Language in The Craft (1996)

One of the dozens of things I keep track of in mainstream movies is the language used in reference to female characters, both women and girls. Part of the reason for this is that language is very revealing about filmmakers. It tells us a lot about how well or poorly they think of women. The Craft (1996), a fantasy horror written by Andrew Fleming and Peter Filardi and starring Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell and Rachel True, scores well for females’ presence and voice. The protagonists are four females. In some ways it is progressive. However, the language used in reference to teenage girls is not. It is regressive and well worth examining.

Consider the following examples of things teenage boys call teenage girls or say of them: “Hey, scary b*tch alert”; “What is that snail trail over there saying about me?”; “the b*tches of Eastwick”; “She’s a major slut”; and “You’re a witch!” Teenage boys also say: “Oh, you mean, did I get laid? […] Oui, beaucoup des--Beaucoup de ‘laid’.” Also, a man, John Kapelos, says to Balk’s mother, “Her father’s the one who paid you the $50 for the quick bang in the back seat.” Even teenage girls speak to each other insultingly and aggressively. They call each other: cow, b*tch, stupid b*tch, slut and pieces of bleached-blond shit. They say to each other (and of each other): “They don’t think”; “She’s so pathetic!”; “God, if I was as pathetic as you are I would have killed myself ages ago. You should get on with it”; “You’re going to kill yourself tonight, my dear”; “Oh god, you’re so disgusting”; and “You b*tch! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!” Moreover, Balk, threatening Campbell with a knife, shouts at her, “Get your lazy ass up those stairs or I’ll slit your throat!”

Language is just one aspect of a film, but it is not negligible. Words matter. The language used in Fleming and Filardi's screenplay, as it relates to teenage girls, is regressive. The Craft isn't exactly a progressive Halloween pick. I look forward to sharing my findings about the language used in mainstream movies of the 20th and 21st centuries in my upcoming film guide for women. 

​© 2019 Alline Cormier