May 5, 1996 -- "The Craft" is the latest horror film to hit town, and is better than most movies of that genre, but that isn't saying much.

The story is about witchcraft and about how four high school girls get caught up in acts of murder and torture because of it. The acting is fairly good, but a young actress by the name of Fairuza Balk really shines. She plays the most evil of the young witches, Nancy.

Balk seems to ooze malevolence, while conveying a sense of inner rage and pain. Her performance is captivating. She dominates the screen. Director Andrew Fleming does an adequate job of moving the story along, but there isn't a lot to work with. The story is anemic. None of the characters, besides Balk, are interestingly written. The adults are almost non-existent and the minor characters are cardboard cut-outs.

The special effects and camera work are adequate, but the soundtrack is annoying. The film does maintain an interesting atmosphere of decay and it has a threatening mood.

It isn't as bad as most horror films, which is to say it rates a C.

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