The Craft (1996)

The Craft (1996)

 

7/10

Starring

Fairuza Balk

Robin Tunney

Neve Campbell

Rachel True

Directed by Andrew Fleming

 

The Craft was a rebel of the ’90s. Nowadays, when we talk about an all-female cast and women being in charge, it often has to be about power—flipping the narrative that they can do what men can. I’m all for this, but some movies go overboard, focusing more on the message than the story itself. The Craft did it right, and the best part? It did it in the ’90s.

This movie refused to be just another teen flick. Instead of cliché romance arcs, it dove into the dark, supernatural consequences of dabbling with power you can’t control—and boy, did it leave a mark. I never forgot about this movie.

One person that stands out is Fairuza Balk. Her performance as Nancy Downs was nothing short of amazing. If female rage had a face, hers was it. Her performance was so so good that it eclipsed the rest of the cast. Sure, we have Neve Campbell fresh off Scream and Robin Tunney as the protagonist, but Balk? Was an unbelievable masterclass in acting on display.

I first saw The Craft in 1997. I remember expecting another Scream-like movie, but I was not expecting witchcraft.

The plot follows four girls who form a coven—at the time, I had no idea what that was. Their group was built on shared misery and sadness about their lives. They had problems in school with bullies, racism, slander, and being overlooked.

Their collective misery was the sticky tape that bonded them together. Add a shared love for witchcraft, and they decided to dabble in it. Tapping into ancient magic, they wanted to reshape their lives. At first, it was fun—getting revenge on bullies, manifesting dream crushes, reviving dead pets. But as they soon learn, the universe always collects its debts.

The film plays on the saying, absolute power corrupts absolutely, and we witness Nancy’s trauma twist even common desires into something evil.

Director Andrew Fleming did a good job with this ’90s Gothic horror film. The visuals—smoky rituals, flickering candles, and that iconic light as a feather levitation scene—are forever memories that bring back the nostalgia of my childhood.

The movie does have its flaws. While Balk’s performance is iconic, the other characters occasionally feel underwhelming. Their arcs (Bonnie and Rochelle) wrap up too neatly and conveniently in the end so the movie can focus on the battle between Sarah and Nancy. Plus, the film has pacing is uneven. The first half pours tension into the story, but the climax rushes through things. It is evident that the ending was not well thought through, leaving you the viewer with an anticlimactic feeling.

Is The Craft a perfect movie? No. But its flaws are part of its charm. This isn’t a polished studio production—it’s a messy anthem for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider. It has a very memorable line, "we are the weirdos, mister".

I like the fact that we don’t get a “and they lived happily ever after” ending.

Decades later, The Craft remains a cult classic, not just for its nostalgia factor but for its audacity. It’s a time capsule of ’90s rebellion.

I highly recommend it for lovers of gothic movies.