When it comes to movies that focus on witches, there is no denying the guilty pleasure of “The Craft,” which starred a collection of sassy, smart, and attractive cast members, who went through high school casting spells on unruly classmates and forming sisterly bonds that eventually get out of control. In this article, you will learn insider trivia concerning the movie and its actors, including an interesting tidbit about lead actress, Robin Tunney.
The Plot
With intriguing special effects, “The Craft” takes a look at the ‘new girl’ in town, who happens to harbor a rather powerful secret. As she struggles to get used to a new city and new life, she encounter a group of girls that are interested in the occult. She learns that they all seem to have varying levels of power, but their limitless abilities will prove a great weakness in the end.
The movie also boasted a rather impressive cast filled with young actors and actresses just starting out in the world of acting, including Robin Tunney (as Sarah Bailey), Fairuza Balk (as Nancy Downs), Neve Campbell (as Bonnie), Rachel True (as Rochelle), Skeet Ulrich (as Chris Hooker), Christine Taylor (as Laura Lizzie), and Breckin Meyer (as Mitt).
“The Craft” Trivia and Facts
Taglines used to market “The Craft” include: “It’s “Carrie” meets “Clueless;” “Welcome to the witching hour;” “Spend the weekend with the girls!” “Exorcise Your Rites;” and “Relax….It’s only magic….”
At the awards for the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, Fairuza Balk was nominated for a Saturn Award in Best Horror Film as Best Supporting Actress. She did not take home that award, but she would gain her chance to shine. At the MTV Movie Awards, Fairuza Balk and Robin Tunney won the MTV Movie Award for Best Fight for the scene that showed the two witches engaging in a fight that involved knifes.
The movie has been classified as a drama, horror, thriller, and fantasy.
Neve Campbell and Skeet Ulrich would later play opposite one another as lovers in the popular Halloween flick, “Scream.”
Talking about feeling creepy crawly about reptiles”¦”The Craft” used more than 3,000 snakes during the filming of the movie. Some of the species included: pythons, boas, water snakes, garter snakes, and rat snakes. An Amazon constrictor measuring ten feet was also used, as well as rare albino snakes.
“The Craft” was shot at the Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City (California), but parts of the film also took place at the El Adobe Marketplace in Los Angeles, Harbor Place Tower in Long Beach, Leo Carrillo State Beach in Malibu, and Verdugo Hills High School in Los Angeles.
During the filming of the movie, Robin Tunney had to wear a wig because at the time, her head was shaved for her role in “Empire Records” (1995).
The movie was rated ‘R’ for its’ images of terror and violence, and for brief language.
Interestingly, the movie centered on the antics of four teenage witches, yet all of the actresses were well past their teenage years. However, at the time of filming, Rachel True was nearly 30 years old.
In regards to the shots of Nancy (played by Fairuza Balk) where she is covered in bugs, production created the scene by wrapping a life-cast of the actresses’ head and torso in green screen material. The bugs were filmed crawling about the casting and were then later digitized to match Balk’s body for the movie.