Rating: ***
Review Date: 5/6/21
Cast: Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, Rachel True
Sarah (Robin Tunney) is a girl with supernatural powers who transfers to a new high school. Three other girls recognize her power and invite her to complete their coven. Using their combined powers, each girl casts a spell to retaliate against their biggest problems. Sarah casts a love spell on a jerk who maliciously tarnished her reputation, Bonnie (Neve Campbell) casts a beauty spell to cure her unattractive burn scars, Rochelle (Rachel True) casts a revenge spell against racist bullies, and Nancy (Fairuza Balk) casts a power spell to deal with her abusive stepfather. While the initial results are successful, there are also negative repercussions that lead to their doom. Nancy becomes mad with power and a danger to everyone around her, which forces Sarah to try and break the spell. Unfortunately, her efforts backfire and the other girls turn on her in a supernatural showdown.
It's a fun horror film about the allure and dangers of witchcraft, but mostly it's an adolescent revenge fantasy featuring four really attractive women. At the time, the visual effects were state of the art, and I remember being completely stunned by a shot where Sarah runs her hands through her hair and it changed color. Twenty-five years later it's not as impressive, but it's still effective. The acting is good, the characters are mostly likable and relatable, and the soundtrack channels the appropriate amount of gothic teen angst.