Introduction:
Turns out that 1996 was a
good year for Neve Campbell, not only did she star in the horror classic Scream, but she was also in this witchy
little movie. It was around this time that teen based horror flicks came back
into vogue. But The Craft adds that
extra touch of Girl Power!
Summary:
Sarah (Robin Tunney) has
just moved to California with her dad and step mom. She’s a little nervous
starting at new school, but attracts the attention of the handsome Chris (Skeet
Ulrich). She also becomes friends with the school outcasts, Nancy (Fairuza
Balk), Bonnie (Neve Campbell) and Rochelle (Rachel True). Turns out these three
gals are witches and Sarah has enough innate powers to become the final member
of their coven.
At first it’s all fun and
games as the girls cast spells to avenge wrongs done against them. But when
they invoke the spirit, Nancy seems to go a bit more kuku for Cocoa Puffs than
she usually is. Now Nancy is convinced Sarah is out to get her and she’s got
Bonnie and Rochelle on her side. Will Sarah be able to use The Craft to save herself?
Good Points:
- Some clever use and modernization of witch powers
- Has a positive message about peer pressure
- Fairuza Balk is chewing the scenery like you wouldn’t believe!
Bad Points:
- Never quite scary, mostly goofy
- Did we need grunge remakes of classic 80s tunes?
- Fairuza Balk is not just chewing the scenery but ingesting whole chunks!
Overall:
As a scary horror film, you could do a lot better. But for me this is a classic piece of 1990s cheese. It manages to capture so many elements of 1996 that it’s almost painful.
As a scary horror film, you could do a lot better. But for me this is a classic piece of 1990s cheese. It manages to capture so many elements of 1996 that it’s almost painful.
But Fairuza’s over the top acting makes it extra special. So while I can’t recommend it too highly, for a bit of fun Halloween viewing The Craft takes the cake. If you don’t agree, make sure you tell Fairuza you’re sorry… or else.
Scores
(out of 5)
Visuals: 3
Sound: 4
Acting: 3
Script: 3
Music: 3
Direction: 3
Entertainment: 4
Total: 3
I remember that when this came out my pagan high priestess friend Lady Sharona (see my facebook friend list) was a little irked by its liberties with Wiccan practice -- but, hey, it's the movies. There are quite a few young witch movies out there, e.g. The Initiation of Sarah (1978 and 2006 versions), but this one looks more fun than most.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, never heard of the initiation of Sarah. Will have to check it out. Give "The Craft" a try. It is a lot of fun and Fairuza is having a blast. :)
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