Wait, we know Bonnie And Rochelle’s reason for turning against Sarah: Sarah tried to bind Nancy from using magic. The three original members of the group have been friends for years. They know Nancy’s horrific home life. They probably understand that magic is Nancy’s one lifeline. Granted, there are some “Mean Girls” dynamics going on, too, but Nancy is the leader. She has Rochelle and Bonnie’s loyalty. And, another important factor: Sarah acted directly against one of her “sisters.” Nancy only attacked Chris after he assaulted Sarah. From the girls’ perspectives, Chris had it coming and Nancy was avenging Sarah (and, obviously, herself).
I feel like there might also be an implication that the magic corrupts. As for the guy, that kinda makes sense to me, too. When you really like someone, you can look past all kinds of bullshit. Also, you can feel very bitter toward them while also still liking them. Motivations in those kinds of situations don't follow a linear path.
In addition, the movie brings you hints that something happened in the past between Nancy and the guy, that why the girls warned about the guy. Iam speculating that Nancy started to be jealous from Sara and the guy.
Exactly, but I think Nancy was also feeling jealous about Chris as well. After accidentally killing him, I'm pretty sure she was taking a Chronicle turn though.
The girl seeking out the shitty guy despite the friends' warnings and such, to me, is very real. I've had NUMEROUS friends go through that sort of situation. You know, minus the death or curse part.
Yeah and she had conflicting feelings. She did like him and was mad at him and felt guilty for bewitching him. I totally got where she was coming from with that plot line
I guess you have to have the high school girl experience to understand how the girls got so vicious seemingly out of no where. The subtlety at which they played the turning against Sarah seemed realistic to me. Nancy being their 'queen bee' also goes a long way in explaining their behavior to me. Truly a 'Mean Girls' situation. 😆
As a teenage girl, I watched The Craft for the first time. I had no problem following the changes in the female relationships. I wonder if some of that is lost in being a man. Female relationships, especially at that age, can be very different and toxic with weird power plays.
Yes!! When he said that it didn’t make sense when the girls turned on Sarah, I was thinking “uh yeah, it didn’t make sense when Liz and Rachel turned on me in 10th grade either, but it happened”. This is such a true representation of the weird power plays that take place in girl friendships. I think it was genius writing and shows a real understanding of the relationships being portrayed.
Girls learn power hierarchy as young as 8 or 9, and the dynamic between the child and best friend to least "best" friend. As a male outsider witnessing the backstabbing, power plays, gas lighting, and worse in female friendships, I have no idea how all of you don't kill each other. Your malarkey peaks between 15-19, but it's not like it drops any appreciable amount as you age.
I kind of had a feeling that they were going to turn on Sarah when it was made known that Sarah was a natural witch. There was a hint of jealousy from Nancy specifically when Sarah tried her first spell and it worked.
Exactly. Sarah received those abilities generationally. Nancy and the others were just practicioners and recreational witches that have to do spells and rituals to use demonic powers that way. It's sort of an elite thing amongst witches. Everyone isn't bloodborne, but can still get in if you know what I mean.
WOAH WOAH WOAH!!! Let me get this perfectly straight: You comment something that is completely unrelated to the fact that I have two HAZARDOUSLY HOT girlfriends? Considering that I am the unprettiest RU-vidr worldwide, it is really incredible. Yet you did not mention it at all. I am VERY disappointed, dear gfx
Yah it actually made perfect sense that the girls followed Nancy, they were scared of her and they had been friends with her long before they met Sarah.
Teenage girl friendships can be shaky and toxic. Nancy was the leader of the friend group. When her and Sarah fell out the other girls turned on Sarah. They were followers. It is really that simple. I have loved this movie since the 8th grade. ❤️
Same! I loved this movie as a pre-teen. I thought their motivations were very clear. The two were first followers of Nancy, whether out of loyalty or even fear. The fact that Sarah tried to bind Nancy after Nancy did what she considered a favor for Sarah didn't help, either. They also seemed jealous of Sarah for being a "natural" witch who had a better handle on spells. So sure enough, once Nancy was out of the picture, they go to appease the next strongest witch, which was Sarah. They always seemed kind of cowardly in that way.
Nancy was pretty much jealous of Sarah from the start. Chris liked Sarah; Sarah was naturally better at magic. Bonnie & Rochelle pretty much did what Nancy said. Sarah pushed back. Plus, as Sarah pointed out, Bonnie and Rochelle's personalities changed when their spells worked. None of the 3 wanted to lose their power and they needed their 4th. Did anyone see Jawbreaker? Kind of a similar thing-they kill their friend accidentally, then cover it up, and the 2 become enemies of Rebecca Gayheart because she no longer wants to "follow" what Rose McGowan says.
Annoyingly, there's a deleted scene that you can find on youtube that clears up exactly what you said was missing. Sarah tries to get the other two to agree to help bind Nancy and Nancy basically takes the girls apart emotionally and beats them down into following her, except Sarah. No idea why they didn't keep it in the actress for Nancy does an amazing job in it.
@@bonniehowell9206 Same!! It totally explained the rest of the film it should have been kept in the film - Nancy is scary as hell by then so it's totally plausable that Rochelle and Bonnie don't want to anger her and have her turn on them too
I think the reason the two friends apologize at the end is to just get their powers back. Their still bad people, and think they need her just to restore their abilities.
@@propogandalf They tried to convince her that her dad had died, used her dead mother against her, tried to drive her insane/kill her, and then didn’t even really apologize, they just said they were kidding around!
I remember Fauriza Balk was also in American History X as the Nazi GF and The Waterboy, great underrated actress. Too bad you don't see her around anymore
Indeed, Balk is so captivating and enthralling as Nancy, that it's easy to forget that she's the antagonist, and is a little more memorable than actual protagonist Sarah! 😉
"I'm very confused... did she want this guy to be her personal servant, to humiliate him? Or did she actually like him and feel sorry for him?" and "It's hard to know what Sarah did to deserve this turn"............I see you've forgotten High School
Both she liked him and then he lied about her she wanted payback at first but then she started to like him again once he was nice to her teenage toxic relationship lol this movie had a lot going on but I loved it lol 💕
@@Luv2Dnce4 You found the wheelers scary eh? What about the headless princess chasing after Dorothy? Btw, that scene with the screaming heads, there’s a theory that the reason they start screaming is because in the moment Mombi screams Dorothy Gale she looses her magical control of the heads, and the decapitated women’s heads wake up on their own accord and realise for the first time that they’ve been decapitated and can’t feel their bodies, so they scream in horror.
YES! I watched this movie more than the original Wizard of Oz as a kid. Growing up, none of my friends had seen it and didn't believe it existed. Chris needs to bring this movie to more people's attention.
I took the ending as the other girls pretending that they're sorry & just trying to feel out if she still has her powers because they lost theirs. They say something snarky & that's when Sarah let's them know that she still has a powers & not to mess with her. I didn't interpret their apology as sincere. They wanted info from her.
The girls betraying Sarah always scared me the most because it felt like I was experiencing the volatility of someone's rage. Like it didn't make sense why her friends suddenly became sadistic towards her
If you search up The Craft deleted scenes, there’s one scene in particular on what sort of made Bonnie and Rochelle turn on Sarah. Honestly, the deleted scenes are genuinely really good scenes
@sethtenpas3237 I don't remember anyone being upset but this was 20 years ago 🤷♀️ I just know the whole group ended up being alt/ goth/ emo in high school 😅 myself included.
I have to agree with you on the 3rd act, some of it threw me off too. However, I thought about it like this, they were going mad with power, they were outcasts before but at the moment they gained the power to change their lives, they started to think they were untouchable. Sarah was attempting to get them to realize they were becoming different people but then again she did immediately bond with them. When the other girls turned on Sarah, they thought that they would go back to being outcasts and they didn't want to lose their power.
You obviously haver never been around teenagers? They have conflicting and chaotic feelings like that, that storyline is completely plausible in the 90's. Remember this is before social media and the advent of anti-bullying/anti-abusive awareness that swept through schools and public media in the early 2000's.
There will always be assholes out there who just want to be negative. Maybe a competitor reviewer, or just someone filled with hate and spite. I honestly never really notice the thumbs up or down, I just enjoy the videos.
I actually never thought of Sarah having all of the power as a theory, just a dropped plotline. To me it just made sense, they had no powers before her and then when they're separated, they don't have powers again. Sarah even mentions that her powers are always getting things mixed up, which I saw as her not understanding her powers and knowing how to direct it. Lovely review!
& it definitely feels the most genuine, since they actually did research and got in contact with actual practicing wiccan people, and used that information to make the movie as accurate as possible i love it
@@remoryu Really? Some of the stuff in there were made up. Wiccans conjuring dark entities? Yeah. No. Maybe in the olden days, probably. But for the time this movie was made, I doubt any actual wiccans CAN successfully conjure any entities.
When I saw this movie for the first time, I thought the other 3 girls had gravitated to Sarah because she had powers and they didn’t. Sarah is the only one with powers at the end, so I think that theory is pretty solid.
I don't know if it's because I was a pagan teen girl when this came out (or at least not long after) but I always thought the "turning on each other" thing was very natural as a side-effect of yielding far too much power for the human ego to bear in a sane way.
Love that movie. I did know that was a theory I thought that was the point. Her mother was a witch. The store lady said she was a natural witch. They needed her to get magic. In the end Sarah didn't need 3 other ppl so clearly she just needed her powers awakened.
It’s funny to me how the protagonist in The Craft has a dead mom while coincidentally Scream, a movie which came in out the same year as The Craft and also stars Neve Campbell, also features a protagonist with a dead mother
Also, Skeet Ulrich who plays Billy Loomis in Scream plays the guy that Sarah likes in The Craft. I had never noticed it until I rewatched both movies earlier this month, but I thought it was a funny coincidence that he and Neve are in both.
The Chris thing makes sense to me. She still wanted him to like her, even though he was a douche. It's not uncommon. The girls turning on her makes sense to me too. Very mean girls like. Plus Sarah was powerful and they were jealous.
"I hope you guys are having a good time with these videos" Chris, my man, of course we are!! We fucking love the annual Halloween specials you do! One of the best holiday themed series that I wait for all year. You get me into the Halloween spirit and give me some great movies to throw on for my gf and roomies. It's always great reviewing these movies with you first before having a watch night with my roommates. Thanks for having such a great time with this!
I watched this film because I had a major crush on Neve Campbell back in the day. I’m glad I did watch it, cause it’s great. Also, I miss Fairuza Balk, she should be in more things.
Omg Chris u just made my day. I was obsessed with this movie when it came out. I know I wasn't the only one who tried to play light as a feather at a stiff as board at sleepovers.
There’s actually a deleted scene where it explains why Bonnie & Rochelle turn on Sarah. 👁👁 I feel like if they kept it in the final cut, it would’ve made sense why on the third act they were against Sarah.
That deleted scene totally explained the rest of the film it should have been kept in the film - Nancy is scary as hell by then so it's totally plausable that Rochelle and Bonnie don't want to anger her and have her turn on them too so they rally behind Nancy and help her try and destroy Sarah
I love how everything from the 90s had that Dawson's Creek vibe to it. You had this movie, Halloween H20, I know what you did last summer, Scream films, etc. everybody and their grandma in Hollywood wanted to do the Dawson's Creek thing.
The turn of the movie is during the car ride through the traffic lights, this is when Nancy starts to win influence over the other two, as Sarah was kinda "pulling them away from her".. this is why it was out of the blue, when she took in the power she used it to influence them, she probably realized the power was from Sarah and was further jealous of her.. this really explains the turn ending as well when they are like "sorry.. ..." the big thing that held this movie back was the pacing and editing choices... they either needed to lose some scenes, or add another 1/2 hour too.. It feels like a sequel to a movie that was adapted from a script not meant to be part of a franchise due to being so fractured in plot and pacing... but it's definitely not a bad movie. I think maybe they thought they had like 9 months to film and then 6 months later the studio called and asked if it would still be ready to premiere in 3 months, so they had to rush every thing to finish up lol
@@dr.decker3623 I felt it was pretty obviously insincere, in the movie. Rochelle lets it slip that they are now powerless, then she and Bonnie walk away laughing under their breath that Sarah is probably powerless, too. Sarah doesn’t accept their lame excuses, and she uses her power to scare them with the falling branch.
@@Luv2Dnce4 yes, they say they never thought it would go that far, and that they were just started out as pranks, they ask her if she wants to hang out and chant, and when she turns them down Roch says "she prolly doesn't have powers anyway"... and they laugh thinking they are safe, because they still don't know it was Nancy that was using Sarah's powers to influence them, they still thought that Nancy had power of her own, and that they did as well, when the fact is they had obviously only seen real magic happen after Sarah arrived, they hadn't even done levitation yet, and even that scared/excited them lol, Sarah is the one that granted Roch and Bonnie's wishes, she is a good witch, a natural witch.. Nancy had convinced herself so much that she was the alpha, when the power left her it made her mad, as she is seen in an asylum at the end as well.
This is one of my favorite guilty-pleasure movies. We watched it at almost every slumber party growing up. And of course, we then had to play light as a feather, stiff as a board.
I’m a huge fan of the craft and I have never heard the theory of Sarah having all the power! Thank you so much for your review of this classic yet flawed film !
This isn't even about just "teenage girls." This happens with grown women AND MEN all of the time! When you are desperate to fit in, and you struggle with loneliness and suicidal tendencies (Sarah has slit her wrists before) you are bound to attach to toxic people in more ways than one. They were a toxic friend group to begin with. This is shit that happens within those kinds of settings. Yes, very "Mean Girls"-like. And that could explain her trying to rationalize Chris' assault of her. Someone struggling with her issues would absolutely want to "protect" her abusers. It had codependency written all over it.
I never realized that Sarah’s motives might be hard to understand. I saw this movie when I was sixteen, a girl in high school, dealing with the exact same issues of wanting guys to like me but then also not wanting to be pushed into going farther than I wanted. Wanting to play the game without getting hurt or hurting anyone else is pretty impossible and it was so realistic to me that I never questioned it.
If I remember correctly, it is hinted that Sarah's mom was a witch. I think that's why she had latent abilities and was this powerful. I remember when I was young, I was wishing they'd make a sequel with Sarah where we see her use her powers.
Such a great analysis on this movie; Loved the movie then and still 👏 I appreciate that fan theory of the girls never really having powers on their own- that Sarah was the only one who had true powers. Because she was a natural witch like her mother. This theory also makes sense because at the beginning of the movie, the 3 girls tell Sarah that they have called the corners for fun only but after Sarah joined them, that is when things started to really happen
07:40 - THIS was exactly what I thought, the other girls only found power when Sarah appeared and that added an element of complexity to the story. I always wanted a follow up as to how she handled the next phase of her life. Sidenote, this was a massive coming of age film for me, along with Scream and I Know What you Did Last Summer. I think The Craft was the first mature film I rented by myself aged 15 from Global Video - a UK version of Blockbuster (I miss the 90's). Great analysis, I never clicked so fast 😎
I love The Craft I feel the same about the last half of the movie,I feel like there was more that just didn get filmed or was just left on the cutting room floor
I can see where the problems lie but I think it's more of a perspective issue. The filmmakers saw a completed plot, where everyone else saw the weak points.
Teenage girls like jerks, fact. Other teenage girls are jealous of their friends getting attention. Shit goes south spooky style, this movies makes complete sense in everyway. I was a young teen watching this for the first time, perfect sense. Now at 37 it does look crazy BUT... the north remembers
A movie known for getting the X rating of the original cut. And one costar, she was on a certain 1980's primetime sitcom, effectively altering her image.
Lost Boys is my all time favorite movie. The nostalgia in it is amazing. The song cry little sister in the beginning sounds powerful and sets the whole movie up and the look and feel of the movie is great. In alot of ways it reminds me of my childhood. The craft also is one of those movie that captures the feel of that time period
I initially saw this movie as a teen because I saw Scream, had a crush on skeet ulrich and rented this movie, just to see him again (embarrasses), and was pleasantly surprised. This is one of the few teen movies where the main characters are the outsiders.
The thing about Sarah being the only one with powers.. that's how I always understood the movie, and why it's always worked for me - even the last part where Sarah shows that -she-, not the others, is the one to be feared.
I always understood it the same way. Right up until the "Invoking the Spirit" ritual, it seemed like Sarah was the only one who had any magic, and it was only her coming into their circle that allowed the other girls' spells to work, almost like she's the battery and the other girls are the conduit for her power. Even when Sarah is performing the glamour spell, I noticed, the other girls ask *her* to change their appearances, something they wouldn't need to do if they could use magic themselves. When Nancy successfully Invokes the Spirit and suddenly *she's* the one who can use magic without Sarah's influence, I always figured that was the reason they all turned on Sarah, because they no longer needed her, and Nancy, blinded by her jealousy and corrupted by her newfound power, wanted to reclaim her queen bee status.
I rewatched it recently and to me both moments made perfect sense. Sarah initially puts the spell on that boy to humiliate him but, as she drifts apart from her sisters, she ends up seeing him as someone to confine her feelings to and sees him on a different light. Then the spell starts to get out of control and he gets violent but she never blames him for it. Then her sisters turned against her because Sarah tries to bind Nancy and Nancy has control over the other ones, so she makes sure they follow her. Probably the other 2 are worried that she will take everything away from them as she threats to do to Sarah. Also the whole turning into Sarah to seduce and murder Chris is a way for her to take control and show dominance over Sarah. I see it as a way for her to get revenge of what Chris and her step-father did to her as well.
Fairuza Balk really reminds me a lot of Judy Garland or her daughter, Liza Minelli. So it's really fitting that she was cast as Dorothy in Return to Oz.
How do you NOT understand the storyline about Sarah casting the spell on Chris??? She was into him, he turned out to be a jerk. She was like a woman scorned, she wanted revenge, while at the same time she still had feelings. Feelings don't go away instantly. Especially when you're a teenager, they're all over the place. She wanted to have power over him, hence the humiliation, but she's still a good person, so obviously she was upset and full of regret when the spell went too far. Contrary to what you said, this is a brilliant and nuanced storyline. It sucks that it went over your head. Peace xo
I ❤️ the Craft. It’s too bad Fairuza Balk wasn’t more employed into more roles as an actress because she’s so good! And by the way - she was Dorothy from the 1985 movie Return to Oz
I'm already expecting those same circle jerks to complain about Bride. It sounds amazing from what I hear, I'm also a huge fan of the producer/actress. 355 doesn't look bad, my only concern is Kinnberg.
It was an era where a female-led movie wasn’t weighed down with a script preaching about girl power, or press junkets where women bleated about how amazing you are if you own a vagina.
Nah I saw Charlie’s Angels & Ghostbusters’ box office receipts I’m happy hope there’s no hard feelings on the wokes part but the crying from Elizabeth Banks & Paul Feige suggests otherwise
I came to say this too. Fairuza balk was my childhood crush I remember this was one of the first movies I watched "on demand" and I would pause it and just look at her lmao
I still find her attractive lol plus she's an actual wiccan, and the store that's in this film she bought and owns. Would love to actually get to meet her one day 😊
Great shout out for simply safe. You can tell you actually use the product. I love that. I’m going to check them out, especially issue with flooding in basement!
Those thoughts about Sarah having all the power all along was actually what I thought the entire time - interesting to find out that was part of the original script. I think that still came through clearly!
Have not heard of this until you and a bunch of others have started talking about it recently. Thanks for the recommendation and all of the videos, Chris!