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. Chapters 00:00 Meet The Guest 00:28 Lunatics Project Origins 03:02 Why The Craft Matters 03:58 Film Setup And Legacy 07:49 Women Center Stage 11:18 Boys And Beauty Standards 15:21 Rituals And Power 18:02 Fear And Dark Themes 23:32 Iconic Lines And Scenes 25:36 Witch Shop Mentor 27:45 Rochelle Lacks Support 29:14 Racism Then and Now 30:40 Hair as Social Power 35:05 Nineties Witch Boom 40:02 Satanic Panic Memories 43:38 Ritual Games and Mirrors 45:45 Iconic Final Confrontation 48:26 Violence and R Rating 51:08 Blair Witch and Viral Hype 53:58 Closing and Projects  Links The Lunatics Project Lunatics Radio Hour Voices Carry on Tubi Salem Witch Trials History YouTube channel The Thing About Witch Hunts The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials Salem Witch Trials Daily Connecticut Witch Trial History Trail Massachusetts Witch Trial History End Witch Hunts nonprofit