The Craft

A tale of supernatural LA high-school high jinks featuring the three members of a teenage 'coven' - 'The Bitches of Eastwick'. Outsiders all - Nancy (Balk), the punk with an alcoholic single parent; Bonnie (Campbell) with facial scars from a childhood car crash; and Rochelle (True) who's, well, black - they're in need of a fourth to complete their empowered circle. When new girl Sarah (Tunney) arrives, her brooding demeanour and telekinetic powers announce her as the natural candidate. The school's a hothouse of resentment, conflict and hurt, and the girls' experiments in spellcraft are regarded as deliciously dangerous excursions into adolescent self-discovery. There are some fine set-pieces, including a magical release of butterflies and a disturbing dream sequence, but the end opts disappointingly for standard horror-house effects.