This ‘90s Sleepover Staple Turns 30, Here’s Why You Should Watch It
If you were a teenager in the ‘90s you will likely be very familiar with The Craft.
The witchy tale transfixed a generation, teenage girls specifically, and no sleepover was complete without a viewing of the film. Somehow, The Craft has now turned 30, which is ridiculous as 1996 was only a couple of years ago, right?
Despite now holding almost vintage status, The Craft continues to entrance new audiences, but what is it about this teen horror that has seen it endure the test of time?
What Is ‘The Craft’ And Why Did Teens Love It?
Directed by Andrew Fleming, The Craft tells a tragically realistic account of the toxicity of teenage girls. Set in Los Angeles, the story follows Sarah as she relocates to the city and starts at a new school. There she immediately catches the attention of a trio of teen outcasts: Nancy, Bonnie and Rochelle.
The twist is they are practicing witches, but are in need of a fourth to complete their coven, and as Sarah just so happens to be a nature witch, she is the perfect choice. Once bound together, the quartet are able to begin righting all of their perceived wrongs, but it doesn’t take long for jealousy and vanity to cause a rift between the girls.
Although dealing with witchcraft, The Craft presents some very authentic aspects of teenage life, too. Each of the four girls is experiencing a hardship that is relatable to someone out there. Nancy has money problems and an abusive step-parent, Rochelle has to contend with racism from her classmates, Bonnie feels ugly due to scars on her body, and Sarah is struggling with knowing her place in the world. It isn’t just these issues that the girls are facing that hooks young audiences, it is also the honest portrayal of the decline of a friendship.
Teenage girls are some of the most vicious creatures on Earth, which is demonstrated beautifully in The Craft, and not just through Rochelle’s bullies. Nancy is a fascinating character and her jealousy towards Sarah leads to all three original girls turning on her. Bonnie and Rochelle conform to the high-school girl clique rule of blindly following the queen bee lest they be removed from the circle themselves. What’s more, The Craft cast do a superb job of portraying their respective archetypes.
That The Craft doesn’t hold back from showing the darker side of things is something that audiences can admire. It is also one of the key factors in The Craft continuing to be a part of the conversation. There are plenty of teen horrors in the world, but in order to draw in new fans a film has to have some universality to its content and themes, and despite its age, The Craft can still speak to modern teenagers. Granted, aspects of the teen experience have changed, but there is enough common ground to ensure The Craft remains popular for another 30 years.
The Craft isn’t all doom and gloom, though, and it was its more fun moments that made it a sleepover staple. The concept of magic is an alluring one, and the idea of being able to fix all your problems is especially tempting when in the throes of teenagedom. And so, a generation of teens watched Sarah perform a love spell on football player Chris, and decided to attempt their own to win over their crush.
The absolute pinnacle of a ‘90s sleepover, however, was the attempt to recreate the ‘light as a feather, stiff as a board’ sequence. In the film Nancy, Sarah, and Bonnie sit around Rochelle who lies in the centre. The three girls, assisted by some chanting and mental focus, are able to lift Rochelle off of the ground with the use of only a couple of fingers, before removing them entirely, leaving Rochelle floating in mid-air. The ability to recreate this sequence was seen as confirmation of being actual witches, but I don’t think any fans out there were actually able to perform the ritual – at least not without breaking a few fingers.
The Legacy Of ‘The Craft’
There is no denying that The Craft has been a massive inspiration on girl-focused teen horrors that have come after.
The most obvious successor is the long-awaited sequel, The Craft: Legacy. Upon release, those who grew up on The Craft were not impressed by the movie, but the reality is, The Craft: Legacy is for a new generation entirely.
The sequel sticks with the concept of the new girl joining a group of witches as part of the plot, but then becomes something else. Rather than focus on toxic friendships, it instead hones in on the toxicity of the patriarchy. It’s an interesting move, but it doesn’t land with the same impact as The Craft, and despite having only been released in 2020, it is already a distant memory for most.
The spiritual successor to The Craft is Jennifer’s Body. Released in 2009, the film saw odd-couple besties Needy and Jennifer ripped apart after Jennifer becomes possessed and starts eating boys from school. As razor-sharp as The Craft, Jennifer’s Body is the noughties equivalent and also became a slumber party essential for that generation of teens.
More ‘90 Sleepover Movies To Make You Nostalgic
The Craft wasn’t the only film being consumed during a teen sleepover in the ‘90s. The whole point of a sleepover is that you actually don’t sleep, and instead stay up watching movies. Horror is a key genre to watch as there’s nothing more fun than getting scared with your BFFs, but a balance is also important. This is what makes The Craft such a solid choice as although it has some scary, horror moments, they are not the overriding components.
Clueless was a solid opening movie to get the night going. Based on the novel Emma, Clueless gave the literary classic a modern facelift as it told the story of rich kid Cher as she goes on a journey of self-discovery. Full of peak ‘90s fashion, music, and slang, Clueless was the movie that played as magazines were poured through, and makeovers were done on one another. Watching it now, Clueless is the perfect ‘90s time capsule, and we all still wish we had Cher’s wardrobe.
Later into the night, once Clueless and The Craft had been watched, it was time to get scary, and the ‘90s had plenty of teen horror offerings. The winners however tended to be either Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer. Both are slasher films written by Kevin Williamson, but while Scream had a knowing, self-referential, tongue-in-cheek humour to it, I Know What You Did Last Summer was far more serious.
Some 30 years later, both movies remain popular, though Scream is undoubtedly the king. Its story of Sidney Prescott and her friends being tormented by Ghostface opened up the slasher subgenre for a whole new generation. With Ghostface, ‘90s kids had been given their own Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, and Jason Vorhees, and audiences are still supporting the franchise with the seventh movie having recently earned the highest box-office in the series.
