'The Craft' is Essential Halloween Viewing

The 1996 cult horror classic ‘The Craft’ is essential Halloween viewing. It deserves a spot on every playlist, whether it’s first, or second, either of those are fine.

If you’re unfamiliar (you heathen) or you’re looking for a refresher, here’s the trailer.

An overview

For the heathens who have yet to feast on the iconic masterpiece, here’s a quick rundown.

‘The Craft’ is about Sarah (Robin Tunney) who starts at a new school, she’s quickly forewarned about three outsiders who the other students call ‘witches’. The three outsiders are extremely three-dimensional, Bonnie (Neve Campbell) was burned, Nancy (Fairuza Balk) has an abusive stepfather, and Rochelle (Rachel True) is bullied with racism for being black.

We experience everything through our presumed plain Jane, Sarah. Sarah exhibits supernatural power and is brought into the coven, but of course, she has questions and apprehensions. We learn later that Sarah had attempted to commit suicide. It opens up about how vulnerable these girls are and allows us to be sympathetic towards them and adds reason to what they do throughout the film.

It’s relatable

There’s a level of relatability to the film. It’s set in a high school with high schoolers are the main characters. We have all been high school age and we all know and feel the teenage angst and how puberty is a messy time in life.

Most people can relate to the feeling of being left out or bullied, and the supernatural element of this film allows your brain to come alive with all those happy and exciting chemicals of what if, so get ready to experience adrenaline-fueled creativity.

Akin to ‘Carrie’ (1976/2013), we have a manifestation of power which comes out in full force to right wrongs and teach lessons. Even if you don’t relate to the experience of the characters in the film, you will have at one point gone through the feeling of helplessness, and that’s what we are lead to the see and experience from the start of the film.

They’re selling a feeling. And I’m buying.

It’s educational

The most memorable films are the ones which teach us something. For a horror film, what we’re taught is whether or not we would survive, or how to kill and get away with it. Hint, it’s called wearing a mask. I’m kidding, a little bit.

‘The Craft’ is anti-witchcraft propaganda, it teaches us that no matter how small we start using magic, we are going to be consumed by power. This film is the sole reason we don’t have any witches flying in through bay windows to enact revenge plans.

In all seriousness, this film has a strong message about friendship and inner beauty. And those aren’t the usual messages we see from horror films, but that’s exactly why this film is my number one.

Favourite scenes

I have three favourite scenes to this film, and they are proportionate to the arc.

• “Light as a feather…” scene where Rochelle levitates.

• Dream sequence and visions scene with minor jump scares.

• The end scene.

These scenes are in order of where they appear in the film. The first is the display of power and how it makes the witches feel when they’re casting. The second is after a large culmination of events where the witches are becoming hungry for more power. The third scene is the final scene, and as end scenes go, this is one of the best.

In conclusion

‘The Craft’ is essential Halloween viewing, and I don’t mean watching it once in the build-up to the 31st of October, this is the type of viewing you’ll want to have scheduled in at least once a week.

‘The Craft’ has a 101-minute runtime and could easily be inserted as a movie marathon as the dessert or starter. Either way, this film deserves to be aired on Halloween.