The Steves discuss the 1996 classic, The Craft, as part of Magical March, as well as touching on what's making them happy in pop culture today.
What's Making Us Happy?
Topics covered on The Craft
Let us know what you think by emailing us at happylifepod@gmail.com
Or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @happylifepod
Ending- Any music or audio clips were borrowed from the original source material.
The Steves discuss the 1996 classic, The Craft, as part of Magical March, as well as touching on what's making them happy in pop culture today.
What's Making Us Happy?
Topics covered on The Craft
Let us know what you think by emailing us at happylifepod@gmail.com
Or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @happylifepod
Ending- Any music or audio clips were borrowed from the original source material.
Hello, returning happys and new listeners. This is Steve Bennet-Martin,
Stephen:and this is Stephen Martin-Bennet. And welcome to a lifetime of happiness.
Steve:The podcast where we take you on our journey through some of the movies, TV shows, and other bits of pop culture that are helping to keep us happy while hopefully bring a smile to your face along the way.
Stephen:And today we're continuing magical March as we call the corners and find the ins and outs of the
Steve:crack. But first my love what's making you
Stephen:happy. So I am a big Stephen King fan. I've been reading his stuff since, probably before I showed up. And one of my favorite. Actually trilogy, which isn't a Stephen King thing. Is the bill Hodges trilogy known as Mr. Mercedes? Well the peacock app has the Mr. Mercedes TV show. And so I just recently finished season one and it was absolutely fantastic. And what I like about this and that it's different than. You can, it's very much Stephen King sensibility with characters and story and things, but it's. Not supernatural it's crime based like detective. So it's really interesting. And I very much enjoy it. Well, I'm glad you're enjoying it. What about you? My darling, what's been making you happy. Well breeze
Steve:through Pokemon legends Archaeus I caught them all. And so I have moved on to a teller Sophie to the alchemists of the mysterious dream. That's a lie. For a title. Yes, it is. But the chillier or series of games has been a favorite series of mine since I found it probably about 10 years ago, 10, 15 years ago. I love all of their entries. This is the most recent one for 2022. Classic RPGs mixed with like an alchemy twist where you're also like crafting items in a very complex crafting system. And then you go and gather, and then you go and battle to get items, to make stronger items, to do stronger battles. And it's this really addictive gameplay loop that I'm really enjoying. And even got me used to Japanese voice acting in games when they stopped localizing the, the audio, a couple of games back. And now I'm like, ah, I understand why people like hearing the original Japanese voices sometimes as long as you can read the English underneath it, right? Yes. But that's been making me very happy, but so has magical March. Yes. And so why do you choose to include the craft in magical March? My love.
Stephen:Obviously we love horror movies. Really? Yeah. We've covered one or two, just a few, and this definitely falls under the horror category. But it also has some people that we really love, like nev Campbell and skeet Ulrich from the scream series. And this was definitely a part of my high school experience was this movie and. It's aged extraordinarily well. And it's just one that I go back to because it's enjoyable. And I like it. And you know, when did you discover the craft?
Steve:Realistically, I feel like I saw it at one point in my childhood, but it didn't like clinging to me the way that it has since watching it with.'cause. I mean, it came out in 1996 when not that we're counting, but I would have been 10, 10. So I kind of missed that, that first wave of when it came out, I was a little bit too young for it, but it did age pretty well for a nineties movie. It's an American teen supernatural horror film directed by Andrew Fleming from a screen play by Fleming and Peter Filardi based on a story by Filardi. So the two of them together kind of did it on.
Stephen:And what's interesting is this is definitely. Dark. And, but Andrew Fleming is known for the comedies, Dick and Hamlet to Hamlet, to being the musical that has rock me, rock me, rock me, sexy. Jesus. I love that.
Steve:So, and, and Dick is how I got my, my history of American history with the Watergate scandal, because I'd had no idea about anything before watching that movie. So as far as I'm concerned, that is how it all happened and all the way.
Stephen:Very interesting. Peter Filardi is known for the 1990 movie Flatliners and you know, that's where a lot of our eighties people decided to grow up a little bit because you had Julia Roberts going from some of her more comedy things to. You know, a darker thing where people are, you know, they're causing
Steve:themselves to flatline to be able to be serious. The other side, Yeah. And interesting as they both fought like hell apparently to get a PG 13 Mo rating for this movie, they really like, if they were about to like trudge the line, they always erred on the side of caution, however, even fighting their asses off for that PG 13 movie. Ultimately the final film was rated R because it dealt with teenage girls using witchcraft.
Stephen:It's ridiculous because if you look at it, there's a. Not really any gore? No, there's not any overt violence and things. They nowadays no
Steve:cursing. Yeah. Nowadays it'd be TV 14. And if it was aired on TV, I'm sure with maybe one or two small edits for time.
Stephen:Now, the film stars, Robin Tunney Fairuza balk, nev Campbell and Rachel.
Steve:Yes. I know a couple of these names, most notably nev known for her role as Sydney Prescott in the scream series, where you can go back to any of our past episodes on that movie series. For more details on her
Stephen:Robin Tunney went on to star in vertical limit. Is. And did a stint in on the TV show, prison break as Veronica Dunkin, Dunkin,
Steve:Bulk was previously known for a role as Dorothy in 1985 is returned to us. This is a very different role for her. And she was also Sapphire in almost famous.
Stephen:But I will say anybody that watched return to Oz as a child that is not a children's movie. That was the most terrifying thing I watched as a child. Like. I was six when it came out. I was too scared to finish the movie. Oh boy. Yeah. Now Rachel, true. Went on to be Mary Jane Portman and half-baked as well as guests. As Janet Clemens and the drew Carey show. And she's also a big drag fan and we see her show up on
Steve:drag. Yes. Yeah. And you, you missed the, you mispronounced her last name and half baked for part of the joke. It's a movie about stoners and her name was Mary Jean pot men. Oh my bad, sorry. Hot. Cause cause the marijuana and Mary James, they were all half-baked. Yeah. It's all right. It was, the movie itself was released on May 3rd, 1996 with a budget of$15 million and a box office at 55.6 worldwide. So it was considered a hit.
Stephen:And by now with, you know, Even though it was a hit, it was now it's a cult classic. Everyone has watched it and rewatched it. I'm sure it has made a lot more in streaming and DVD sales.
Steve:Yes. And I MDB summarizes the film with a newcomer to a Catholic prep high school falls in with a tree of Outkast, teenage girls who practice witchcraft and they all seem conjure up various spells and curses against those who anger them. That's fine. It's a good setup. It's enough, but let's get into the full movie discussion.
Stephen:Yes. So the movie opens with three teen girls doing a spell chanting. Now is the time. This is the hour. Ours is the magic hours is the power. And then the credits being begin to roll. Did you ever try witchcraft in high school? Yes,
Steve:not like super seriously where I would like get a circle together, but I remember my friend Haley was like into all of that. And so we would like look at like the witchy books in Barnes and noble or our book review is the bookstore in town. And I, I was, I was which curious, I didn't fully dive into it though. How about
Stephen:you? Not really, because I grew up in the Bible belt and. I in my town of 2000 people, that just, wasn't a thing I would say the closest was whenever some friends got together and we were doing Weegee board and scared ourselves shitless.
Steve:I can imagine that's what scarred you from letting us have one in the house. That's pretty much it.
Stephen:Yep.
Steve:Yes. We, well, we after the opening credits, we meet Sarah Bailey played by Robin Tunney. She's a troubled teenage girl who has just moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles, with her father. Played by cliff to young and stepmother who barely see their houses large, but a work in progress with the ceiling's leaking during the rainstorms as they arrive. And while I'm packing, starting with a picture of her mom she's unpacking. And then we see a craze man appear at the front doorway, offering her a snake he found and she's clearly and rightfully terrified.
Stephen:Filed this. Do you want it? Yeah.
Steve:Luckily her father comes to the rescue and kills the snake. And that reminded me of the time that you killed a bunch of snakes. Oh my gosh.
Stephen:So I was prepping my house in Cincinnati to put it on the market and I was out front you know, putting mulch around the trees and the flower beds and the shrubs and things, you know, trying to make it Picture perfect. And my neighbor was having a professional crew come in and do his yard and all of a sudden I'm out there. And I see this wave of things coming at me and all of a sudden I'm seeing snake after snake, after snake coming from his yard towards mine. And these snakes are not just like traversing past me. They're. Not friendly. They're wanting to like come towards me. And I had my hedge Clippers, so I felt very much. And, you know, I guess it was a product of the time. There was the Jake Gyllenhaal movie based on the video game, prince of Persia. And in part of the movie, he, you know, he's flipping around and he's using his swords and cutting off the heads. And I felt very much that where I was using the hedge Clippers to snip, snip, snip, snip, snip all their heads. And then I was just tossing their bodies into the road because there's an old wives tale slash urban legend thing where it says, you know, a snake's mate will like search out its body. And the last thing I wanted was a bunch of mates for the snakes being. This house killed all of our mates. We must attack. And you know, I sent the pictures to mom and dad and they showed them to my uncle who is was a biology teacher and knows all about different snakes. And he's like, did you get bit? And I was like, no. And he goes good. Cause those were all copperheads, which are poisonous. Yeah. So my neighbor that I didn't. Had a copperhead nest in his yard and whenever his grounds, people were back there working disturbed it, and they all decided to come and try to attack me. Well,
Steve:at least he made it out. All right. And you are the snake Slayer officially in the house for 16. No. Thank you.
Stephen:Yeah. And that's just one of my mini snakes killing stories.
Steve:Yes. Now back in the crafts, it's the first day of school for Sarah and she's obviously clearly overwhelmed. Three girls walked down the hallway and are either avoided or bullied depending on the person. Bonnie says that, which has Almanac is says something is coming earth, air, fire, water. And it could be their fourth so they can call the corners, whatever that means, which I'm sure we'll find out later. And despite Nancy feeling, they don't need one, joking that the school security guard could be their fourth,
Stephen:a love a woman in
Steve:uniform. Now, why is the number four important in witchcraft here in this movie? When, so often we hear about the power of three,
Stephen:because it is really all about. The Cardinal directions of the compass north, south, east, and west, and also about the elements of earth, air, fire, and water. You know, some people say there's a fifth spirit which would kind of be like the central point. But you know, it's all about nature and balance and you know, the compass works with that. So four is the thing. So if you're wanting to recommend. Each of the elements you do need four. Okay.
Steve:And then during French class, Sarah puts three douchebag trolls in their place, including two who look familiar are the main one being met, who is played by a Brecken Meyer from like everything, nineties.
Stephen:And we saw him in
Steve:clueless. Yes. As well as skeet Ulrich, who we mentioned earlier. And Bonnie played by nev Campbell as the one who then sees Sarah telekinetically causing the pencil to rotate while standing on.
Stephen:Yeah, that was a really interesting scene. And, you know, it's kind of ballsy for her that she has just assumes that, you know, no one's going to be paying attention to the new girl and. Yeah. And honestly, first day school, everyone's going to be paying attention to the new girl usually. And then later in biology class, Bonnie tells the other Sarah's the one, but when Sarah comes in and tries to join the group, Nancy, the leader of the group decides to shut. And so she just goes away and money. It's like, no, no, no, you can sit, but it's
Steve:it's too late. Yes. So during lunch Sarah's hit on, like Chris played by Steve Elrich the school's football star. He apologizes for his friends in French class saying they're an asshole. They're assholes to which she responds. You are who you hang with. Yes. He's a little slow on the uptake there, but eventually it does figure that out. You just call
Stephen:me an asshole. Yes. Sorry. I've just been very. On edge, you know, these three girls.
Steve:Yes. And he tells her about the three girls see to stay away from them because of their witches. Adding that Bonnie has messed up burn scars all over her back that Nancy's this. But he can't say for sure.
Stephen:Yeah. After school, we see Sarah passed by football practice because Chris said, you know, you could always stop by and watch. She was like, oh, football practice. Yeah. And then the amazing song, how soon is now by love, split love is playing. And which we all know is that the theme song from charmed, which came out after this and then our three other girls approach and You know, Nancy says, you know, you need to stay away from Chris. He comes on to anything with tits. He spreads disease. I speak from personal experience. He's a jerk, which totally contradicts Chris's version of events at lunch. And you're immediately from his behavior and things inclined to believe Nancy.
Steve:Yes, for sure. Because I mean, it's the nineties and men harass. Not that they're not now that's still tracks. Yes. Now I was with the song. I knew it from term before I knew it from this movie. And I think it's funny how the song was featured as its intro through its entire run and early in its syndication. However, they lost the licensing to how soon as now. When it was on a streaming service as, as well as its final season on DVD. And it's never a place with generic, hard rock, instrumental music, which is not,
Stephen:no, it honestly takes the fun out of like I never would skip through the opening credits of
Steve:charmed. Oh, you ever, that are Buffy were to where I was like, I'll listen to them every time, every
Stephen:single time. And then I was watching some charmed on streaming and I was like, wow. You kind of took the joy out of the beginning of the show,
Steve:for sure. Now after school, the three girls, but friends, Sarah, and take her to a Nicole. On the way we learned that Sarah attempted suicide being cutting her wrist the right way
Stephen:down the block, across the street, which seems to impress Nancy. And she decides to accept Sarah's one of
Steve:them. Yes. The shop's owner Lirio played by Comments that Sarah is not like the other girls because she wasn't shoplifting.
Stephen:Yeah. And she goes, maybe you are a natural, which you ought to power comes from within.
Steve:Yeah. And is this what magic shops look like either then or now?
Stephen:Kind of, but not totally because at least around here you have to appeal to more of a mass market shopper. So you know, Like we have pixie dust, wild ginger apothecary, the village mystic, and some of those in the Sarasota Bradenton area. And so you've got your crystals and your books and some of your supplies, but it also needs to look like a health and wellness slash gift shop as well, where this looks very. Charming and with all the right colors and things everywhere else, you go needs to be bright and inviting and no offense to any of those stores that I love. I like the looks
of
Steve:this one. Yeah. Maybe one day. They'll let you in like the backroom at wild ginger. And it'll be just like this. You never know. I've come home
Stephen:while leaving the shop passing by skid row. Sarah's harassed by that same Vagrant from the beginning of the. And he's like also again, holding a snake and walking after, and he's screaming in my dream, you were dead. And the all four girls, they're like running away and crossing the street and he's chasing them. They all turn around and they all have this look in their eye. Like they're all focusing on something. And then this. Hits him and the girls runaway out to this like abandoned couch and loveseat and thing, and the middle of a park. And they're all talking about it. And they're like, you know, I thought the car was going to hit him. I did too. I did too. And they all realize that they have this connection and like it's kind of the first time. Where anything has really happened for the other three. Yeah. And Nancy starts talking to Sarah about invoking the spirit manual, which is their ultimate goal is a coven, you know, north, south, east, west, we can make things happen. This is real. Maybe know we'll listen now on. Sarah's like, is that God? And Nancy's quick to be like, no man. And Vinod, God, this is older than. If God and the devil were playing football, man, no. Would be the stadium they were playing in. It's everything in this is a little too much for Sarah though. She may have been a natural witch and had the ability to. Do some things previously, this is a little deeper and darker than she's ever really gone. And so she gets freaked out and leaves.
Steve:Yes. And so before we get into mano we also like with this creepy guy, he clearly like has some sort of weird connection with Sarah. I mean, shows up on her house the day she moved in with a snake, he's chasing her with a snake. And we never really see. It's not like the thing he was screaming. Like in my dream, you were a dad was a prophecy, which came true later in the movie or anything like that. Like what do you think his deal is? Is he, does he see something in like in a supernatural way or is he just a crazy man?
Stephen:So, you know, there's always those things where they say that. That have certain mental health issues, mental illness can see other things. So maybe he actually doesn't have mental illness and he is potentially a, Precog a pre-cognitive being able to see the future and is drawn to her kind of like he realizes her source of power and things like that. And. Maybe he is also seeing one potential future where, you know, at the end of the movie, we see what happens when Nancy and them turn against her. Maybe he seeing what happens if she hadn't decided to fight back and just let it happen. Yeah.
Steve:It's an interesting to think about. Yeah. You know, what else is interesting thing about what Mendel? Yes. Which is spelled M a N O N. So I might call it Minoan and please don't crucify me men. No, yes.
Stephen:And that never, ever, ever heard of Menno outside of this
Steve:movie? Well, that's because it's fictional created for this movie, although it clearly has parallels to Odin, Zeus, and even the Christian God, because it's known as the creator of all things. An onset coordinator and consultant, pat Devin who's the high priestess of the covenant of the goddess was hired to ensure not just authenticity and respect towards witchcraft and pagan traditions, but also established that everything was done safely
Stephen:because they're saying these things out loud. You don't want to open some gateway and have some demon come after these girls because they said something wrong during and
Steve:one of the scenes. Yeah. And I mean, there was concern that if they wrote an actual day at sea into the script, audience members might AK, they definitely would've tried performing the rituals themselves with potentially disastrous consequences if they were channeling real powers. So they created this fictional character. The name is supposedly was inspired by a 1986 French. The non of the spring, which was about a beautiful, but shy shepherdess, who plats revenge on the men whose greedy conspiracy led to her father's death years earlier.
Stephen:That is very interesting that it's all made up just for this.
Steve:Yes, but one thing I do love from that backstory is also the fact that they did hire someone to make sure that while they were making it up, it was also still authentic to the
Stephen:traditions. And I appreciate that. It doesn't feel fake when they're doing things and it doesn't feel made up. It feels like we're getting a glimpse into a world. People don't get to see very often.
Steve:Yes. Now the next night, Sarah meets up with Chris and refuses to have sex with him, whoever at school, the next day, she learns that he's boasting to the whole school that they slept together and she was the worst he's ever.
Stephen:She tries to confront Chris about it, but instead he's even more of a douchebag in front of his friends and out loud so that the whole hallway can hear. I don't want to go out with you again. Stop begging it's pathetic.
Steve:Gross. Yeah. At an after swim practice, the girls on the swim team, especially Laura are racist towards Rochelle saying some really horrible things, which we won't repeat. Nope. And unfortunately, the racism and overall prejudice wasn't just fictional while it was written into the story after she was cast years later, Rachel opened up about how she was often ignored by the promotional materials. Despite being one of the four, she was a per forgotten by press junkets until one of our coaches. From the studio to get them to include her. And she was also the only one of the four actresses not to be invited to the MTV movie awards that year.'cause I
Stephen:think when those were a big deal. Right. And I think they won best fight yeah. Year and like that's ridiculous.
Steve:Yes. It's certainly
Stephen:is. Meanwhile, Bonnie begins the painful procedure of having all those scars removed from her back. And, you know, we're watching this and. True to navs talent. As we're watching this needle repeatedly and quickly go into her back, you see the pain on her face and like just the side of the needle, which triggers a lot of people anyway, and then her and the sounds, and then the screen. You truly believe it is too much
Steve:to bear. Oh, I definitely bought that. And I also bought that night that Nancy lives a hard life. She lives in a dump with a drunk from mom and a stepdad. That's at the very best verbally abusive, if not worse. Yeah. This is the life that she's trying to escape from. So she wants to take money into her to make everything
Stephen:all better. Yeah. The stay there for girls go on a field trip and they take the bus out into the. And the bus driver tells them, you girls be careful about those weirdos. And Nancy says the iconic line. We are the weirdos, Mr. Yep.
Steve:And while on the countryside, they do an initiation for officially forming their circle, call the coroners and cast a spell, using wine mixed with some of their own blood Rochelle S for strength and not to hate those who hate her. Sarah for her forms of love. Spell on Chris, Bonnie S for beauty inside and. And Nancy asks for all the power of mana and
Stephen:drinks, all the wine in one go up and goes, bless it be. And then the butterfly starts circling around all of them. And they're all like he's listening to
Steve:us. Yes. And if you had cast a spell like this in high school, what would you have wished for?
Stephen:Oh, probably at that point to be a famous actor, like find some way to You know, be a soap star because that's really what I wanted to do in high school. What about you?
Steve:Depending on the year, but let's just pretend it was like freshmen through junior year. Yeah. I would say it probably would have been more along the lines of like what Rochelle asks for like to have acceptance and not be bullied. Yes. And if you were one of the four elements, if one of the four elements aligned with you, what would it, which element do you think you would be identifying most.
Stephen:I, I think it's just probably because of my Libra being an air sign and how I rate. To all the things that are Libra, that it would probably be air. Yes. And what about you with
Steve:well, with my Leo naturally, I would lean towards fire, but at the same time, part of me also wants to be water. Cause I always pick the water type Pokemon. That's a good
Stephen:enough reason for me. Yes.
Steve:Now, surely after the spells are cast, they do show signs of them working. Chris becomes infatuated with Sarah and goes after her constantly. In spite of his friends, mitten, Trey, taunting him.
Stephen:I love that that night. They do the light as a feather stiff as a board game. And Rochelle is the one that they do it with. And she's all sitting there thinking you guys, this isn't even working and she's floating two feet off the
Steve:ground. Did you ever try that game in high school or anytime? So not
in
Stephen:high school. It was later. And it was at Barry's house and it was some of their friends, the teens. Children of their friends had the whole light as a feather stiff as a board. And you placed to like, the person was sitting in a chair and you had two fingers under one side. And you had about four people and you, so that would be a total of 16 fingers. Not really. We lifted someone that was 225 pounds. Wow. So, and it, honestly, your fingers weren't straining. Like, I don't know how it worked and it shouldn't work with just 16 fingers, but they lifted so quickly
Steve:and you do something to it. I tried it in high school, but we did it like from this movie where like, I think it was senior year with my friends from public school and it didn't work.
Stephen:I'm sorry.
Steve:I know. Meanwhile, Sarah and Rochelle work has spouse so that whatever harm Laura does towards Rochelle bounces back on her and that results later on with her hair falling out the next time she spits hate,
Stephen:ah, there you go. And then Nancy and Bonnie worked together on healing, Bonnie scars, but I know take my score. I now take my scars. And the next day at the doctor, Mary Alice from desperate Housewives is peeling off the scars and Bonnie skin is flawless once more. And she thinks it's the, you know, therapy they did with the needles that did all this. We know
Steve:different. Yes we do. And at home, Nancy is getting frustrated with her desires, not coming true. She's being jealous towards her friends beforehand and
Stephen:is like, she doesn't want to be white trash anymore. You're white honey. Just deal with it.
Steve:Yes. At home or stepfather Ray hits on her and is about to hit her mom went, Nancy causes the microwave and all the light bulbs to explode resulting in Ray, dying from a massive heart attack.
Stephen:Yup. And then Nancy and her mom are told by the insurance man that they've inherited$175,000. From an insurance policy and they are over, yes, you can.
Steve:At that point, he must've known that they had no idea about it because if they knew about it and like play in his death, they would have been able to keep their cool. But they were just like, oh my God. Yes. What would you do with$175,000 in high school?
Stephen:Oh, in high school? You know, I honestly. Knowing my dad and how he's very good with money. He would have told me something like, you know, we're gonna invest this and blah, blah, blah. I like, I wouldn't have gotten to touch
Steve:it. I would have had so many video games now, Nancy and her mother moved into a posh high rise where the girls meet one night and learn about clammers as a disguise changing magic. She has a fabulous shot. Meanwhile, we see that Nancy's mom bought a fabulous sofa and the Jude box, which only plays songs by carrot, Connie Francis.
Stephen:Do you know who Connie Francis is? Darling? No
Steve:fricking idea.
Stephen:So she was a famous singer in the fifties, best known for the songs like where the boys and stupid Cupid. It's very niche for. Nancy's mom to be that focused and to have an entire jukebox that's only calling your Francis. I didn't know she had that many songs, but oh, good for her.
Steve:What would your box have been in a high school of music? Paula Abdul, Paula, and I would have been Brittany now. It's interesting when they're practicing disguise, changing a magic, Sarah changes her hair to blonde at one point, and this was very easy for the special. Department because she wore wigs the entire movie, no matter what color hair she
Stephen:and I realized this just based on timing, because Robin Tunney had shaved her head for her role in empire records, which had just wrapped about a month before production on this film.
Steve:Yes. And actually shaving her head for a role is lots of dedication rather than just using a Baltimore.
Stephen:Oh, I bet she, like, I've seen her in other things. She has thick, thick hair. There's no way they could have had all that hair under a bald cap.
Steve:Now that night. And Chris shows up outside Sarah's window at 3:00 AM, declaring his love for her. So the girls go to Lirio shop the next day seeking help. She's told that once flood gates open, they cannot be closed and the spell must run its course. We are your tells them
Stephen:true magic is neither black nor white. It is both because nature is both loving and cruel all at the same time, the only good or bad is in the heart of the, which life keeps a balance of its own. But no, Whatever you put out into the universe, you get back times three.
Steve:Yes. And interesting. While researching the craft for, as a bulk became familiar with pan pipes, magical marketplace in Hollywood, and eventually bought the store and continued to operate it all the way until 2001. When she sold it to the store managers, Jimmy darling, and Vicki Adams, after she purchased it in 1995. So for six years she ran a magic.
Stephen:That seems on brand for, for
Steve:Roosevelt. Yeah. Yes. Now, while there Nancy finds a book about invoking the spirit and that night, the girls go to the beach. Sarah says at her lowest, she would hallucinate snakes and bugs everywhere, which totally will come back into play later to which Nancy flippantly replies.
Stephen:The serpent is a powerful being and you should respect. It feels
Steve:like a penis metaphor.
Stephen:Sarah was being vulnerable with their friend and Nancy couldn't care less. Is really starting to show where Nancy's going with this.
Steve:Yes. The girls from a circle calling on mana
Stephen:hail to the guardians of the watchtowers, the east and so
Steve:forth. Yes. At the culmination of the spell. Nancy is struck by lightning and they all kind of blackout for the rest of the night. Yeah. The next day the girls witnessed Nancy walking on a green screen. I mean the water, and from that point on Nancy's powers have increased. We then see the price of the magic with the lives of a whole bunch of sharks that washed up on the short dead, just around the rocks from where they did the spell.
Stephen:These are my gifts. I can feel you in me. I'm your daughter
Steve:now. Yeah, she sounds crazy.
Stephen:And so, okay. Freshman year we were snowed in and we were in my friend, Leanne and ambers dorm room, and we were watching the craft and we were drinking and you know, I, we all love this scene. And so I'm sitting there on the bed and I'm doing the hail to the guardians of the watch towers of the north powers of, and just doing the whole thing. And then I fell asleep. I wake up starting to get sick and I can't move my hands and my mouth was covered. And I guess Amber had gotten tired of me doing the hill to the guardians and had duct tape me to the bed and duct tape, my mouth shut. And I'm about to vomit you and I am starting to freak out and I got one of my wrists free and. Got the other one and ran out of the room and recrossed the hall was cause we were on the girl's floor. So it was a girl's bathroom. I just let loose all over the floor of that bathroom and went in and I told Amber, if she ever fucking touched me again, she would regret it for the rest of her entire.
Steve:Rightfully so. I'm glad that you didn't die choking to death on your vomit. Me too. Yes. And Sarah begins to worry that the magic has changed in the girls that they have thrown things out of balance. Nancy says it's fun. It's scary. Who gives a shit not respecting the magic or the natural order of things. Nancy, who is all or nothing as Sarah, if she wants out, Sarah says no, but there is hesitate.
Stephen:Later on Rochelle sees a balding, Laura and the locker room, and she's sitting on the ground hysterically sobbing after swim practice. And Lara's two closest friends trying to offer some console, you know, to, to console her. And you know, it's not really working. And Rochelle feels remorse for the spell she's of. And when she looks in the mirror at herself, her reflection looks further away like her, her regular reflection and the re the new reflection. Aren't moving at the same speed. And that's really interesting.
Steve:Meanwhile, Sarah's love, spell also backfires on her. She finally accepts to have dinner with Chris, but he takes her on the top of the hill and in his. Craze less of not understanding what's happening to him. He tries to rape her. Sarah runs away and goes to Rochelle's. Nancy is there. Here's what happened in lease for a party. Chris is attending an order to punish him. However, when she arrives at the party, she tries to seduce Chris and stead because she's a crazy bitch. He rejects her. So she disguises herself as Sarah. And he gives in a, when the real Sarah arrives and tries to stop them. Nancy reveals herself and Chris says, you're a
Stephen:witch. They. They usually are.
Steve:If Nancy freaks out
Stephen:jealous, jealous, you don't even exist to me. You are nothing. You're shit. Sorry. Sorry. He's sorry. He, sorry. Hey, sorry.
Steve:Sorry, listeners for needing to adjust your volume there. And then she uses her powers to cause Chris to fall out a third story window, Kelly. Wow. Yes. Now without magic, we can easily, I think both agree that attempted rape is super bad. Agreed. Okay. I was waiting. I
was
Stephen:waiting for dad. I didn't think it needed an answer. Sorry. Yes. Rape, rape attempted rape sexual assault. All of it. Super,
Steve:super bad. Yes. But in this case, does Chris gets what's coming to him or is he a victim of the spell?
Stephen:My honest guest. Is that, I mean, death is a hard thing. I also wonder if the spell changed Chris or heightened, who he truly was because I have a feeling that this isn't the first time he's pressured himself onto a girl, probably the first time that he's been unable to stop. Maybe we don't know, like Chris is not a good guy in any of this. He is a victim of this spell because like one of the big things is you don't do magic that takes away someone's free will. And this absolutely took away his free, well, doing a spell to bring love into your life is different than doing a spell to make someone love. One is asking for good things to come to you. The other one is taking someone's free will away. So it is not good that they did that. Do I think he deserved to die? Probably not.
Steve:I would agree. Now Sarah tries to stop Nancy by binding her power so that she won't be able to hurt herself for others.
Stephen:I bind you from doing harm now. Harm against other people and harm against yourself. I have tried to do that old people when I was in my twenties.
Steve:Sure. You did this doesn't work or go over well with Nancy and the girls. They invade Sarah's dreams, trying to strangle her. Sarah tells the girl she's out and they're okay with that, but that should probably leave the
Stephen:city. Maybe the country we haven't
Steve:decided yet. Nancy adds that in the old days, if a wish portrays her coven, they would kill her and Bonnie and
Stephen:Rochelle add in. How have you been sleeping, you know, taking responsibility for Sarah's nightmares that she's been having since Chris has done? Yes.
Steve:Now needing help. Sarah goes to Lirio who tells her to invoke the spirit herself,
Stephen:which is what was behind the curtain.
Steve:Yes, there, he reveals that Sara's mother was a powerful witch and that our talents have passed on to Sarah. Sarah starts to invoke minnow, but Nancy arrives and creates an illusion of fire and the shop exploding. So she leaves the shop. Absolutely.
Stephen:Yeah, Sarah runs home and Nancy calls and instructs her to turn on the TV. And she listens that her family went back to San Francisco thinking she had run away there and her dad and step-mom's plane had had an accident without a survivors and without even a blink of an eye, all these snakes start coming everywhere and it turns out there were over three. Thousand real snakes, along with mice worms, scorpions, and other just awful gross Snus. Like it's awful. This part of the movie bothers me so much. And abutters me even more now to know they were
Steve:real. They were real. Yes. Nancy appears in taunt, Sarah to kill
Stephen:herself. If I was pathetic, as you are, I would have killed myself ages ago. You should really get on with it.
Steve:Yes. And Nancy, Rochelle, and Bonnie insists that Sarah's going to kill herself then chant.
Stephen:It was the end. Let her go in peace. Now as the end litter going to
Steve:yep. The causing a suicide note to appear right after Nancy slash Sarah's wrist. Sarah runs to her room while Nancy, Bonnie, and Rochelle wait for her to die. It's taking too long for Nancy. So she tells herself to go upstairs to check on Sarah, but Rochelle's finally says they've gone too far because that's the line. She couldn't. Bonnie and Rochelle up to Sarah's room to avoid Nancy's wrath, but on their way, they look in the mirror and Bonnie sees herself covered in scars, even worse than before. Well, while Rochelle's Harris falling out, resulting in them, running away,
Stephen:Sarah is almost too weak to invoke Minol, but then she hears her mother moving in an old photograph in her sweet voice, whispering. Don't be afraid. Reach inside yourself. And Sarah successfully invokes men all enabled to cast, spells to fight back as well as to heal the injuries to her risks.
Steve:Yes. And Nancy and Sarah have a showdown where Sarah reveals manana is upset with Nancy's abusive power.
Stephen:He came to me, saved me and he wanted me to give you a message you're in deep shit. You've abused. What he's giving. And now you're going to have to pay
Steve:the price. Yes. Nancy is ultimately defeated by Sarah as she successfully binds Nancy's power to prevent her from doing any more harm.
Stephen:Yep. In the end, balmy and Rochelle, go to see Sarah and give this half assed apology for trying to kill her and make her think that her family died. And Sarah and her dad just come back from a shopping trip on rodeo. And the two girls asked Sarah if she still needs any panel where since they don't and. When Sarah shows no interest in continuing the friendship, the two girls, you know, cause they did try to kill her. They make fun of her is really amazing. She probably doesn't have her powers anyway.
Steve:And hearing this. Sarah makes a bolt of lightening strike causing a tree branch to fall nearly crushing the two girls showing she does have her powers as they stare back at her in shock. Sarah warns them. Be careful. You don't want to end up like Nancy and smiles that would you forgive Bonnie and Rochelle on this?
Stephen:No, there were, there was a point earlier where she could have Bonnie and Michelle could have stopped. And I think the safe point to stop would have been when they were in the car. And Nancy was running the red lights and things. And it was, that was first when Sarah was like, this is going too far and everything. I think if the other girls had been like, you know what? Your. And stopped there. They could have easily been friends, no matter what else Nancy tried to do. And potentially even in the, in the bathroom scene with the nightmares, they could have stopped, but by the time with the snakes, the glamours the suicide note. It was too far at that point.
Steve:I agree. I would say that I'd cut off my friendship point with them, with the bathroom and I would forgive them and be friends with them if they stopped after the car. Yup. Now the scene cuts to a bird's-eye view of Nancy's room in a psychiatric hospital. She's screaming like a maniac telling him that. He gave
Stephen:me powers. I can fly. I'm flying. I'm flying.
Steve:Flying. Yes. Clearly on well, yeah, and they all lived happily ever after, except her and Bonnie and Rochelle.
Stephen:And there's obviously some sort of con slightly connected sequel, but we have not
Steve:seen no, we have not. And at some point we will. Yes. But in the meantime, what do you think of the craft?
Stephen:I love it. I love it more now, after looking at it through a critical eye, learning more about it, really diving into each of the scenes, how it's shot, how it's acted and things. I think it's a fantastic movie and I do think it holds up. What about you? I
Steve:agree. I love it. And I also love our listeners. Me too. And one way that you can get in touch with us to let us know what you think of the craft or any of the other movies we're covering from magical March is by emailing us@happylifepodatgmail.com.
Stephen:You can also get in touch with us on all the socials, whether that is Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or TechTalk at happy life
Steve:pod. Yes. And until next time everyone stay happy.