California, 1996
The 1990’s were an excellent time for me. I graduated from high school and college during the decade, listened to multiple one-hit wonder bands, and got to see films like The Quick and the Dead, Empire Records, Interview With The Vampire, Mortal Kombat, what seemed like a ton of Jennifer Aniston films in order to impress a girl (and failed), and Hercules for $1 thanks to a local cinema that sadly was torn down a few years ago. I would go there to check out movies that I really wanted to see but missed due to either not being able to get anybody to go with me or because there were other movies out that I wanted to see even more at the time. I would also watch films that didn’t look like my cup of tea, but wanted to watch anyway because I wanted to see just how bad the film would end up being.
The Craft was one of those films.
In my book it had nothing going for it. Four teen girls in California “playing witch” just didn’t appeal to me. However, the film starred Robin Tunney, who had just starred in one of my favorite films of all time, Empire Records. Being a male in college at the time, her beauty gave me just enough reason to be willing to drop a dollar on The Craft. Add to that the fact that cute Julia Salinger (okay, Neve Campbell, who portrayed Julia in Party of Five,) the lovely Rachel True, and the exotically gorgeous Fairuza Balk were also a part of the cast and I was sold.
The film reeks of the 90’s. From the clothing that everyone in the film wore (including Skeet Ulrich and Breckin Meyer) to the soundtrack that featured Matthew Sweet, Jewel, and Heather Nova, the film is a perfect capsule of mid 90’s teen/young adult life.
At its core, I’ve always viewed The Craft as a “Teen Wants To Fit In” film. Nancy (Balk) hates her white trash life and wants to be rich. Rochelle (True) wants revenge against her nemesis, the racist Laura (Christine Taylor). Bonnie (Campbell) wants the scars that she is ashamed of to vanish. Sarah seemingly just wants to fit in, but after a date with one of the popular guys at school (Ulrich) goes sour, she wants to control him.
We’ve all been ashamed of our clothes or our home or something else like that at some point as teens. We’ve all had to deal with bullies as well. There have been things that we want to change about ourselves physically. We’ve also probably all fallen pretty hard for someone and regretted it later on in life.
When the girls’ spells actually work, they become power hungry. Sarah starts to back off and no longer wants to be a part of the coven, but Nancy embraces the power she is given and wants even more. Rochelle seems to feel bad for Laura at first, but eventually sides with Nancy, as does Bonnie, who has grown to love the attention all of the boys give her now that her scars are gone. The trio take on Sarah, who eventually realizes that she is much more powerful than any of the other girls know.
I won’t reveal the ending of the film. Just know that this surprise hit that has become a cult favorite is worth checking out. Many members of the cast would go on to have solid careers in film and television. Tunney bounced around in films of varying degrees of success until she won a television gig on Prison Break. Campbell would become a big star with her Scream franchise role of Sidney Prescott. Balk has appeared in everything from independent films to mainstream comedies such as The Waterboy. Of the four core actresses in the film, only Rachel True seems to have had a hard time striking success again.
Christine Taylor and Breckin Meyer had bit parts in the film, but continued on to successful careers in film and television. Skeet Ulrich joined Neve Campbell in the first Scream film.
So, did I get a great deal on this film whenever I paid one dollar to see it? Absolutely. You should check it out as well if you haven’t seen it yet.
As always, thanks for reading. I’ll have another film post ready for you tomorrow knight.
Ken's Alternate Universe! 