The Craft (Special Edition)

Fire burn and cauldron bubble -witchcraft sure has changed since Shakespeare's day! For one, the coven of witches in "The Craft" are much more becoming than the hags portrayed in Shakespeare's Macbeth. The story centers around Sarah [a very young Robin Tunney] who is emotionally fragile, having recently failed in a suicide attempt. She moves with her father and stepmother to a new place, and finds it awkward at her new school until she is singled out by a group of girls, Nancy [a wicked Fairuza Balk], Bonnie [Neve Campbell], and Rochelle [Rachel True]. These girls are unpopular at school and nicknamed witches, which turns out to be true. They are amateur witches, dabbling in 'the craft' and Nancy, the leader is convinced that Sarah is the perfect fourth witch to complete their circle.

The plot is actually interesting and keeps the viewer engaged - Sarah turns out to be naturally gifted [inherited from mom] and initially the coven has great fun, bonding with each other, carrying out acts of retribution against those who have made life miserable for them at school, but it all comes crashing down when Sarah, who feels the group is getting out of control and overly obssessed with their powers, decides to quit. Nancy just won't take NO for an answer, and all hell breaks loose.

The four lead actresses here do a credible job with their roles, but it is Fairuza Balk's Nancy and Robin Tunney's Sarah that truly shine. Balk's Nancy is wicked and malevolent, all-consumed by greed and lust and truly epitomises the wicked witch. Robin Tunney portrays Sarah, the good witch or white witch, with benevolence and humility, though she doesn't stand for being stomped upon.

All in all, this 1996 movie is well-done and is one of those rare movies on witchcraft that makes for a riveting viewing experience. Highly recommended!

The real story and the main selling point is betrayal. Nothing is more familiar than having a friend suddenly turn on you for no apparent reason. The characters herein are like that. They turn on each other,lie, cheat and even kill. This leads to the witchcraft. The movie has a before and after structure to it. Before magick, my parents and classmates had me down and after when I got even. Then there is a finale that has some of the magick working wonderfully, like gene therapy and teaching racists a lesson, but love spells and Invoking The Spirit are heavy duty magick spells. Neither can apparently be undone and must run it's disastrous course. The finale has an attempted rape avenged by one of the witches, who seduces the guy while throwing a magic spell that makes her look like the girl he attempted to rape. He is unrepenant about it and this eventually costs him his life. The girl he had attempted to rape feels responsible for him thinking her love spell was too strong. Her sister in witchhood demands retribution for what he's done she and magickally knocks him out the window where he falls to his death. Then there is a showdown between the good witch and the bad witch in which the good witch wins and the bad witch ends up in a mental hospital. The good witch wins and the bad witch is punished and the 2 middle of the road witches lose their power and the new girl in school moves away once more. Don't you love a happy ending?

amazing movie. When It hit the screen I smuggled myself and my friend into the movie (damn the rating system) we were blown away by it's awesome stellar opening song by Our Lady Peace and flash of graphics. Such a great movie for teen gal pals or a trio or 4 some of best friends. Again, great movie and the soundtrack is decent for the time of it's debut.

The Craft starring Neve Campbell is a cute, fun, and edgy comedy. Robin Tunney and Fairuza Balk also star, I really like this film, has great energy and the plot is pretty cool. Sometimes I wish I could be a witch, lol. I highly recommend this chick flick fantasy, enjoy!

**No Spoilers** The Craft is one of those movies that will ultimately become Timeless. It will appeal to young audiences, and will most likely carry on through to adulthood as a "favorite movie worth seeing again and again." (think in terms of the "cult favorites" Carrie, The Breakfast Club, Grease) I am not well versed in Wiccan and/or witchcraft practices, so for me this film satisfied an element of curiosity. The entire cast gives impeccable performances in their respective roles. Fairuza Balk has one of the most commanding screen presence I have ever seen, and manages to further convey her characters feelings and attitude with simple facial expressions, furthering her character's "edge" - even when spoken dialogue isn't offered. She is a brilliant performer, and is a real gem on screen. Robin Tunney, Neve Campbell, and Rachel True also provide equally impressive performances. In supporting roles, Skeet Ulrich and Christine Taylor are amazing. Skeet Ulrich's skill as an actor is apparent as he very delicately and convincingly morphs his character as deemed necessary for the story, and though her character sort of breezes in and out of scenes, Christine Taylor also shines in her role as the "class bitch." As the audience we know we are suppose to dislike her character - and we do - but she has this way of playing villainy with a sort of comedic approach which makes her a stand out performer. She is a young Bette Davis, if you will. Since the release of this film, all of the cast have found success in their careers, but it's fun to revisit a film like this that showcases new or under-rated talent before they go on to become household names.