98. Teen Witch (1989)

Were you in High School in the 80's like FCAC host Jason Cilo was? Probably you're not that old, but trust him; it was a time! 1989's 'Teen Witch' is many things: a fairly low-budget sort-of rip-off teen-comedy witch movie treading water in the wake of John Hughes movies and 'Heathers' and other 80's teenage films, most notably, but it has a charm and staying power all its own that has to be respected...or at least dissected in a full-on FCAC episodic treatment.

For this episode, Jason is joined once again by frequent guests, the comedians Marianne Sierk (FCAC episodes 'Dirty Dancing' and 'Practical Magic') and Heather Thomson, America's Favorite Shut-In, Vista Bitch, and Airbnb Diamond Club Member.

In this episode we also cover the safe harbor of middle-school theater programs, Jack Plotnick's brilliant send-up of that Robin Williams movie test that went around the interwebs a couple weeks back, and an obscure Tim Curry Halloween movie that Marianne loved to watch from her perch in her childhood Rochester, NY kitchen.

Jason's pre-HS pastimes are also covered, including starting and stopping the 12" single LP version of Whodini's 'Freaks Come Out At Night' (which as I type this I can't believe I didn't cut into the episode) in order to transcribe the words as kids did in the barren wasteland that was American popular culture prior to the internet.

Marianne demonstrates the distinctive patois of Rochester natives.

Heather discusses her life-long typecasting as matronly adults.

More on Teen Witch:

Teen Witch is a 1989 American teen fantasy comedy film directed by Dorian Walker, written by Robin Menken and Vernon Zimmerman, and starring Robyn Lively and Zelda Rubinstein.

Originally pitched as a female version of Teen Wolf (1985) and later reworked into a film of its own, the film features numerous impromptu rap musical numbers and has since become a cult classic aided by midnight theater showings and regular cable television airings (including through annual showings as part of ABC Family/Freeform's 13 Nights of Halloween). The film is also popular for its music and 1980s fashion nostalgia.