“Heavenly Creatures” (Peter Jackson, 1994)
Long before he did “Lord of the Rings,” Peter Jackson introduced the world to the eerie, true-life story of the New Zealand Parker-Hulme murders, a 1954 matricide committed by two teenage girls. “Heavenly Creatures” catapulted Peter Jackson into the cinematic mainstream and debuted Kate Winslet, who landed her first ever feature role as Juliet Hulme just three years before she would co-star in “Titanic.” Though the Parker-Hulme murderesses were only rumored to be romantically linked (and one of them would go on to flatly deny it), my man Pete comes through with some of the weirdest, sweetest, sickest teen girl infatuation this side of cinema. Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey have tender chemistry even in their darkest moments, their shared gazes across rolling fields and bathtubs and bodies haunting viewers for decades to come.
“Ginger Snaps” (John Fawcett, 2000)
If you’ve never seen “Ginger Snaps,” you can’t possibly know the true potential of lesbian cult horror. In the same vein as Julia Ducournau’s “Raw,” the film follows two very close sisters propelled by bloodlust and undone by gender. When Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) gets her first period and is summarily attacked by the town werewolf, things start to get hairy. As Ginger’s sexual voracity and murderous rage intensify, her sister Brigette (Emily Perkins) must track down a cure. While not an explicitly lesbian film (and phew, since the female leads play sisters), I defy you to find any lesbian who doesn’t swear by the gospel of “Ginger Snaps.” A predecessor to works like “Jennifer’s Body” and “Jack & Diane,” “Ginger Snaps” made explicit what so many of us already know: Sometimes a girl has simply got to lose her shit.
“Mulholland Drive” (David Lynch, 2001)
My take on this movie, when I first saw it at 17, was basically, “I have no idea what is going on, but boy do Naomi Watts and Laura Elena Harring know how to kiss.” Not much has really changed since then, but here’s an attempt at a plot summary: Aspiring actress Betty (Watts) meets amnesiac Rita (Harring). The two become lovers despite a bunch of creepy shit happening around them at all times. Murders abound, a dead body shows up in Betty’s apartment, and nobody is who they seem. In fact, Betty and Rita are probably secretly other people themselves. Hollywood is fake, cowboy hats are dope, don’t eat at Winkie’s. Does that help? Ugh. Just watch it sometime this week and thank me later.
“She Creature” (Sebastian Gutierrez, 2001)
Now, I’m not saying you should definitely watch the made-for-TV movie “She Creature,” but I am saying you don’t come across a semi-Sapphic mermaid creature feature set in 1905 Ireland every day. The story goes like this: fake circus mermaid Lily (Carla Gugino, yes, from “Spy Kids”) meets a real monster mermaid (Rya Kihlstedt) when her shady lover Angus (Rufus Sewell) steals her for their act. Though, spoiler alert, Lily and the mermaid’s carnal vibe ends unconsummated, there’s definitely an energy there—but maybe I’m just saying that because, spoiler alert, the mermaid gets her pregnant. A hot mess through and through, “She Creature” is undoubtedly enjoyable (and impressively set, for a made-for-TV period piece). I recommend digging it up if you ever want to weird out a date, indulge in great monster CGI, or just see some early-aughts Cinemax nudity.
“May” (Lucky McKee, 2002)
Oh, “May.” May May May May May. This deeply freaky tale of a female Frankenstein is not for the faint of stomach, but it’s got that gleam of indie weirdness that sometimes only Lucky McKee can pull off. Angela Bettis plays the titular May, a waifish veterinary assistant obsessed with dollmaking and beautiful body parts. (You will be shocked to know that these interests eventually intersect.) Mired in uncomfortable sex scenes, including one between May and her admirably overconfident co-worker Polly (Anna Faris), “May” depicts the wayward and strange world of young adult sexual discovery with extra doses of dark. Are the lesbian characters genetically engineered super-babes with long fingernails? Of course. Do they survive the movie? Of course not. Still, “May” earns a place on this list (and in my heart) for sheer out-there ballsiness. And if Anna Faris ever wants to give me a call, I’ll pick up.
