Heathers is a 1989 black comedy film starring Winona Ryder, Shannen Doherty, and Christian Slater. It is widely viewed as a classic teen film of the 1980s, considered revolutionary at the time because of its high levels of violence, cruelty, black humor, and absurdity, especially for a movie set in high school, and is often described as one of the finest black comedies ever made. It was written by Daniel Waters and directed by Michael Lehmann.