When it comes to movies about witches, there are several strong contenders for best entry in the subgenre. From classics like Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic to ironic entries in the canon like The Love Witch to downright terrifying films like The Witch to the hallucinatory horror of Suspiria. But one film arguably beats out all the rest with its portrayal of female adolescence through the filter of a witchy thrills.
As of May 3, director Andrew Fleming’s anthem for misfits, The Craft, has turned 30. Following four teen girls who become friends through witchcraft before a Lord of the Flies mentality ends their alliance forever, The Craft continues to rank near the top of just about everyone’s list of “best witch movies.” What’s not to love? Breakout performances from all four central characters, lots of life-or-death teen drama, and at least one game of “light as a feather, stiff as a board,” this movie was a cornerstone for a lot of teen weirdos on its release.
Despite being very rooted in its time (rotary phones in every household), The Craft continues to hold a sort of timeless quality that allows it to keep finding viewers decades down the line. Why is that? We have thoughts!
Our POV character Sarah (Robin Tunney) moves to Los Angeles after a suicide attempt. At first skeptical she’ll be able to make friends, Sarah is relieved to fall in with a group of three fellow outcasts. This includes Bonnie (Neve Campbell), who bears heavy burn scars; Rochelle (Rachel True), who was targeted by racist bullies; and Nancy (Fairuza Balk), who lives in poverty with an abusive stepfather and her long-suffering mom. Bonnie notices Sarah levitating a pencil one day, and the girls welcome her to into their coven.
As their magical powers grow, negative repercussions quickly follow. When a jock named Chris lies and says he had sex with Sarah, she retaliates with a love spell that goes horribly wrong. He attacks Sarah, and an increasingly unstable Nancy knocks him through a window, killing him. Meanwhile, Bonnie becomes vain and cruel, while Rochelle curses her bully so that her hair falls out. (Honestly, the jury’s still out on whether that makes Rochelle guilty of anything: her bully is a real nightmare.)
At any rate, Sarah is afraid of their misuse of power, and she’s especially worried about how badly things will escalate if they’re left unchecked. This causes severe retaliation from the others as they push her to the brink of suicide once more. Yet, Sarah’s power is more centered and controlled than that of the other girls, and she’s able to turn the tables at the last moment.
Perhaps the main reason The Craft continues to work is that it’s easy to be emotionally invested in all four of the girls at the heart of the narrative. Though Sarah is our focal character and hero, all the girls are likable. Each carries her own heartache, be it the brutal racism Rochelle experiences or Bonnie’s ostracism due to her scars. When Sarah befriends them, we’re happy for her. When they turn on her, the betrayal feels frightening and real.
Even Nancy’s terrifying rage isn’t quite enough to make her an unsympathetic villain. After all, we saw her home life at the beginning of the film, and it was incredibly bleak. It’s more tragic that the power that fixes her life ultimately leaves her broken beyond repair. That underlying sympathy for the girls, even when they do terrible things, is why The Craft still rings true all these years down the line.
