of the triadic colors in the outfits of the Heathers and Veronica. The outfits they wear are all centered on a different color and make it so each character has their own unique personality represented by the color they wear. Heathers is a film that shows a vast amount of different color schemes to bring about significance to the scene and gear the attention of the audience.
Works Cited
Heathers. Directed by Michael Lehmann. Performances by Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Kim Walker and Lisanne Falk. Cinemarque Entertainment, 1989.
Picture of Heather Chandler’s funeral. Iamnotastalker, 4 May 2009, http://www.iamnotastalker.com/2009/05/04/church-of-the-angels/
Picture of Veronica and Heather Chandler in the Church. Dark Star Omnibus, 21 November 2013, https://mcmolo.blogspot.com/2013/11/heathers-writer-finds-her-voice.html
Picture of Veronica and J.D. in convinence store. Foodonfilm, 17 August 2014, https://foodonfilm.net/2014/08/17/teenage-licks-heathers-1988/
Picture of Veronica in her room. Tumblr, https://heathersfashion.tumblr.com/post/114537795608/heathers-interiors-masterpost
Maria Palmeri CMS 285 