Nancy Downs may have mishandled her magic inThe Craft, but I might have done the same as her if I was in Nancy’s position, and I can’t help but root for her. An extremelyunderrated Halloween horror movie,The Craftfollows Sarah Bailey (Robin Tunney), a California high school student with strange powers even she doesn’t understand. When she moves to a new school, Nancy befriends a trio of outcasts who all have a fascination with the occult and witchcraft. In Sarah, they see the solution to their problems and to becoming popular.
If you imagineHeathersandHalloween Townblended together, you might getThe Craft. The delightful twist on thecoming-of-age high school movie,The Craftexcels because of its distinctly ’90s flavor, serious insights into feminism and society’s views on women, and some fantastic characters. Nancy Downs, played by Fairuza Balk, is a particularly fascinating character in the movie. She’s tough, has a hard edge, and is a loyal friend. In fact, she’s so cool, thateven when she starts to emerge asThe Craft’s villain, I can’t help but like her.
Nancy Is Not A True Villain But An “Unlikable Female Character” Antihero
Nancy Reacts To The World How She Wants To, Not How Others Expect Her To
While Nancy is positioned as the antagonist ofThe Craftin the latter half of the movie, I struggle to call her the “villain”. She’s an antihero at worst. Nancy is early in a long line ofmovie and TV female antiheroes, and she’s too intriguing to hate. The leader of the trio of outcasts who takes Sarah in,Nancy proves to be her closest friend, genuinely showing love for her beyond Sarah’s powers. Nancy knows what it means to be “weird”. She even says at one point, in maybeThe Craft’s most famous line, “We are the weirdos mister.”
Where The Craft Cast Is Now
The cast of The Craft has gone on to perform a diverse set of roles in various films and TV shows, and some have even become musicians or artists.
The Los Angeles school the coven attends is filled with rich, white, preppy students, and the goth-clad Nancy doesn’t fit in at all. She comes from a poor home and has a stepfather who abuses her. Nancy doesn’t dress or act like the other students at school, and she’s taunted for it. Instead of folding to the girls' demeaning comments, Nancy doubles down on the things that make her different. It’s inspiring. I think we’ve all at one time or another stopped being ourselves for a little bit because of a peers' comments.
A sequel toThe Craft,The Craft: Legacy, was released on July 15, 2025.
Nancy doesn’t bother with society’s expectations of how she should behave or act. She does what she wants. Her being turned into the vessel for a demon with incredible powers is her reward for refusing to give in to others' ideas of femininity. When she finally gains control of her life for once,she wields that new power how she wants. It’s tragic that she does so with such violence, but that comes part and parcel when you’ve been disappointed by everyone else in your life.
Each Of The Witches In The Craft Are Put Into A Box By Society
Almost Every Witch Uses Her Power To Fit In, Except For Nancy
All four of the witches inThe Craftare placed into a box that they didn’t choose. Because of something they can’t control, society views them a certain way and expects them to act a certain way. Sarah is treated carefully and nervously by her family, who don’t seem to know exactly what to do with her. Bonnie Harper (Neve Campbell) thinks she doesn’t conform to normal beauty standards because of scars she received in an automobile accident. Rochelle Zimmerman (Rachel True) is one of the few Black students at school and is subjected to racist bullying.
As they all attempt to force their way into society’s standards, things go wrong.
Sarah casts a love spell on Chris Hooker (Skeet Ulrich), in the hopes of starting a relationship. Of course, each one of these curses backfires. As they all attempt to force their way into society’s standards, things go wrong. All except for Nancy, her descent may be dark, but at least she’s not trying to change who she is or what others think about her.
Nancy Did Have Some Shockingly Villainous Moments
Sarah Was Terrorized By Nancy
Of course, Nancy did some pretty awful things. I’m going to say killing her stepfather at least made some sense considering her history with him. However, killing Chris is definitely not heroic. He may have been trying to sexually assault Sarah, but remember he was under the effects of a love spell. He’s not in control of himself. Then she goes full evil witch when she invades Sarah’s dreams and attempts to make her kill herself.Nancy’s violence grows toward the end ofThe Craft, and while I still see her as an antihero, there’s no denying she’s lost control.
Nancy Remains An Icon Because She’s Everything We Want In A Movie Witch
Nancy Takes No Prisoners And Uses The Full Extent Of Her Powers
Whatever Nancy’s actions, as cruel as they seem toward the end ofThe Craft, it’s hard not to be impressed. She is a true magic-making, curse-laying, walking-on-water witch. Whatmore could you want in a movie witch? Nancy has been abused by her family and forgotten and disrespected by her peers through no fault of her own. So you know what she does when she’s given devilish powers? She rights the parts of her life that she feels are the cause of her suffering.
This isn’t a witch who waits for someone to explain the finer points of being a witch. Nancy gets her powers and gets cursing. That “with great power comes great responsibility” line from Uncle Ben? Nancy’s had enough of responsibility.It’s everyone else’s turn to take a little responsibility for the harm they’ve causedher over the years. Combine all that emotion with Fairuza Balk’s outrageous and singularly fiery performance and Nancy Downs is not just the best witch inThe Craft, but one of the best fictional witches ever.
The Craft
Cast
The Craft is a 1996 teen horror movie starring Robin Tunney, Neve Campbell, Fairuza Balk, and Rachel True. The Andrew Fleming-directed film focuses on a group of outcasts at an LA high school who practice witchcraft and create their own coven. The film received mixed reviews but was a surprise hit at the box office for Columbia.
