History YMMV / TheCraft

** MediaNotes/MotionPictureAssociation slapped the film with a non-negotiable R rating over "containing portray of occultism", but had no problems with AttemptedRape, suicide scenes or teens chain-smoking. Ironically, [[Film/TheCraftLegacy the sequel]] got PG-13, despite having actual occultist running a cult group in it, but had to be squeeky clean in terms of substance use and sex. The resulting 180 turn took mere ''24 years''.

** UsefulNotes/MotionPictureAssociation slapped the film with a non-negotiable R rating over "containing portray of occultism", but had no problems with AttemptedRape, suicide scenes or teens chain-smoking. Ironically, [[Film/TheCraftLegacy the sequel]] got PG-13, despite having actual occultist running a cult group in it, but had to be squeeky clean in terms of substance use and sex. The resulting 180 turn took mere ''24 years''.

* EvilIsSexy: By the time Nancy, Bonnie and Rochelle have undergone a FaceHeelTurn to become the film's true antagonists, they've also gone through an AdrenalineMakeover (Bonnie in particular paying more care to her appearance once her scars vanish). Or as Rachel True put it:
--> "Did you notice that the more power we got, the shorter our skirts got?"

* SpecialEffectsFailure: Sarah's hair in the film is obviously a wig (due to Robin Tunney shaving her head for ''Film/EmpireRecords''); glaringly so during the glamour scene.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: It might be lost on newer fans just how different the movie was when it first came out. Teen UrbanFantasy was not a mainstream genre - the likes of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' and ''{{Series/Charmed|1998}}'' wouldn't hit the air for a couple of years - producer Andy Wick said "It was before YA. There were very few female heroines like that.", and the notion of a girl-centered teen movie called to mind something like ''{{Film/Clueless}}'' as opposed to anything dark. The filmmakers didn't even know who they were really marketing the film to - until hundreds of goth and punk girls showed up to the preview.

* EthnicScrappy: Rochelle's entire characterization revolves around her race. A deleted scene reveals that it's not just Laura who's a racist bitch; the entire school ostracizes her because she's black (except Nancy, who throws it in Rochelle's face when she and Bonnie try to get her to lay off the magic). Many viewers were annoyed by the film's clumsy handling of racism and that Rochelle had no character beyond that. On the other hand, as mentioned under FairForItsDay, Rochelle avoids some of the more common stereotypes of black characters and some fans were simply happy to have a black character in a mainstream leading role at all (which was pretty rare at the time the film was released). Rachel True has also pointed out that she wore her hair natural at a time when many black actresses, especially in teen movies, [[ButNotTooBlack had to straighten theirs or wear weaves]].

** Did Nancy attack Chris in outrage over his [[spoiler: attempted rape]] of Sarah, or was she just jealous that Chris was obsessed with Sarah and not her, even when the infatuation had become disturbing and dangerous? Or, if you think that Nancy was secretly [[LesYay infatuated]]/[[FoeYay obsessed]] with Sarah, could it be that she's jealous of ''Chris''? Either way, she likes being [[ControlFreak in control]] of the other girls in the coven, so perhaps she felt Chris was trying to take Sarah away from her?

* FoeYay:
** Does Nancy seem just a little ''[[LesYay too]]'' [[LesYay obsessed]] with Sarah? When welcoming Sarah into the coven, she kisses her a little longer than the others did for each other, and says "that's my girl."
** Nancy and Chris too. If you took a couple of their scenes out of context, she'd look more like a {{Tsundere}} for him.

** This gets even better when you realize the plot even bears similarities to the ''Star Wars'' sequel trilogy, which was released nearly ''twenty'' years later. Sarah’s character arc is rather similar to Rey’s arc in ''Film/TheForceAwakens''; they’re both TroubledButCute girls with [[DarkAndTroubledPast Dark and Troubled Pasts]] (Sarah’s mother died in childbirth, for which she feels guilty, she has trouble making friends and suffered from depression; Rey was abandoned by her parents, lives relatively alone and is essentially a slave in all but name). They’re born with extraordinary abilities but have yet to fully understand their powers or tap into their true potential until the end. They both receive help from a motherly figure with knowledge of magic/the Force (Lirio for Sarah, Maz Kanata for Rey) who tries to guide them and tells them they are strong with the light, but both girls flee in terror and self-doubt after experiencing horrific visions. They both have to face off against an equally powerful villain who uses the dark side and are both AxCrazy [[PsychopathicManchild Psychopathic Manchildren]] with a lust for power (though not devoid of sympathetic traits), who try to get inside their heads and use their weaknesses against them. Just when all hope seems lost, Sarah and Rey both find the courage to ‘surrender to a higher power/use the Force’, embracing their abilities and kicking the bad guy’s ass. They even both give the villains some nasty scars to remember them by (Rey slashes Kylo Ren across the face with a lightsaber, whilst Sarah kicks Nancy into mirror).
** Nancy and Kylo Ren have yet more similarities, as well. They're both [[EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunettes]], both [[EvilWearsBlack wear black constantly]] and generally act like sullen Jerkasses when they're not throwing a screaming fit. They both feel insecure and isolated deep down and cover it up by acting tough. They both generally treat their 'lackeys' like crap and aren't above threatening them. They've also both got parental issues [[spoiler: and both kill their father/father figure]]. And they're both jealous of/obsessed with the hero.

** In fact, Nancy's wardrobe after she becomes even crazier is actually more flattering to Fairuza Balk than what she'd been wearing previously.

*** Just to be clear though, as they came out nearly 20 years later, it's the Star Wars sequel trilogy plots that bare similarities to the Craft, no the Cract bearing similarities to the later Star Wars films.

* InformedWrongness: Sarah claims that Bonnie has become "totally narcissistic" since her scars vanished. The only real evidence of this is Bonnie wearing a t-shirt in class and flirting with a random guy on the street. Granted she doesn't seem too nice any more but that just seems a result of sloppy writing than her sudden beauty.

* JerksAreWorseThanVillains: Chris and Laura Lizzie are hated far more than the actual antagonist of the film, Nancy. Chris mostly spreads nasty rumors about Sarah (although it's implied he's done the same to other girls) and Laura Lizzie is mean to Rochelle and a lesser extent Sarah. Nancy meanwhile murders two people, tries to commit sexual assault, intimidates her friends into siding with her, threatens to slit Rochelle's throat, and does her best to torture Sarah into killing herself. But because as the villain, she's allowed a tragic backstory with her sad home life (and one of her victims being [[spoiler: Chris himself]], while the other is [[spoiler:her abusive stepfather]]), she's beloved by the fandom. Chris likely gets hated more because he tries to [[spoiler:rape Sarah]], with Nancy retaliating against him, and his only excuse is that he's an entitled asshole (albeit under a love spell), so Nancy's motives are more understandable to viewers even though they're not justified.

* SignatureLine: '''"We are the weirdos, mister"''', this being Nancy's response to a bus driver telling her and her friends to "Watch out for those weirdos". It's frequently quoted by fans of the film, got a CallBack in the sequel and is often considered representative of the entire movie.

* FanPreferredCouple: Sarah and Nancy have their fair share of shippers, even when they're not friends. Doesn't help with Nancy's AmbiguouslyBi moments and her obsession with Sarah (and that Sarah's LoveInterest, Chris, is a sleazy asshole who mistreats her)

*** Just ti be clear though, as they came out nearly 20 years later, it's the Star Wars sequel trilogy plots that bare similarities to the Craft, no the Cract bearing similarities to the later Star Wars films.

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: Although some scenes do look a bit outdated by today's standards, other scenes involving magic still look very believable, a notable example being the scene where the girls levitate Rochelle.