The Craft

Starring: Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, Rachel True, Skeet Ulrich, Breckin Meyer
Directed by: Andrew Fleming
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Horror, Thriller
1996

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: The new girl (Robin Tunney) in town befriends three girls (Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, Rachel True) who dabble in witchcraft. When they start to develop supernatural powers, they use them to their advantage- not considering that what they do will come back to haunt them.

Review:

Tim: I know that The Craft is a silly movie. It is a film about four teenage witches who have some pretty remarkable powers. That is a pretty far-fetched idea, but I like it. I like that this film took a different approach, and told a somewhat unique story. I like that this film was dark in tone, and wasn't afraid to push the boundaries of the types of movies younger people go to see. I liked the mix of high school drama with supernatural horror. You don't see that often enough, and it worked here.

I am not saying this is a particularly good movie. Certain scenes are just beyond belief, the dialogue is often weak and stupid, and the story simply needed to be more effective. And yet, this is not a terrible movie, either. It assembled the right cast in the right roles, and this greatly helped the movie. Director Andrew Fleming also does a good job of keeping the film moving. I didn't really see too many places where the movie bogged down. By preventing the film from getting stagnant, Fleming created a fairly enjoyable viewing experience.

As I mentioned, the cast is pretty good. I really liked Robin Tunney in the lead role. She is believable and likeable, and I found myself rooting for her. She was critical to the success of this movie, and she delivered. Fairuza Balk was the right choice to play the darkest, most disturbed of the four witches. She just looks scary, and while I am not a huge fan of her, she was the right choice for this part. I liked Neve Campbell and Rachel True as the other two witches. These actresses all gave good performances, and they worked extremely well together. You believed they were really friends.

The supporting cast is good, too. I think Skeet Ulrich is vastly underrated, and I enjoyed him in this film. He added quite a bit with his strong performance. I also liked Christine Taylor as the snotty popular girl. She was the perfect choice for this role. In addition, it is always good to see Breckin Meyer, even if he doesn't have much to do.

I believe there is something fundamentally interesting about watching four females embrace powers and strength that are beyond ordinary human understanding. While not necessarily evil, we hesitate watching these girls play with supernatual powers and conjure supernatural beings. I like the film's decision to make these four women extraordinarily powerful witches, bending others and the world to their whim. That makes this movie watchable, even when it probably shouldn't be.

I understand that The Craft isn't a great movie. But, despite its many flaws, this film does do quite a bit right. I enjoyed this movie to a certain degree, and I appreciate the different, unique qualities this movie brought to the table. I hope more of these movies are made.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3, The Faculty, Clueless, Carrie