30 Years of The Craft: Still Hexing Audiences Three Decades Later
This week marks 30 years since the release of The Craft, and frankly, that is both a cause for celebration and a moment to sit quietly and question the passage of time. Yes, May 1996 gave us one of the most iconic teen horror films ever made, and here we are in May 2026 still quoting it, still loving it, and still slightly concerned about what would happen if four teenagers stood in a circle and started chanting.
Directed by Andrew Fleming, The Craft arrived at a time when teen movies were everywhere, but very few dared to mix high school drama with full-blown witchcraft, existential angst, and the occasional act of supernatural revenge. It shouldn’t have worked as well as it did. And yet, thirty years later, it’s not just remembered, it’s practically worshipped.
The film follows Sarah Bailey, played by Robin Tunney, a new student at a Catholic high school in Los Angeles who quickly discovers that fitting in is about as easy as levitating a pencil without help. Enter Bonnie, Rochelle, and Nancy, played by Neve Campbell, Rachel True, and Fairuza Balk respectively. They are outsiders, misfits, and crucially, practising witches. Or at least, aspiring ones.
What begins as a tentative friendship quickly evolves into a coven, and before you can say “light as a feather, stiff as a board,” the group starts dabbling in real power. And as horror has taught us time and time again, giving teenagers supernatural abilities is never going to end with a quiet night in and a nice cup of tea.
Let’s talk about the cast, because The Craft is stacked.
Neve Campbell, already gaining attention from Party of Five, would go on to become one of horror’s most recognisable faces thanks to Scream, also released in 1996. In The Craft, she plays Bonnie, a character dealing with severe burn scars that have deeply affected her confidence. Her storyline taps into themes of self-image and transformation, and it’s handled with surprising sincerity for a film that also features people being thrown across rooms by invisible forces.
Rachel True’s Rochelle brings another layer of realism, particularly through a subplot addressing racism at school. It’s not played for laughs or brushed aside, which gives the film a grounding that makes the supernatural elements hit even harder.
Robin Tunney’s Sarah is the emotional anchor, the audience surrogate who slowly realises that maybe, just maybe, this whole “unlimited magical power” thing comes with a few drawbacks.
And then there’s Fairuza Balk as Nancy Downs.
Honestly, we could stop the article here and just say “Nancy Downs exists” and that would be enough. Balk delivers a performance that is electric, unpredictable, and genuinely intimidating. Nancy isn’t just the most memorable character in the film, she’s one of the most iconic figures in 90s horror full stop. Every line she delivers feels like it could either be a threat or the start of a spell. Sometimes both.
“We are the weirdos, mister” is not just a line. It is a lifestyle.
What made The Craft stand out in 1996, and still makes it stand out now, is how it treated witchcraft. The film didn’t go for cartoonish magic or over-the-top fantasy. Instead, it leaned into a more grounded, ritualistic approach. Candles, invocations, circles, and consequences. Real-life practitioners were even consulted during production to give the film a sense of authenticity, which explains why half the audience left the cinema wondering if they could actually try it themselves.
For legal reasons, we strongly advise against that.
The film’s themes of power and control are where it really shines. Each of the girls uses magic to address something missing in their lives. Beauty, love, revenge, confidence. It’s relatable, it’s understandable, and it’s exactly why everything goes spectacularly wrong. Because once the line is crossed, there’s no easy way back.
And when it goes wrong, it really goes wrong.
Without spoiling anything for the one person who hasn’t seen it yet, the film builds to a finale that is chaotic, intense, and perfectly in line with its message. Power without restraint leads to destruction. Also, maybe don’t anger someone who can literally control the weather.
Visually, The Craft is peak 90s. The fashion alone deserves its own retrospective. Black lipstick, chokers, layered skirts, and a general vibe that says “I might hex you, but I’ll look incredible doing it.” The soundtrack is equally perfect, packed with alternative rock that feels like it was designed to be listened to while staring moodily out of a rain-covered window.
At the time of its release, The Craft received mixed reviews from critics. Some didn’t quite know what to make of it. Was it horror? Was it a teen drama? Was it a cautionary tale about the dangers of giving high school students too much free time? The answer, of course, is all of the above.
Audiences, however, got it.
Over the years, the film has grown into a full-blown cult classic. It’s been embraced by generations of fans who see themselves in its outsider characters and its themes of identity and belonging. It also helped pave the way for future supernatural teen stories, proving that there was an appetite for this kind of genre blending.
In 2020, The Craft: Legacy attempted to revisit the concept for a new audience. While it introduced fresh characters and ideas, the original remains the benchmark. There’s just something about that first film that can’t quite be replicated. Maybe it’s the cast. Maybe it’s the timing. Or maybe it’s the fact that lightning, much like magic, doesn’t always strike twice.
Thirty years on, The Craft is still casting a spell.
It’s funny, it’s dark, it’s stylish, and it’s endlessly quotable. It’s a film that understood its audience then and continues to resonate now. And as we celebrate its 30th anniversary this week, it’s clear that its legacy is as strong as ever.
So here’s to The Craft. Thirty years of chaos, covens, and questionable decision-making.
And remember, if someone invites you to “call the corners,” maybe just politely decline.
