Strong and Moving!

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I have a handfull of favorite movies from the 90s and this is one of them from my youth. The movie had everything from comedy to drama and horror. I'm a big fan of Neve Campbell (Party of five, Scream, ETC) and Robin Tunney (Empire Records). The characters worked well together. I was entertained throughout. The soundtrack for the film had the perfect songs. If you haven't watched yet, you must.

Ah, 90's nostalgia. It's all the rage. For people of my generation, who came of age at the tail end of that delightful decade and the early 2000's, there's something just magical about looking back on the years of our youth with a yearning and adoration. And this is definitely reflected in the modern day market for nostalgic properties- movies and shows that we grew up with have fallen back into vogue and are even starting to be remade or revived. Stories and characters that we had drifted from have re-emerged through memes, kitschy products and fancy re-releases. And cult-classics from back in the day are gaining growing audiences as we revisit them and share them with newer generations.Which brings us to 1996's "The Craft," directed and co-written by Andrew Fleming. While it was a minor hit back during its initial release, it was quickly overtaken by the shows and movies that followed. Being one of the first major released in quite some time to use witchcraft and Wicca as a major theme and backdrop, it ushered in many imitators, some good and some bad, and it got lost in the shuffle for a time. But over the past few years, it's slowly re- emerged and gained back its audience, becoming a bonafide cult- classic for the nostalgic folks like me who grew up in that millennial generation. Why, you can barely scroll through any social media site these days without stumbling upon a "Craft" reference or photo, usually accompanied by a humorous quip or in-joke.But this begs to question... Is "The Craft" really the underrated masterpiece that we so fondly remember it being? Or is it just the nostalgia talking? And honestly, it's hard to say. It's entertaining, no doubt. The cast is quite good. And it even boasts some very solid visual direction. And yet, it suffers a disjointed narrative and contrived scares that don't always hit home. It's a puzzling film to say the least. And yet, I couldn't help but completely enjoy it when I recently viewed it for the first time."The Craft" follows Sarah Bailey (Robin Tunney), the new girl in town whose just moved in and enrolled at the local Catholic school. There, she forms a strange but genuine friendship with a trio of outcasts comprised of Nancy (Fairuza Balk), Bonnie (Neve Campbell) and Rochelle (Rachel True)- the resident goth-chicks whom are widely despised and derided by their more popular peers. Sarah quickly finds herself drawn into their unique world, discovering that the trio worship and practice witchcraft, and are in need of one more member to complete their circle. At first apprehensive, Sarah eventually joins in and is shocked to discover that magic is all too real, and that she had seemingly unknowingly possessed its powers for some time prior... But also learns that despite the good it can do, every choice will have unforeseen consequences. Consequences that may tear the lives of the four girls apart as they grow greedy and apathetic thanks to their new powers...The thing I found most fascinating about the movie is the fact it does really hold your attention even when the film is plagued with some consistent and noticeable issues. And I attribute this mainly to the excellent cast and sharp direction. The four leads are a big key to making a film like this work, and all four feel perfect in their respective roles. I was particularly taken with Robin Tunney, who plays the most innocent of the four quite well and comes off as extremely likable and someone you can easily relate to. Campbell and True are both very good and play their roles very well. But special commendation definitely has to go to the very extremely talented and criminally under-recognized Fairuza Balk. She and Tunney more or less become the main focus on the film in its second half, and both play off of each other well, symbolizing the dangers of good things being taken to far.I was also very impressed with the production that Fleming crafts for the story, and it's a wonderfully competent and admirable piece of work. His smooth, steady camera-work is slick and stylish and always compliments the scenes well and he's got a keen eye for composition. He also knows where to place focus in terms of narrative, and he organically lets scenes play out at a natural pace, with everyone given their moment to shine. Combined with the wonderful cinematography of Alexander Gruszynski and a score by the always reliable Graeme Revell, and you have the stage set perfectly for such a dark and sometimes surprisingly amusing tale.Unfortunately, "The Craft" does falter and stumble on a very regular basis, and I really cannot ignore this fact. Although I do get the feeling it's more due to studio meddling and an over-eager editing team than due to Fleming. The pacing is a complete mess in the first two acts of the film, and I found myself often confused about things like motivation and intent. Heck, there was one or two early scenes where I lost track of the main characters because it was cut so tightly and they would seemingly appear and disappear from scenes. The attempts at genuine horror suffer from 90's "music video syndrome" and come off as laughable due to their blatancy instead of being chilling as they should be. And the narrative does rely a bit too much on audience good will and suspension of disbelief. It's just a bit... lazy at times.But that can't change the fact that this is a very fun film and I do think that those who are curious about it should give it a chance. Top-notch direction and an infectiously charming cast make all the difference, and help to redeem the film almost entirely for the plot and pacing related shortcomings. I give "The Craft" a pretty good 7 out of 10.

One of the best underdog stories out there. The cast is fantastic, realizing unforgettable performances you can still enjoy today. The "bad" witch was well developed, and it was easy to sympathize with her and her horrible family life. The other witches were given their chances to shine as well. I couldn't believe the blatant racism the one blonde girl was getting away with at the prep school. I'm glad and satisfied with her punishment. The visual effects are still very captivating to me. I particularly love the "feather" sequence (I guess that is everyone's favorite shot). And the climax is terrific. Just a great film!

A couple of things were popular in the late nineties. The sudden success of "Scream" made horror movies not only popular again but hip for the first time in years. Suddenly, the genre that had been masked madmen hacking up teens for a decade had to have sharp scripts and realistic, in-the-know protagonists. Around the same time, a rising awareness of new age pagan religions made "witch" a hot buzzword. Witches weren't green-skinned, cackling hags anymore. They could be normal people. These two interests intersected with "The Craft," a poppy teen and femme-oriented horror flick that attempted to bring the witch concept into the present day.Set at a catholic school in fashionable California, the film follows Sarah, a girl with a history of mental problems, who has just moved into town. She's quickly dubbed an outcast and befriends a trio of other strange girls: The gothy Nancy, the shy Bonnie, and teased Rochelle. The three girls fancy themselves witches, in the neo-pagan sense of the word, and think Sarah might be the fourth corner of their circle. The fourth girls quickly excel at magic, using their abilities to better their high school lives. However, things quickly get out of hand, especially thanks to the unbalanced Nancy, and the girls start to turn on each other."The Craft" is notable for focusing on female characters, a rare feat in any genre but horror especially. The girls aren't your typical horror film victims. Instead, the script makes the effort to get inside each one's head. Nancy and the others are at the bottom of the high social ladder. Nancy's Gothic fashion seems to be in response to her home life, with a trashy mother and an abusive stepfather. Boys tell lies about her at school and her interest in witchcraft steams from a rather literal desire to take back control of her life. Bonnie's body is covered in burns, leading to her shyness. Rochelle's ethnicity makes her a target for bullying from the school's resident queen bee. When their power grows, they naturally use their abilities to improve their lives. Who can blame them? "The Craft" tries to frame itself as a story about responsibilities, how power corrupts etcetera, but the film is far more successful in its early half when the premise is played for wish-fulfillment.That's mostly due to the mostly strong cast. The movie made Fairuza Balk, who previously had experiences with witches in "Return to Oz" and "The Worst Witch," something of a cult icon. She's the center of the film and gives a powerhouse performance. Nancy is burning with fear and pain, all of it exploding out as righteous anger. While the script isn't beyond playing her outburst as typical teenage angst, Balk deepens the role, making Nancy a real human being. Neve Campbell develops some honest anguish over her condition and, when she heals herself, has fun tramping it up. Rachel True works well as the first of the girls to notice they might have gone too far.The three are strong enough that they completely overshadow Robin Tunney as lead character Sarah. Tunney isn't bad but she's also playing the least interesting character in the film. While Nancy is speeding a car through red lights, magically changing them to green, Sarah is chastising them, like a real fuddy-duddy. Clearly, the other girls go too far, especially once they become murderous, but you can't deny they're having more fun. Making the hero so comparatively uninteresting is "The Craft's" biggest problem.The style of "The Craft" immediately marks it as a product of the late nineties. The soundtrack is filled out with quasi-pop punk that was quasi-popular at the time, like Sponge, Heather Nova, Letters to Cleo, and Love Spit Love, whose cover of "How Soon is Now" would later be used as the theme song for witch-centric TV show "Charmed." Andrew Fleming directs with rock-video smoothness, only occasionally overdoing it, like during Fairuza's murderous freak-out or a flying nightmare. The film's digital effects, which include morphing a girl's fingers into snakes, got a lot of press at the time. They come off as very dated today. The intensity the final witches duel produces has more to do with Fairuza's crazed acting then the melodramatic direction or cheesy effects."The Craft" became a sleeper hit upon release, meaning that its story and themes resonated with an audience. The film, no doubt, led to a rise in interest in witchcraft and neo-paganism. It also, probably, led to hip witch characters being a common character on supernatural soaps like "Buffy" and "Charmed." The film holds up astonishingly well, mostly thanks to its excellent cast and decently structured screenplay.