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Poster Description: Dark storm clouds and pouring rain are illuminated by multiple forks of lightning. Bonnie, Nancy, Sarah, and Rochelle strut in a line on the ocean’s surface, wearing varying reiterations of their school uniform. The lightning surrounds them in a white glow. The Craft is below them in Celtic-style letters with the tagline, “WELCOME TO THE WITCHING HOUR.” |
Sarah (Robin Tunney) is the new girl at a Catholic prep school. She catches the attention of three outcasts who practice witchcraft, and before long, they’re conjuring all kinds of spells and curses on those who have wronged them.
Directed by Andrew Fleming, The Craft starts as a pretty standard high school drama – the cool kids VS the Goths – and then spells come into play. At first, it’s easy to sympathise with the witches: Nancy (Fairuza Balk, Return to Oz) is stuck with her drunk mum and gross step-dad in a trailer; Rochelle (Rachel True) suffers racist comments from mean girl Laura (Christine Taylor, Zoolander), and Bonnie’s back was severely scarred (Neve Campbell, Scream). Just don’t expect anyone to say how that happened. So naturally, the girls want to change things, and Sarah seems to have unlocked their powers. It’s fun until it becomes evident that the characters are nothing beyond their desires. Aside from Sarah, their powers whittle them to spiteful female archetypes. At least the soundtrack is good, a solid list of witchy songs which inspired Charmed some years later.
Given that I grew up with incredible films like Legally Blonde and Mean Girls, I expected The Craft to be about female empowerment, friendship, and what happens when you dabble in forces outside of your control. It tries to do this but it is too shallow and enjoys pitting girls against each other more. By the film’s last fifteen minutes, you wonder how we got to this point, and when the credits finally roll, you’re left feeling empty and irritated. All that build-up to “Heh. Witches be crazy…” I guess that’s what I get for watching a movie made in the 1990s written and directed by men. Sigh.
My Rating: 2 STARTS OUT OF 5
My Sources:
The Craft poster - https://www.joblo.com/tag/the-craft/posters/
Who directed The Craft? - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115963/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_q_the%2520craft
Fairuza Balk filmography - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000103/?ref_=tt_ov_st
Neve Campbell filmography - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000117/?ref_=tt_ov_st
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