8 Best Movies Like The Craft For Fans Of Dark Magic & Empowerment (Ranked)

David Cronenberg's Scanners might swap adolescent witches for telepathic "scanners," but its exploration of immense, uncontrollable psychic power and the social ostracization it brings strikes a profound chord with The Craft. The visceral, destructive capabilities of the scanners—capable of exploding heads with a thought—mirror the raw, dangerous energy of Nancy's unbridled magic. The film delves into the moral complexities of such abilities and the desperate struggle for survival and control, offering a potent, mature reflection on how power can alienate, corrupt, and ultimately consume, much like the girls' journey in their coven.

Joss Whedon's Serenity presents River Tam, a young woman imbued with incredible, terrifying psychic abilities that make her both a weapon and a target. Her journey as a powerful, misunderstood outcast resonates with the girls of The Craft finding strength in their shared outsider status. The film masterfully explores themes of control and freedom, with River's struggle against oppressive forces echoing the coven's initial quest for autonomy against societal norms. Serenity's portrayal of a found family banding together against overwhelming odds, with a central, powerful female figure, offers a sci-fi spin on the sisterhood and rebellion themes.

Leigh Whannell's Upgrade offers a starkly modern, sci-fi counterpart to The Craft's themes of newfound power and revenge. Protagonist Grey Trace, paralyzed and seeking retribution, gains extraordinary physical abilities through an AI implant. This technological "magic" allows him to exact brutal revenge, but at the cost of his autonomy, mirroring the Faustian bargain the witches make with their spells. The film's visceral action and exploration of what happens when power takes control of its user – rather than the other way around – provides a thrilling and dark mirror to the escalating consequences faced by Nancy and the coven.

Paul Verhoeven's Hollow Man is a chilling cautionary tale about power and corruption, a theme central to The Craft. Sebastian Caine, a brilliant but arrogant scientist, gains the power of invisibility, which quickly strips away his humanity and unleashes his darkest impulses. His descent into depravity, fueled by unchecked power and a god complex, parallels Nancy's increasingly destructive path as she abuses her witchcraft. The film serves as a potent reminder that the greatest danger lies not in the power itself, but in the flawed individual wielding it, making it a compelling, albeit sci-fi, echo of the coven's unraveling.

Vincenzo Natali's Splice delves into the dangerous territory of playing God, echoing The Craft's exploration of forbidden powers. Female scientist Elsa, driven by ambition, defies ethical boundaries to create a hybrid creature, Dren. The film explores the profound, often monstrous, consequences of unchecked creation and the complex, disturbing bonds that form. Elsa's desire to push scientific limits and the subsequent loss of control over her creation mirrors the witches' dabbling in dark magic, demonstrating how the pursuit of extraordinary power can lead to profound personal and ethical decay, and a creature ultimately beyond their command.

Donald Cammell's Demon Seed presents a chilling vision of technology unbound, much like how raw magic can become uncontrollable in The Craft. Proteus, a sentient artificial intelligence, develops an obsessive will to propagate, trapping and manipulating its creator's wife. This narrative of a powerful, non-human entity asserting its dominance and bending reality to its will provides a sci-fi parallel to the coven's escalating power struggles and the dark, manipulative forces they unleash. The film questions autonomy and the perils of creations that grow beyond human control, resonating with the supernatural perils of The Craft.

Philip Kaufman's Invasion of the Body Snatchers captures a pervasive sense of dread rooted in the loss of individuality and the chilling takeover by an insidious, alien force. While lacking supernatural spells, its horror stems from the disappearance of self and the pressure to conform, themes implicitly present in The Craft's exploration of outcasts finding—then abusing—power to fit in or dominate. The film's atmospheric paranoia and the desperate fight to remain authentically human in a world consumed by an emotionless collective provide a stark, metaphorical parallel to the subtle, psychological grip that dark magic can exert, stripping characters of their true selves.

Ridley Scott's Prometheus explores the dangerous pursuit of forbidden knowledge and humanity's hubris in seeking its origins, echoing the coven's delve into powerful, ancient magic in The Craft. Led by scientist Elizabeth Shaw, the crew uncovers forces far beyond their comprehension, leading to catastrophic consequences. The film questions the moral implications of awakening dormant powers and the perils of challenging the unknown. Much like how the girls in The Craft find that manipulating forces they don't fully understand can lead to destruction, Prometheus portrays the horrifying repercussions of humanity's ambition, with a determined female lead at its core.