“We thought we were making a very serious movie. We didn’t know we were making a cult classic.”
Lively in Teen Witch (left) and in 2013 (right).
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On April 28, 1989, Teen Witch, a low-budget supernatural romantic comedy, opened in theaters opposite heavy hitters from Kevin Costner (Field of Dreams) and Stephen King (Pet Sematary). The film revolved around social outcast Louise Miller (Robyn Lively), who discovers on her 14th birthday that she hails from a long line of witches. Under the guidance of her mentor, Madame Serena (Zelda Rubenstein), Louise uses her newfound powers to become the most popular girl in school, and land B.M.O.C. Brad Powell (Dan Gauthier).
Starring a young cast of relative unknowns, the film flopped, earning just $27,843. But a funny thing happened on the way to obscurity. Endless reruns on HBO — and, later, ABC Family — helped transform Teen Witch into a cult classic. Led by its most memorable musical moment, the hyper-cheesy "Top That," Teen Witch has been name-checked on 30 Rock, re-created by fashion designer Rachel Antonoff, and spent the last 25 years cementing its place in pop culture history.
Why this odd mash-up of genres — equal parts romantic comedy, supernatural origin story, high school drama, and musical — connected with so many generations is a question that still flummoxes Robin Lively, now 42.
On the eve of Teen Witch's 25th anniversary, she sat down with BuzzFeed to reflect upon the film's creation, share memories from the set, reveal never-before-known details about the film's undeniably '80s fashions, and open up about the movie's enduring impact on her daily life.
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