Recently I've been revisiting the movies I was obsessed with as a tween/teen. After watching Scream last week, I immediately wanted to check out the other Neve Campbell/Skeet Ulrich '90s cultural icon: The Craft. Here's how the experience of rewatching it went down (warning: there is mention of self-harm/suicide)...
1. These opening credits are so delightfully ‘90s.
2. Robin Tunney’s terrible wig has always low-key bothered me.
3. Oh my god, I had those the little hair clips!
4. RIP snake.
5. “I can’t stay home and watch daytime TV for the rest of my life.” “Why not? I could.” Oh shit, I’m the dad now.
6. How did I forget Breckin Meyer was in this too??? Were there any ‘90s movies he wasn’t in?
7. Skeet Ulrich’s hair is so short in this! I prefer him with the long greasy hair in Scream. He’s still a babe though.
8. Oh my lord, I can’t say how many times I tried to do this pencil thing while bored in class in high school.
9. “It’s the bitches of Eastwick.” Amazing line.
10. Chris (Skeet Ulrich) really is an asshole.
11. The dubbing in this scene is distractingly bad.
12. Hey, it’s the Charmed theme song! I guess it’s the ‘90s witch anthem.
13. Witches really did have such a moment in the ‘90s. I remember getting spellbooks for my 11th birthday. I was sure I was gonna make all my crushes fall in love with me.
14. Fairuza Balk is so damn good as Nancy.
15. This is dark, but I've just realised this movie is responsible for me internalising the fucked up notion that there’s a “right” way to slit your wrists. I don’t think I even fully understood at the time Sarah had actually tried to kill herself. It’s dealt with in such a casual way.
16. On a much, much lighter note: I also learnt that you light red candles “for love”.
17. What’s the deal with the creepy snake guy dreaming about Sarah? I feel like this doesn’t really go anywhere.
18. Huh, I always thought they were saying “Manol” not “Manon”.
19. Wowowowow Chris REALLY is an asshole.
20. Breckin Meyer is an asshole too, I’m not used to him playing such jerky characters.
21. And here is Marcia Brady being a total racist bitch.
22. Hey, Mary Alice from Desperate Housewives is Neve Campbell’s doctor!
23. This needle scene makes me squirm.
24. That was one hell of a scream, Neve.
25. Every one of their outfits on this bus trip is extremely ‘90s, and something I emulated, right down to Nancy’s coloured glasses.
26. “We are the weirdos mister.” ICONIC!
27. My friends and I definitely did this “earth air fire water” chant with no notion of what it was supposed to actually do.
28. I can’t believe Sarah still wants Chris.
29. Their wishes are all very positive. They really go downhill from here.
30. And then there’s Nancy who wants literally all the power of Manon. Not asking for much at all.
31. This scene of Sarah bossing Chris around is pretty funny. Yes, Sarah, make him suffer!
32. Do kids still do “light as a feather, stiff as a board” at sleepovers? We used to try it EVERY TIE.
33. This is such an iconic cafeteria walk. I mean, it’s basically the movie poster in motion.
34. They never explain how Bonnie (Neve Campbell) got those burns.
35. I can’t help laughing at her scars just peeling off, like it’s simply a bad case of sunburn. It’s pretty ridiculous.
36. Neve Campbell does a good job of changing Bonnie’s demeanour to show the internal change in her character, and the way it impacts how she interacts with the world.
37. Nancy is so jealous of Sarah.
38. Is she on a scholarship at this rich school, considering her family clearly has no money?
39. Ugh this stepfather is so gross.
40. Omg Nancy killed him.
41. Ummm $175,000 doesn’t seem like enough to buy all this shit, even in the ‘90s???
42. I remember being blown away by Sarah turning her hair blonde, but the effect is so dated now.
43. “Whatever you send out you get back times three.” I took this line so seriously.
44. This invocation scene is so memorable.
45. Nancy is walking on water! Yaaass.
46. “I can feel you in me!” She already sounds unhinged.
47. I don’t have much sympathy for Marcia Brady, the racist biatch, but it is discomforting to see how the power has corrupted the girls.
48. This scene with Chris attacking Sarah makes me feel ill.
49. Skeet Ulrich is worryingly good at playing creeps
50. Fairuza Balk, meanwhile, seems like she’s having the BEST time playing a crazed Nancy. I love it.
51. I remember being so sad about Chris’ death when I was younger but ehhhh he's a total dickrag.
52. I definitely tried to “bind” people who were mean to me after watching this movie, lmao.
53. Obsessed with the glittery hair clip Bonnie is wearing here. It reminds me of the one Cher wears in Clueless.
54. Bonnie and Rochelle are so nasty now? I mean, Nancy is too, but she was always a bit mean. The other two were quite nice! It’s sad how cruel they’ve become.
55. The snakes in Sarah’s house are giving me goosebumps.
56. The way they try to kill Sarah is so intense and so awful.
57. Hey! This movie did the moving photo of a dead parent way before Harry Potter.
58. I love it when Sarah starts fighting back.
59. The cockroaches crawling all over Nancy are icky as hell.
60. You’re not sorry, Nancy.
61. The levitating wall fight is amazing.
62. Yes Sarah! GET HER.
63. I can’t believe Bonnie and Rochelle learned nothing from that whole experience. All they care about is getting their powers back.
64. Fairuza Balk’s “flying” bit at the end is outstanding.
65. BUT...I can’t help but wish the movie ended differently. I keep thinking about that line, “we’re the weirdos, mister”. It encapsulates the way the first half of the movie highlights how powerful girls can be when they come together. I love how the characters’ vulnerabilities are recontextualised as their strengths. To see the group descend into petty in-fighting, with the most “rebellious” girl institutionalised, is kind of disappointing.
66. That being said, it’s still an incredibly iconic movie and I will always have a soft spot for it.