The Craft (1996)

DECEMBER 17, 2020

GENRE: SUPERNATURAL, TEEN
SOURCE: BLU-RAY (OWN COLLECTION)

I've had The Craft blu-ray sitting in "the pile" since it came out over a year ago, but it wasn't until I got an email the other day letting me know that my requested copy of its sequel (surnamed Legacy) was arriving soon that I had any real inclination to watch it. Like any good horror fan (and someone with a crush on Neve Campbell that started a year or two before its release and hasn't yet gone away) I watched the film a couple times when it came out on video in 1996 but don't think I've seen it since then, so in addition to wanting a refresh before diving into the followup, I was curious if it held up to my "yeah, it's OK" memory.

And it did! I recognize I'm not exactly the target audience (though on one of the bonus features they said the movie actually tested better with males than females) but I can also recognize when such films are a bit lacking even for those that can appreciate them the most. In fact it reminded me a lot of The Lost Boys, a comparison that didn't register back then (probably because I was never a big fan of that one either) but having just rewatched it a few months ago it's clear to see they both suffer from what seems like a missing beat in the story somewhere. Not as bad here as in Lost Boys, where Michael turns and what seems like the next morning Corey Haim is like "What is happening with you lately?" and prompting a split from the rest of the vamps, but it also feels like Sarah's break from the witches (Campbell as Bonnie, Rachel True as Rochelle, and leader Fairuza Balk as Nancy) doesn't have a lot of buildup. So it's one of those movies where you might not even realize you're watching the climax unless you're keeping an eye on the time remaining display, which is never a good thing.

It's also just kind of event-free, and the budget wasn't exactly tiny (15 million, which is more than most theatrical horror movies get *now*!). The film's R rating was not desired (the MPAA refused to give it the PG-13 it was designed for because they didn't want teen girls being exposed to witchcraft, lololol) but even a PG-13 film can get away with more than this offers, which is a body count of exactly one (Skeet Ulrich being knocked out a window) and a few freaky visuals in the climax. Even things that happen off-screen, like a plane crashing with Sarah's dad on it (information conveyed over the news) turn out to be tricks, so there's a strange lack of genuine threat that permeates the horror scenes, infrequent as they are.

And that'd be fine if the character development was on point, but nope, they drop the ball there too. We are given one (1) bit of information about each character's life (Nancy is white trash, Bonnie has burn scars that make her feel ugly, and Rochelle is the target of a racist mean girl played by Christine Taylor) and no followthrough on any of it. For example, Nancy's jerk stepdad has a heart attack and dies, leaving her and her mom a sizable insurance payout, seemingly making her wish of not being white trash come true, but after the girls visit their new place with fancy furniture, Balk's mom disappears from the story, so there's really no payoff for the subplot - Balk is just as crazy as she came across in her first few scenes. You could probably cut the whole insurance thing out and it wouldn't even be particularly noticeable.

Part of this vagueness is due to everything being told pretty much from Sarah's eyes, but she's also the least interesting one of the bunch and also not very developed (her dad is so fleetingly seen he makes Sid's dad in Scream seem like a primary character in comparison), so there's just not a lot to invest yourself in. Campbell and True both do nice work with what they're given (and it's very satisfying to see Rochelle take revenge on Taylor), but they're literally left on the sidelines as the film turns into a war between Sarah and Nancy. The closest thing to suspense the third act really generates is whether they will side with Nancy or break free to help Sarah, but they just disappear after a few minutes. They come back in the epilogue to show their true colors (they're jerks) but it feels like a late addition to make up for dropping them from the proceedings without a proper showdown with either Nancy or Sarah.

That said, it's an enjoyable enough time capsule-y kind of movie; looking at all the young faces (even though it's the same year as Scream, Skeet seems several years younger) and hearing the '90s alternative soundtrack. The Letters to Cleo cover of The Cars' "Dangerous Type" is still a solid jam, and having not seen it since the show premiered, I was amused to discover that Charmed wasn't content with just ripping off the movie's vibe - it even cribbed its theme song from it ("How Soon Is Now?" cover by Love Spit Love); in fact, Tunney has even said that people occasionally tell her they love the show. And it's shot in LA, a luxury no longer afforded to anyone as it became too expensive for anything but TV shows to shoot here. I also completely forgot Breckin Meyer was one of Skeet's buddies, so that was amusing.

But it also added to what I feel is the ultimate thing holding the movie back in retrospect: it's kind of the 2nd place option for a lot of things. Meyer already made one of the ultimate high school movies the year before with Clueless, so seeing him here is just a reminder of a better choice. Obviously if you want Skeet and Neve + horror, you go to Scream, and if you want to watch Robin Tunney battle the supernatural, just stick with End of Days where there are actual stakes and a more formidable villain. Hell, it's not even the scariest Fairuza Balk movie thanks to Return to Oz. Don't get me wrong, I recognize that it was a gateway horror movie for a lot of teen girls at that time (and perhaps throughout the rest of the '90s and '00s), but for me it is just as "fine" as it was in 1996. Here's hoping the sequel (which IS PG-13, something that was ironically lambasted by people who wanted it "R like the original") can dig a little deeper, somewhere, anywhere, and leave more of an impression.

What say you?

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