Teen Witch Information

Teen Witch is a 1989 fantasy teen comedy film starring Robyn Lively and Zelda Rubenstein. It was originally pitched as a female version of the 1985 Teen Wolf, although it later was reworked and turned into a film of its own. The soundtrack consists of mainly dance music, but the film score is jazz. The film has become a cult classic, with midnight theater showings and regular airings on ABC Family's 13 Nights of Halloween. The film is popular not only for its music, but also for 1980s in fashion nostalgia.

Plot

After a bike accident, sweet but nerdy 15-year old Louise Miller (Lively) knocks on the door of a strange looking house, hoping to use the phone. Instead she finds a strange but welcoming woman, the seer Madame Serena (Rubinstein), who is stunned to realize that Louise is a reincarnated witch and an old friend of Serena's. On Louise's 16th birthday, her magical powers return to her through a powerful amulet she lost in a former life. Now that Louise has the power to make her dreams come true, she casts a popularity spell to win the hottest guy in school, Brad (Gauthier), without earning his love. Louise then becomes the most popular girl in school while getting back at her harassing English teacher, Mr. Weaver, and the cheerleaders who never respected her. After her popularity spell gets out of hand, and realizing that believing in yourself is the true magic, Louise gives up her power to make her own happy ending.

Cast

• Robyn Lively as Louise Miller
• Dan Gauthier as Brad Power
• Joshua John Miller as Richie Miller
• Caren Kaye as Margaret Miller
• Dick Sargent as Frank Miller
• Lisa Fuller as Randa
• Mandy Ingber as Polly Goldenberg-Cohen (billed as Amanda Ingber)
• Tina Caspary as Shawn
• Zelda Rubinstein as Madame Serena
• Shelley Berman as Mr. Weaver
• Marcia Wallace as Ms. Malloy
• Cindy Valentine as Shana the Rock Star

Soundtrack

1. "All Washed Up" - Larry Weir
2. "Dream Lover" - Cathy Car
3. "Finest Hour" - Cindy Valentine featuring Larry Weir
4. "High School Blues" - The Puppy Boys
5. "I Keep on Falling" - Blue Future
6. "I Like Boys" - Elizabeth & The Weirz
7. "Get Up and Move" - Cathy Car
8. "Much too Much" - Cathy Car
9. "Never Gonna Be" (opening sequence) - Lori Ruso
10. "Never Gonna Be" (concert version) - Cindy Valentine
11. "Popular Girl" - Theresa & The Weirz
12. "Rap" - Philip McKean & Larry Weir
13. "Shame" - The Weirz
14. "Top That" - The Michael Terry Rappers
15. "In Your Arms" - Richard Elliot

• Music recorded at Weir Brothers Studio

Box office

• The production budget for Teen Witch was $2,500,000. The film was released in the US on April 23, 1989 and grossed $3,875 in its opening weekend at the box office, and only $27,843 total in its entire run.
• April 1989 box office competition included Field of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner and Pet Sematary, written by Stephen King. Both films were released on April 21, 1989, two days before the Teen Witch release.
• The movie has subsequently become a cult classic, gaining newer, younger audiences after multiple airings on HBO and Cinemax in the 1990s.
• On July 12, 2005, MGM released the film to DVD in its original widescreen theatrical version.
• In 2007, ABC Family acquired the television rights to the film and has since re-aired it regularly as part of their yearly 13 Nights of Halloween movie specials.

Accolades

|+ Eleventh Annual Youth in Film Awards 1988-1989 |- | 1989 | Best Young Actor Starring in a Motion Picture | Young Artist Awards: Joshua John Miller | |- | 1989 | Best Young Actress Starring in a Motion Picture | Young Artist Awards: Robyn Lively | |}

Adaptations

By 2006, the careers of some of the creative staff from the film had blossomed. Songwriter Larry Weir established New Music Weekly Magazine; Tom Weir earned a Grammy Award for True Love in 2004. The Weir brothers created Caption Records and collaborated with Teen Witch film producer Alana Lambros for the Teen Witch the Musical project.

Financial backers of Teen Witch had neglected to provide funding for the original soundtrack release, and after a decade and a half, the master audio tapes had become unavailable. The Weir brothers were interested in recreating the now popular songs that Larry Weir had written; Alana Lambros brought her long held view that Teen Witch the Musical was also viable as a Broadway bound production to the project.

In 2007, the audio CD for Teen Witch the Musical was released, a new generation of musically talented actors were cast for the stage-play, which was presented in workshop, but this adaptation never found a larger venue.

The cast of Teen Witch the Musical

• Alycia Adler as Randa (Cheerleader)
• Bryce Blue as Rhet
• Blake Ewing as Brad Powell
• Ashley Crowe as Madame Serena
• Monet Lerner as Darcy (Cheerleader)
• Tessa Ludwick as Phoebe (Cheerleader)
• Lauren Patten as Polly
• Sara Niemietz as Louise Miller
• Heather Youmans as Shana the Rock Star
• V-Style as rapper

• In April 2008, Variety reported that Ashley Tisdale signed with FremantleMedia North America and is in talks with United Artists to star in a remake of Teen Witch.