Winona Ryder and JFK: Spectral Resonances of Heathers and Mermaids, 1987-1999
The Winona Ryder moment comprising the late 1980s and early 1990s – years which saw the actress achieve teen stardom and household name recognition through a series of quirky outsider roles in high-profile releases including Beetlejuice (1988) and Edward Scissorhands (1990) – produced two especially intriguing movies, Heathers (1988) and Mermaids (1990), which carry major social and ethno-political subtextual and intertextual currents enhanced by Ryder’s unusual family background. Born Winona Horowitz in 1971, Ryder is the daughter of antiquarian bookseller Michael Horowitz, who worked for decades with LSD guru Timothy Leary as his archivist. Ryder’s mother, video producer Cynthia Palmer, is co-editor with her husband of the books Shaman Woman, Mainline Lady: Women’s Writings on the Drug Experience (1982) and Moksha: Aldous Huxley’s Classic Writings on Psychedelics and the Visionary Experience (1999). In addition to Leary, who served as Winona’s godfather, the Horowitz fa...