Fairuza Balk is cult Hollywood's ever-glamorous dark horse -- a beacon of goth-riddled sensibilities that can simmer and stew in little more than some carefully-applied kohl. However, the versatility she brings to each #dark character she plays is often overlooked, which is a shame as she's proven over and over again that she's able to pull off a series of varied and inimitable looks that will undoubtedly send shivers up your spine. So in honor of the cult muse, we rounded-up our favorite Fairuza looks from a storied career that includes Almost Famous, American History X and a shitton of black.
Nancy in The Craft
Let's start with what is perhaps her most infamous role, Nancy the unhinged, power-hungry wannabe witch in the 1996 Halloween cult classic The Craft. I mean, Fairuza didn't even play the main character in this and yet she stole the entire show (as proven by the number of Nancy-only screencaps in existence) with her baby Siouxsie/Banshees look that absolutely slays. I mean, look at that spiked collar, the upside-down cross earrings and the oversized black leather jacket...all intensified by heavy liner and a deep burgundy lip that, of course, will solidify her in the canon of Hot Topic teen style inspiration for eons to come.
I'm partial to this look mostly because as a native Californian who hates sun, you're pretty much required to embrace this aesthetic that can be loosely described as "LA Goth." You know it as the "Faust Festivus" section on NastyGal, but it's actually a pretty easy and comfortable look to pull off -- despite sometimes looking pretty fucking stupid if done incorrectly. All you need is a black, flowy and preferably velvet-y kimono that you can throw over a plain black dress along with a few layers of obnoxious silver-plated jewelry. But please, for the love of Alastair Crowley, keep the champagne bottle and leave the feather clip out of it.
Stacey in American History X
Despite playing a Neo-Nazi in this movie, Fairuza made 90s slacker schlub slightly tolerable as Edward Norton's shitty girlfriend, Stacey, in American History X. Armed in the black and white flashback sequences with a nose ring, red lip, black choker and oversized plaid shirt, she was a despicable human but a beacon of fairly innocuous Kohl's-brand mall rat in a sea of prison jumpsuits and stomach-churning swastika tattoos. JFC.
Aissa in Island of Dr. Moreau
The lovely daughter of the mad Dr. Moreau, Fairuza sparkled as Aissa thanks to an assortment of pseudo-Khalessi chic looks that included tons of draping (albeit with ugly stoner poncho fabric), long flowy locks and plenty of bangles. Definitely a sight for sore eyes in this horrific human-hybrid morality tale.
Angel in Shadow of a Doubt
Finally we have Fairuza as "teenage temptress" Angel Harwell who is accused of murdering her father in the made-for-TV movie Shadow of a Doubt. And armed with a peroxide pixie accentuated by her amorphous, all-black, multi-pearl get-up, she definitely fulfills said Wiki description of her character. Not to mention a deep maroon lip that has us positively reeling. In the eyes of the people, at least her style is killer.