The Craft (1996) Reviews

• A lot darker than your usual teen flick

  Brandy-at-the-foxhole2004-11-11

  SPOILERS I thought this was a pretty decent teen flick - if you remember that it is, at the end of the day, a teen flick. No one should be expecting massive doses of striking directorial depth or stunning method-acting here. When taken for what it is - ie. a teen jaunt about peer pressure, teen cruelty and the hidden power-trip behind most teens' quest for emancipation, this is a pretty decent film. What surprised me was the fact that, given the opportunity to go ditzy, the script went dark - and that's always good when you're bucking convention. This ain't no "Clueless". I think Fairuza is one scary, scary chick and seeing her all tied up in a mental asylum didn't quite put the fear out. Why doesn't she do more horror movies? I think she'd be one helluva a scream queen! 6.5 out of 10! PS check out the somewhat toneless rendition of Peter Gabriel's "I have the Touch" in the movie. The original is way better!

• Interesting and Entertaining Film

  RobertF872005-01-08

  This is a very entertaining blend of supernatural thriller and teen movie. Sarah (played by Robin Tunney) is the new girl at a Catholic shool in Los Angeles where she meets a group of girls (Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell and Rachel True) who dabble in witchcraft. When Sarah joins the group they discover that they have genuine power and start using it to sort out their personal problems, until the group's leader Nacy (Balk) starts taking it too far. The film is well-made and several shades darker than the average teen movie. The cast are all very good, especially Fairuza Balk who easily steals the film with her part. The film's portrayal of witchcraft is a bit more interesting than the standard Hollywood portrayal, and it certainly doesn't represent it as essentially "evil", which makes a nice change. However, as always, this is Hollywood so many liberties will have been taken with genuine wiccan practices. The film is worth a look, however. The only thing that lets it down is the overblown climax.

• If you want a good cat fight, watch it

  Smells_Like_Cheese2003-11-15

  It's not a scary movie, it's like a weird version of "Clueless". It brings me back to when I was in grade school and wanted to be apart of high school. And I always wondered if this was like what my future would hold meeting new people. Witches? The plot is kinda basic "Evil Dawson's Creek". :D Sarah is the new girl in town who is trying to fit in with very rude and snobby people at her new school. You can tell from the beginning that there is something very special about her. There are three girls, Nancy, who is the white trash scary goth girl, Bonnie who has severe burn marks all over her back, and Rachelle who is constantly picked on by a racist school girl, they notice Saraa and they happen to be witches who need a forth in their group, guess who that is? Sarah! She is also noticed by the high school jock jerk who uses girls and treats them like whores. She is first frightened by the girls, mostly Nancy, and leaves. She goes to see Chris, but when she refuses a private invite to his house, he spreads a nasty rumor around school about her night with him. She goes back to the girls and they discover how much more powerful they are with Sarah. They perform simple spells at first: flying, love spells, changing appearances. But things get more intense and serious: Bonnie's scars "magically" disappear and becomes gorgeous, but snobby. Rachelle's racist bully looses her hair, which seems cool, but is eventually very cruel and immature. Nancy has her step father "killed" in some way of a stroke, and inherits $175,000. She also goes as deep as to invoke the spirit of their beliefs of Manoe and becomes crazy. Sarah's love spell on Chris was to only get him to like her and apologize, but it turns on her very badly when he becomes too obsessed with her. Sarah knows that things are bad and decides not to participate her magics with the group and they turn on her, badly. To the point of threatening her life. It's a strange movie, it's entertaining to watch and the acting is pretty decent. You really get into the movie. I'm not sure if you could call it scary. But like the critics said "It's Carrie meets Clueless". It's a fun teen movie. So if you liked those movies, you might like this. 8/10

• Not bad!

  NoName19892006-08-16

  This movie was better than I expected. It's about a girl who moves and meets three girls at her new school, who seem to be practicing witchcraft... The movie certainly appealed to me, the acting was not bad, certainly Robin Tunney (who plays Veronica in "Prison Break") did a good job, but also Neve Campbell and Rachel True are acting alright. The only person of who I didn't like the acting, was Fairuza Balk. Her voice is (in this movie) not exactly the nicest voice to listen to. But she dóés have some good moments in this movie. Director Andrew Fleming, who's budget for The Craft wasn't so big, did a good job. The movie is -at least in the first half- a good combination between a thriller and a comedy, in the end, all the comedy disappears, the atmosphere darkens and we get a fairly exciting thriller. Some of the special effects are very good. The music was o.k., but (except for a few scenes) nothing more. If you have the chance to watch this, try it! The movie will certainly not appeal to everyone, the movie is more for teenagers and people in their early twenties, I think. Many older people won't appreciate this film so much. But everyone should give The Craft a try!

• A Suspenseful and Creepy Movie

  MadBadMovieman1999-11-25

  Not a really new story about Witch Craft among girl friends but enough twists and surprizes and effects to rise above most. Very well done by all Especially Robin and Fairuza. Very Good effects. Good vs. Evil conflict really kept you in the movie. Great to see in a theater or on a big screen.