Four witches, one city, endless possibilities.
‘The Craft’ (1996) a coming of age tale revolving around four young women dabbling in the black arts of witchcraft. A contemporary take on witchcraft and Wicca that deftly examines the subject – in a relatable way – while dispensing with the more ludicrous or intangible parts of on-screen magic. ‘The Craft’ never truly veers into the fantastical, instead opting for dream sequences to showcase the more mind-bending aspects. Until the final 20 mins; at which point all hell breaks loose.
Directed by Andrew Fleming a relatively unknown filmmaker whose seven other features all pale in comparison, ‘The Craft’ ended up his most recognizable picture making quite the impact upon release. ‘The Craft’s execution is not at all coy; a bombastic trainwreck of jealousy fueled revenge from start to finish. A supernatural tale featuring the angst of a coven that’s broken – after gaining its long-awaited fourth member. Reception wise, it grew to be iconic among Gen-X and Millenials alike, gaining more prominence through VHS sales and rentals while never quite achieving blockbuster status. Nevertheless, ‘The Craft’ certainly has a healthy cult following thirty years later.
Starring:
Fairuza Balk as Nancy Downs, Robin Tunney as Sarah Bailey, Neve Campbell as Bonnie, Rachel True as Rochelle, Skeet Ulrich as Chris Hooker, Christine Taylor as Laura Lizzie, and Breckin Meyer as Mitt.
The plot is somewhat stereotypical:
a new girl, Sarah Bailey (Tunney) moves to a neighbourhood of Los Angeles with her father in a predictable setup. While attending the parochial St. Benedict’s Academy she quickly makes friends with three social outcasts; Nancy, Bonnie, and Rochelle. The cold-open of the film shows the trio participating in a ritual involving pentagrams, sage, flowers, and candles, among other paraphernalia associated with witchcraft. As an introduction it serves to inform the viewer these three young ladies practise magic in modern times, whether their rituals work or not is the question, the answer being gradually revealed throughout the film. Narratively speaking: the resulting cleverness of ‘The Craft’, I credit to the story pacing (as well as the acting) because when you look past those positives the piece could be considered kind of generic for a high school drama. The cinematography is restrained and run-of-the-mill. This may be why it hasn’t fared too well on Rotten Tomatoes – only receiving a lackluster score of 57% despite having spawned a sizable cult following over the years.
As the plot thickens, a wedge between Nancy and Sarah forms causing a rift in the coven – one which swiftly turns into an all out battle of wills between the two. Chaos incarnate vs burgeoning witch with a penchant for following the light rather than the dark. While universes collide the film showcases teen angst awash in black Magicka; finally culminating in a cosmic clash that could be summed up as feminine titans viciously vying for control of the ether. Or maybe it’s just a feline-esque spat gone wrong; either way… it makes for some truly macabre, delicious drama!
So, with Halloween come and gone – make sure to watch ‘The Craft’ while it’s still the harvest season…
Grab a glass of wine, a bucket of popcorn, and schedule your viewing at midnight: for then The Witching Hour is upon you.
Never break the circle.
Rating 7/10
Afterword:
*The Tree of Knowledge, referenced during a scene in the church: accentuates the serpentine symbolism found throughout the film. Snakes are showcased multiple times. The biblical and Pagan associations – hopefully not lost on the casual viewer.
