[Editorial] The Craft: Witchcraft, Sisterhood and Empowerment Part 2

The Problem of Nancy Downs: Power and Madness

Nancy: “Manon! Fill me”

Although the film tackles some ground-breaking issues, many have highlighted a major flaw in The Craft that is hard to ignore. 

Figure 7. Nancy in a mental institution

The portrayal of Nancy’s mental instability has been a limitation for The Craft. She is the ultimate poster girl for the stereotype of a woman who gets too much power and then loses her sanity. When invoking the spirit with Sarah, Bonnie, and Rochelle, Nancy says to Manon “here me”, before quickly saying “here us”. This instantly evokes the perception of Nancy being self-absorbed and wanting to get all the powerful magic for herself. It is heavily implied that Nancy is jealous of Sarah’s status as a natural witch, as Nancy must rely on Manon to grant her with the power that Sarah naturally has. In this same scene, when the girls are invoking the spirit, Nancy literally asks for “all the power of Manon”, reinforcing her hunger for power. A woman gaining power is not a bad thing, however, Nancy begins to disregard her friendships: the thing that is supposed to give life meaning. This portrayal of women disregarding things of importance is one-dimensional and offers a narrow view of women. There is greater depth to the complexity of thoughts and emotions that women who hold positions of power have and feel. 

The Problem of Nancy Downs: Bully, Tormentor and Murderess

Nancy: “You know in the old days, if a witch betray her coven, they would kill her”

Figure 8. The girls corner Sarah in the school bathroom

The issue with Nancy does not end with her power-hungry nature, but she becomes a bully. When Sarah decides to leave the coven, Nancy decides that she, Bonnie, and Rochelle should start to bully and torment Sarah. They use magic: the tool that they had bonded over, to mentally torture Sarah, evoking visions of maggots and snakes everywhere she looks. Nancy uses a series of other forms of witchcraft to make Sarah’s life hell, such as using a glamour spell on the television to make her think her father had died in a plane crash. I really disliked this part of the film, as it showed the stereotypical portrayal of the bitchiness of girls, so quick to turn on each other. Not only this, but at the film’s ending Nancy ends up in a mental asylum which was extremely disappointing. She did not find the solitude of friendship or sisterhood but was demonised as a deranged psychopath drunk on power.  The film’s portrayal of Nancy is a harsh reminder of what society perceives women who do not fit societal norms to be: deranged and psychotic, who need locking away. 

Impact on contemporary society

Although The Craft has its limitations, it embodies ideals of third wave feminism and has remained a film that most feminists and young girls turn to. As Angelica Bastién from Vulture summaries:

The Craft taps into the primal American fear of female power, and what happens when women are alone together, forming hothouse bonds that seem to only occur in adolescence in ways that are both profound and contradictory, liberating and limiting.

There is a shared sense of identification when watching The Craft, as it is easy for the marginalised in society to feel like outsiders, witches, and rejects. Therefore, The Craft resonates with so many teenage audiences and still has an insightful impact and legacy until this day. 

Further reading

• Angelica Jade Bastién, The Profound, Enduring Legacy of The Craft [accessed 18/09/21] 

• Kristen J Sollée, Witches, Sluts, Feminists. Berkley: ThreeL Media, Stone Bridge Press, 2017.

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