I first remember seeing Fairuza in "Return to Oz". I saw the movie a many times and even read the book. You know the one, with the movie stills and everything. Ever since then I wanted more. (That was back in 1985) I then became aware of who she was again when "The Craft" came out. I had nearly forgotten about her, until those eyes flashed before me again.

While I was waiting for "The Craft" to come to town, I was channel surfing on the tv. I caught Fairuza in another of her flicks, "Imaginary Crimes."

There is just something about the girl that draws me to watch her films. And, I have loved every one that I've seen. I have been trying to catch up on the growing list of films she has acted in. But, you know how that goes...

I saw her again in "The Island of Dr. Moreau", as Aissa the Cat. Very convincing. She has such a presence on the screen. She can be cool, and collected- Or a raging bitch from hell. I took an acting class in college, and I know what it is like to have to work all of your emotions into a character. You find something that the character has to deal with, and find a similar situation in your life to compair it to. Then you try to figure out how the character might react, you relate to them. You become the character, thinking like they would. The challenging part is leaving the character behind when you are done acting. This is a very important part of acting, ground yourself. You can let your imagination run wild, while in character. But for your own sanity, leave your work at work. ; )
So when you "get into" character, it's not just "Nancy" or "Aissa" , you become them. Every cell in your body must think and breathe "Nancy" or "Aissa". I am thoroughly convinced that Fairuza can "get into "her characters. She is so believeable as "Nancy", it's sometimes scary.

So, If I ever get to meet her?

I would give her a hug, and praise her for such hard work. I know what it is like to wretch out your soul for a part. And then, of course, I would ask for her autograph.

My Thoughts on "The Craft" and how it relates to Wicca and Witchcraft

Well I really enjoyed "The Craft" as a work of art, a film. But, it is a stretch from the reality of the Craft, that is Witchcraft.
As a practicing Wiccan and Witch I feel that witchcraft was given a fairly good review in this film. There were moments that stretched the truth of Witchcraft, but all in all it was a good movie.
The scenes that I believe streched reality, were the levitation scenes. I've tried the "Light as a Feather" trick, and it ended in laughter and no levitation what so ever. Also, I don't know about you, but I never personally walked on water after performing magick. (as character Nancy did) Lastly, magick works, but it takes time and will power. The girls' spells seemed to work and come to life over night. I know that this is certainly not the case. As my teacher once told me when I first started learning about Magick, " Be Patient, have faith in deity and in yourself, and you will succeed." Others, specifically Starhawk, said, Magick "is the art of changing consciousness at will." You must have a need to be met and the will power to achieve said need.

Now I don't want to put down the movie. It has really great special effects. The use of snakes and bugs is great. I love the morphing! Morphing of mirrors, the new age shop walls, Nancy's head and hands, the staircase, Sarah's Hair, etc . There were some really accurate things in the movie as well.
There were some very important messages in "The Craft." If I were a young girl, looking at the movie and wanting to explore witchcraft, I would want to know a few things. Is is safe and what will I get out of wicca? Well the first message that the movie conveys is said by Aleria, (sp. the new age shop owner) "Everything that you send out, comes back at you times three" This is one of the main ideas of Wicca. Though, as you may know, Wicca has no set of "Rules" or "Commandments" as other religions. So I guess it is best to say, it is a belief.
The other belief presented in "The Craft" is the thought that once you send out the energy of a spell, you must let nature takes it course. You may believe that you can reverse a spell, but you put nature into the magick, and nature has a will of her's own. You will get what you deserve in return. Yet,another important point brought to the screen in "The Craft." Nancy, desiring all the power of Menah, (the fictional name of a god/goddess/higher power, for the purpose of the film) is driven to maddness. Or is she really mad to begin with? Rachele wishes for her enemy only negativity. And she loses her power and her respect for her self. Bonnie wants to be beautiful, but gains wishful stares and a nasty conceited attitude. Sarah, supposedly the good, natural witch, even has problems. She does magick so that a classmate, Chris, will fall in love with her. Well he does, and becomes obsessed with her and won't leave her alone.

What are my reasons for mentioning each of these girls? Well just a thought.....be careful about what magick you perform and what energy you send out. You must be prepared to accept the consequences. Sarah realizes this and tries to get the other girls to join her. They are cought up the the fun of magick, and are not prepared for nature's retribution. "The power of three times three" is very strong. The girls didn't listen to Aleria or Sarah. They did get it in the end.

The are other parts of the movie that are somewhat accurate. These are some of the words used during the spellwork. Calling of the quarters, initiation, and other spells are used everyday by real witches. I suggest that if you are interested in Magick or Witchcraft, that you do a lot of research before you start casting spells. There are so many good books and webpages out there. I have viewed several great ones. Please take a look at my , Pagan Links page. One page in particular is great, called , (guess what) The Craft. It is really informative Also check out my page dedicated to wicca.

I wish you the best in your search. And check out "The Craft". Watch it with an open mind, but be informed, not everything you see on TV or the big screen is true.

Take Care and Blessed Be
-Silverfire
Updated 4/8/2000

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