PR in the Philippines

(SeaPRwire) –   In 2026, teenage girls have a wider selection of horror movies than ever before. Most recently, Forbidden Fruits was created specifically for this demographic, which was previously underserved, as I noted in Inverse’s review of the film. However, a decade before “girl horror” was even conceived, one horror movie was immensely popular among witchy teenage girls everywhere.

The Craft was released on May 3, 1996, and received mixed reviews, primarily from male critics. Despite this, it became a sleeper hit at the box office, cultivating a devoted cult following that expanded significantly after its release on VHS and DVD in the summer of 1997. This is how I first encountered The Craft, at a slumber party in the late ‘90s, where we attempted to play “light as a feather, stiff as a board” after watching the movie. While no one floated a few feet off the ground like Rochelle (Rachel True) did in the film, I could have sworn I felt my friend’s body becoming lighter as we continued to chant. Were my fingers simply going numb? Likely. But it felt magical nonetheless.

This is one of the aspects that makes The Craft so remarkable: Just as the film’s slumber-party scene—which also features a memorable moment where Robin Tunney’s character, Sarah, magically changes her hair color from auburn red to blonde—inspired us to replicate what we saw on screen, the rituals depicted in the film also served as a guide for aspiring witches.

Through a friend who owned an occult shop, Lirio’s Occult Shop in downtown L.A., where the characters are seen browsing in several scenes, director Andrew Fleming enlisted Dianic Priestess Pat Devin to assist with the film’s magical elements. Having been a teen witch herself, she agreed. Thanks to Devin’s involvement, The Craft offers a fairly accurate portrayal of Wiccan spells and ceremonies as they were practiced in the mid-’90s, with one notable exception: Mannon is not a real Wiccan deity. (Devin stated that she did not want “hordes of teenagers running down to the beach or out to the woods invoking anybody real.”)

In the early days of the internet, this kind of information was much more difficult to access, especially in smaller towns and cities that lacked their own occult stores. This added an element of mystique to the film, though inspiring aspiring Goth girls to embrace their darker sides wasn’t the sole reason for its appeal to teenage viewers. Another significant connection The Craft offered its young audience was its depiction of a difficult rite of passage experienced by many teenagers, even those not interested in witchcraft: the dissolution of a friend group.

While most high-school bullies lack the destructive capabilities of coven leader Nancy (Fairuza Balk), it can feel that way when your friends suddenly decide they dislike you, grounding the film’s supernatural horror in relatable, real-world emotions. There’s a reason why multiple generations of teenagers have connected with these characters: When you feel alienated from your peers, your friends become your entire world. And losing that feels as dramatic as the movie’s climax appears.

The character of Rochelle has been particularly influential. Despite being excluded from the film’s publicity in 1996, Rachel True’s portrayal of a young Black witch discovering her powers—and her candidness about her experiences with racism in Hollywood—have established her as an icon among witches and horror fans of color. As a practicing witch herself, she even released her own Tarot deck, True Heart Intuitive Tarot, in 2020.

All these elements combine to give The Craft an aura of magic, something that many subsequent witch-themed movies and TV series have attempted to replicate. While some have succeeded, if you’re looking for a movie that the entire coven can enjoy, The Craft remains unparalleled.

The Craft is available for rent on Prime Video and other digital platforms.