A new girl in school joins up with a group of outcasts, forming a coven of witches who use their powers for their own gains, only to begin to experience the repercussions for their wicked ways.
In a time when witches in film were not much more than evil enemies and flat, underdeveloped antagonists in horror films, there was one movie that completely changed that. The Craft. Making the bold decision to have morally ambiguous high school girls as the leads, and following their growing powers as they begin to use them for more and more dastardly and conceited reasons, The Craft was a refreshingly new addition to the witchcraft horror genre that also managed to be representative of young women without the intense focus on sexuality. While there is definitely still some objectification stemming from male gaze appeal and men writing women, the root of the story is quite empowering, as it puts women in a place of strength and intelligence.
The film also has a very unique visual look, too, thanks to director Andrew Fleming, who wrote The screenplay alongside story creator Peter Filardi. What could’ve been a cheesy and overdone story is instead told very intricately and I’m a chilling manner. I only wish there would’ve been more representation behind the camera, as I think it would’ve helped to eliminate some of the unfortunately unrealistic characteristics of some of the characters. It’s painfully obvious that they were written by men without much input from real women, and the film suffers for it. Still, having the story revolve almost entirely around a cast of female characters was a step in the right progressive direction.
And what a cast of women it has, too. Everyone is spectacular in their roles. Robin Tunney is superb as the morally torn lead character, Sarah, with every conflict she faces being shown in explicit detail through her fantastic performance. Neve Campbell and Rachel True are impeccable as the other two members of the coven. But best of everybody is Fairuza Balk as the infamous Nancy Downs, who turns out a powerhouse performance that’ll leave you shaken and stirred. She’s delectably sinister, shockingly unhinged, and somehow still weirdly relatable, making her one of the best developed antagonists in horror. She starts out as your friend and turns into your enemy in a way that’s very realistic, especially in young female relationships, as egos clash and goals misalign. It also captures the word isolation you feel when you’re an outcast attempting to hold onto a disintegrating friend group.
Combined with some really stellar special effects, which make the witches’ powers go from corny and dull to amazingly well executed, and with a score and soundtrack that’s perfect for the time period, The Craft is well put together and enjoyable for many reasons. I only wish there had been less use of the lightning strikes, as they occasionally come off as more cheesy than intimidating.
The Craft takes the catty and hormonal disagreements of coming of age young women and dumps witchcraft into the mix, complicating morality, friendship, and power struggles, in a way that’s both entertaining and disturbingly unnerving. Just be careful. You don’t want to end up like Nancy.