The Craft

At a conservative Catholic prep school a new girl named Sarah befriends a quartet of popular classmates who dabble in witchcraft. The coven discovers how to bend people and events to their will, targeting anyone who stands in their way from rigid teachers to rivals and overprotective parents. As their pranks graduate into darker magic, the bond among the four witches begins to crack under pressure and envy. The story follows their intoxicating thrill of power, the messy shortcuts they take, and the growing sense that curiosity about the unknown may come with a dangerous price. No spoilers here, just a tense, stylish collision of adolescence and occult forces. Shades of danger creep in as secrets surface.

Directed by Andrew Fleming from a script by Peter Filardi and Fleming, The Craft arrived in theaters in 1996. It stars Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, Rachel True, and Skeet Ulrich. The film’s visual design drew on 90s teen drama and Gothic aesthetics.

The movie carried a 15 million budget and earned around 24.8 million at the box office, a modest return that found a following in home video and cable airings, contributing to its cult afterlife.

Over time The Craft gained cult status as a late 90s teen horror that fused high school angst with occult fantasy. Its sharp focus on female friendship, confident style, and the lure and danger of power left a mark on how teen witches are depicted in cinema and later television. Its look and mood influenced the teen horror zeitgeist, with bold wardrobe and practical effects echoing in later films and TV shows about teenage witches and misfit girls.

Critics praised the performances of Tunney Balk Campbell and True, the film's unusual blend of dread and wit, and its dark look. Thematically it probes the temptations and consequences of ambition, peer pressure, conformity, and the bonds that keep people tied together even as they slip apart. It still shapes how teen witch stories balance power and friendship, decades after its release. Some viewers discuss the film's ending and what it says about power and responsibility.