The Craft (1996) review

11. The Craft (1996)

Directed by: Andrew Fleming

Produced by: Douglas Wick

Screenplay by: Peter Filardi, Andrew Fleming

Starring: Fairuza Balk, Robin Tunney, Neve Campbell, Rachel True

Right now, there’s been a prominent flux in media with witches as the subject; I guess they’ve always been somewhat popular, but in recent years they’re just all over the place. There was a long-awaited sequel to “Hocus Pocus,” Marvel’s “Agatha All Along” is currently streaming on Disney Plus, and next month part one of the Broadway musical adaptation of “Wicked” comes out in theaters. So let’s take a trip back to the 1990s and review “The Craft,” one of the biggest cultural impact films among young viewers. It’s about a troubled teenager named Sarah (Robin Tunney) who moves to Los Angeles and befriends a trio of outcast girls rumored to be witches. The four of them subsequently practice witchcraft, intending to use it against those who have wronged them. This is a movie I originally thought was just okay, but through the strength of its performances and cathartic tone, I now consider it tremendously effective in its portrayal of unchecked adolescent angst.

It opens with Sarah, a girl with unusual abilities, arriving from San Francisco with her father and stepmother; immediately she’s noticed levitating a pencil in her new school by Bonnie (Neve Campbell), who informs her friends Rochelle (Rachel True) and Nancy (Fairuza Balk). All three are practicing witches looking for a “fourth” to complete a circle needed to initiate their coven under a mysterious deity they call “Manon.” Not willing to pass up new friends, Sarah joins and bonds with the girls, who subsequently cast a spell to better their lives in some way: Sarah for love from popular jock Chris (Skeet Ulrich), who’d mistreated her, Bonnie for beauty in response to massive burn marks on her body, Rochelle for retribution against racist bully Laura (Christine Taylor), and Nancy for power to combat her trailer park home life with her mother and abusive stepfather. All four benefit from Manon’s magic, but as their ambitions grow, so do the pitfalls; nevertheless, Nancy, shown to be envious of Sarah’s natural talents, plows ahead without caring about the cost, seeking to punish any who crosses her, Sarah included.

While the story and special effects are pretty standard and the editing a little hokey, the characters really carry the appeal of the movie. They all have believable motivations and come across three-dimensionally in a situation where they could easily seem petty and unlikeable. I do think some of the characterizations are inconsistent regarding alliances and betrayals, but the scenes of them connecting and practicing their witchcraft are quite fun, as their emotions range from nervous to excited to fearful and everything in between. My only wish is they could’ve gotten someone a little more charismatic to play Sarah; don’t get me wrong, Robin Tunney has her strong moments where she sells the anxiety and fear, but there are certain subtexts to the character that I don’t really buy. I’ve read that Angelina Jolie was one of the actresses who screen-tested for Sarah, and I think she’s someone who could’ve portrayed her as both the timid outcast and the fledgling witch she eventually becomes.

Maybe another reason I don’t gravitate as much towards Sarah is that she’s totally outclassed by her three co-witches. Neve Campbell, Rachel True, and especially Fairuza Balk are all beyond captivating in their respective roles; the same year she starred in “Scream,” Campbell shows genuine pathos as Bonnie, initially dressed in frumpy clothes and eager to hide her appearance before breaking out of her shell. The scenes where she’s undergoing this cosmetic procedure to work on her burn marks have Campbell really making the most of these reactions; we’re on edge with her, then relieved with her. But the real powerhouse character of the film is Nancy; the ‘80s and ‘90s had some memorable “mean girl” tropes in films like “Heathers,” “Jawbreaker” and “Cruel Intentions,” and there’s something truly committed about Balk’s performance. There is a certain tragedy to Nancy, someone who’s spent so long feeling damaged and powerless and will now resort to anything to keep what she has; the scene where she viciously screams at Chris during the house party is very unnerving, as she truly looks unhinged, even if there are visual strobing effects that make it look just a little silly.

That is indicative of a recurring problem with the movie; while the overall visual style of the movie works well, there are random awkward moments as well, like times when the pace goes to slow motion for no apparent reason, or those lame computer-generated deformities. But for the most part, the story keeps finding new visually creative ways to push the limits of the witches’ powers; moments like in the third act where they cast terrifying illusions are a frightening concept, and the image of Nancy walking on water after they fully invoke Manon is quite unforgettable. Also, I like that this Manon is kept abstract enough to make clear that it’s neither truly benevolent nor malevolent, but entirely up to the witch. No one in this movie is without sin, but no one is evil either; even the ones like Chris and Laura who exhibit deplorable behavior are given such extreme forms of payback, how far do you push it?

In lesser hands, I could see “The Craft” being annoying or cliché, but it does a great job at making the characters interesting and the interactions realistic without going too over-the-top dark; apparently during filming scenes where the characters chanted in actual Wiccan language, several bizarre things happened, like bats hovering over the set and ocean tides behaving unpredictably. Regardless of whether any of this subject matter is authentic, this is a movie that tapped into something that audiences resonated with; it didn’t get much love from critics, and indeed the messaging can be heavy-handed at times, but unlike other holiday-themed examples, this is a feminist horror movie done right. There was a sequel called “The Craft: Legacy” that came out in 2020, but I think it’s already been mostly forgotten, while this continues to enchant and delight viewers—some, like yours truly, moreso on rewatches—to this day; you’re in for a wicked good time.

My rating: 8/10