The Craft at 30 with Abby Brenker of the Lunatics Project

The Craft at 30: Witchcraft, Teen Horror, and the Satanic Panic with Abby Brenker (Lunatics Project)We welcome Abby Brenker of The Lunatics Project to dig into The Craft on its 30th anniversary, tracing why this 1996 teen witchcraft horror classic became a sleepover staple despite mixed reviews and an R rating. We explore how the film centers female friendship, anger, and power outside of romance, while portraying boys as secondary villainous caricatures, and we unpack gendered conflicts around beauty, identity, mentorship, and isolation—especially for Bonnie, Sarah, Nancy, and Rochelle. We connect the movie’s rituals, Wiccan and occult-inspired magic system, and iconic lines (“We’re the weirdos, mister”) to broader 1990s witch media, from Sabrina to Buffy, and to real-world fears: self-harm, rape, bullying, and primal horror imagery like mirrors, snakes, and spiders. We also touch on The Believers, Blair Witch, and the Satanic Panic, and Abby shares where to find Lunatics Radio Hour and her feature film Voices Carry on Tubi.Chapters00:00 Meet The Guest00:28 Lunatics Project Origins03:02 Why The Craft Matters03:58 Film Setup And Legacy07:49 Women Center Stage11:18 Boys And Beauty Standards15:21 Rituals And Power18:02 Fear And Dark Themes23:32 Iconic Lines And Scenes25:36 Witch Shop Mentor27:45 Rochelle Lacks Support29:14 Racism Then and Now30:40 Hair as Social Power35:05 Nineties Witch Boom40:02 Satanic Panic Memories43:38 Ritual Games and Mirrors45:45 Iconic Final Confrontation48:26 Violence and R Rating51:08 Blair Witch and Viral Hype53:58 Closing and Projects LinksThe Lunatics ProjectLunatics Radio HourVoices Carry on TubiSalem Witch Trials History YouTube channelThe Thing About Witch HuntsThe Thing About the Salem Witch TrialsSalem Witch Trials DailyConnecticut Witch Trial History TrailMassachusetts Witch Trial HistoryEnd Witch Hunts nonprofit