thewag777
I watched this movie with the intention of it being a total rip off of The Craft so that I could come here and ostracise it. Well, the theme was much like The Craft, but there was some originality in it.The witch burning scene is uncommon in witch movies, for some reason. (Witchhouse 2 is the only one I know of that addresses witch burning so directly.) The battle between Autumn and Vallie showed the most promise. I think all those dead people who finished off Vallie represented Vallie's own conscience weighing down on her, or maybe I'm giving the producers too much credit.The idea of good and bad witches and Christians was neither defined nor supported. As my Political Science professor always says, 'define your terms.' What makes a Christian or witch 'good' or 'bad' anyway? If I were involved in the production, I would have had Father Gallic make the argument of 'Natural Theology' (a common theme in Roman Catholic theology.) This theology argues, though not contrary to original sin, there is knowledge of good and evil in every man. Then I would have had Autumn use that very argument to prove that there is a general sense of good and evil and that Christians, Witches, and anyone else can be good or evil. Had the producers the knowledge of this theology, and had they incorporated into the film, I would have given a higher rating. But it makes no sense to just assume that good and evil are concepts we all agree on.I only gave this movie 2 stars, for it showed a little imagination. Generally speaking though, it was just a pathetic attempt to appeal to the Pagan crowd, expressing only common modern Pagan themes, with no original thought.
mumugrrl
I rented this movie because I really like movies about witches, but this movie was ultimate drivel. The acting was horrible, the production was terrible, and the story was as much of a rip off of "The Craft" as they could make it. There is a girl with a scar that gets healed and there is one shot with the four main characters walking down the road that was taken directly from "The Craft". There was gratuitous nudity, bashing of Christians and the bloopers played at the end of the video were profane and unpleasant. A complete waste of time, resources and money. Rent "The Craft", "Little Witches","Bell, Book and Candle" or "Practical Magic" if you want to see a better witch movie.
BHorrorWriter
Well, to just go off and say this is a total rip-off of the film The Craft, would be poor judgement on my part. To say that The Coven "borrowed" a few elements from that film would be accurate.This shot on video, witchcraft based movie is flawed! Not so much in weak script, decent enough cinematography, okay directing ( I mean from the same guy that made Camp Blood 1 & 2), but instead of trying to put a good spin on witchcraft, it instead makes it look even worse. Well, atleast to the untrained eye. I am not going to get into the elements and philosophies of Wicca, but explore the film instead.The Burning at the stake scene was refreshing to see in a B-movie. It brought back the old taboo people have of witchcraft, and actually chartered new territory in these types of movies. However, the character of Vallie in no way can compare to Fariuza Balk as Nancy in the The Craft.
Given its low budget, the film still maintains a constant flow. It doesn't let itself get cluttered with cliche after cliche. It really doesn't try to break new ground, and does at certain points! Overall a decent rental, and worth a watch or two. Don't expect oscar worthy...anything, but much better than some other films out there, attempting to explore the same topic.5.5 out of 10
mbagley2
This is one of the better B movies that Ive rented in a while. I didn't expect much, but my friend and I really got into it. The production is decent and most of the movie is filmed on a real college campus.This girl named Autumn goes off to college and discovers that there is something different about her...she is a witch. She meets this cute guy, but he has a crucifix around his neck. It turns out that he is one of the Campus Christians, and Autumn must find a way to break the news about her secret. The filmakers use religion as a theme throughout the movie. Autumn is able to meet other witches at school and together they decide to form a coven. Vallie, the wickedest witch, tries to mis-use the powers of the coven. Autumn is visited by the spirit of her dead grandmother, verbally attacked by a priest, and ultimately has to save her boyfriend, and the world! This movie is ambitious and low-budget, but it had me going from start to finish.