The Craft (1996)
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Four outcast teenage girls at a Los Angeles high school discover the power of witchcraft and face the consequences of their actions.
The story
Sarah Bailey, a troubled teenager with unusual abilities, moves to Los Angeles and attends a parochial high school. There, she befriends three other outcast girls who are rumored to be witches. The group, seeking power and belonging, decides to form a coven. When they discover Sarah possesses the 'fourth' element needed to complete their circle, they begin to practice witchcraft together. However, as they perform rituals and cast spells to change their lives, they begin to experience increasingly dangerous and unpredictable consequences, forcing them to confront the true cost of the magic they have unleashed.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Sarah Bailey, a troubled teenager with unusual abilities, moves to Los Angeles and joins a parochial high school. She befriends three outcast girls—Bonnie, Nancy, and Rochelle—who are rumored to be witches. The girls worship a deity named Manon. After Sarah is identified as the 'fourth' element needed to complete their coven, the group begins to perform magic. They cast spells for personal gain: Sarah seeks love, Rochelle seeks to end bullying, Bonnie seeks beauty, and Nancy seeks power. While the spells initially succeed—healing Bonnie's scars, granting Nancy wealth, and making Chris obsessed with Sarah—they bring dark consequences. Nancy becomes unstable after a ritual, and Chris becomes dangerously obsessed. After a series of escalating incidents, including a murder and a failed binding spell, the coven turns on Sarah. She eventually manages to summon the spirit of Manon herself, reclaiming her power and binding the others. The film ends with Sarah rejecting her former friends, who are left powerless and broken, while Nancy is institutionalized.
- First release year
- 1996
- Runtime (minutes)
- 101
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Andrew Fleming
- Writers
- Peter Filardi · screenplay; Andrew Fleming · screenplay; Peter Filardi · story
- Genres
- teen; supernatural horror; horror
- Themes
- adolescent nonconformity; female independence; consequences of power
- Tone and mood
- dark; campy
- Premise and plot tags
- witchcraft; teenagers; supernatural
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but became a cult classic with a loyal fan base.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 57% · scale: percentage · review count: 60; Metacritic · score: 55 · scale: 100 · review count: 20
- Awards and nominations
- Saturn Award · Best Horror Film · nomination; MTV Movie Award · Best Fight (Balk and Tunney) · win
- Production trivia
- Eighty-five actresses were screen-tested for the four main roles.; The character of Rochelle was rewritten to be black when Rachel True was cast.; The film served as an inspiration for the 2013 song 'Dark Horse' by Katy Perry.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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