The Craft: Legacy

The Craft: Legacy (also known as Blumhouse's The Craft: Legacy) is a 2020 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Zoe Lister-Jones. It is a soft reboot/sequel to 1996's The Craft.

The Craft: Legacy
VOD release poster
Directed byZoe Lister-Jones
Produced by
Written byZoe Lister-Jones
Based onCharacters
by Peter Filardi
Starring
Music byHeather Christian
CinematographyHillary Spera
Edited byLibby Cuenin
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • October 28, 2020 (2020-10-28) (United States)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$2.3 million[1]

It stars Cailee Spaeny, Gideon Adlon, Lovie Simone and Zoey Luna as four teenage girls who pursue witchcraft and form a coven. It also stars Nicholas Galitzine, Michelle Monaghan and David Duchovny, while Fairuza Balk reprised her role as Nancy Downs from the first film for a cameo appearance.

The Craft: Legacy was released in the United States through video on demand on October 28, 2020, by Sony Pictures Releasing under its Columbia Pictures label, with a theatrical release in select international markets beginning on the same day. It received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot

Three girls, Frankie, Tabby, and Lourdes, try to freeze time with magic, but fail to do so as they require a fourth member. Lily Schechner moves into the town with her therapist mother, Helen, to live with Helen's new husband Adam Harrison and his three sons, Jacob, Isaiah, and Abe. The girls befriend Lily after she has her period in class and is mocked by her other classmates, especially Timmy. They are amazed when she telekinetically pushes Timmy into the lockers. When Lily responds to them using only her mind, the girls confirm her to be their fourth member and invite her to join their coven, to which she agrees. As a result, they succeed in freezing time.

To seek revenge on Timmy, the girls cast a spell on him. The next day, Timmy behaves sensitively, confirming the girls' success. They continue to experiment with their powers, including levitation. When Adam discovers about the incident in school, he scolds Lily but Helen defends her. Lily overhears them arguing and goes outside where Abe talks to her about his father's authoritarian beliefs. Timmy hosts a party, inviting the coven, and apologizes to Lily, eventually becoming friends with the coven. When Timmy is at Lily's home for a project with Jacob, he admits to the girls that he had sex with Isaiah, Jacob's elder brother, and that he is bisexual. Later, Lily places a love spell on Timmy, using his sweatshirt, and the two kiss.

The next morning, during class, the coven is told by their teacher that Timmy allegedly committed suicide the night before. Lily opens up to her friends about her kiss and love spell. They sever ties with her and bind themselves from magic. Lily suspects Adam to be dangerous and asks her mother for them to move out, but she does not agree. In hopes to find anything against Adam, she searches his office only to find her own adoption papers while Helen admits to her that Lily is actually her patient's child. After Timmy's funeral, Helen tells Lily she agrees to move out. She also admits that she knows about her powers and asks her to give her powers to her. When Lily suspects her, Helen shapeshifts and turns out to be a disguise by Adam, who, being part of a pagan cult, has been after her powers since the beginning and knocks her unconscious.

Lily awakens in a forest at night with Adam, who confesses that he murdered Timmy and threatens to kill her too. When Timmy contacts Lily's friends and tells them about his murder through a Ouija board, they arrive to save Lily by freezing time, but Adam subdues them quickly. The girls then work together and use their elemental powers to defeat Adam, burning him to death. Later, Lily continues her friendship with the girls and Helen takes her to an asylum to meet her birth mother, who is revealed to be Nancy Downs.

Cast

Production

In March 2019, it was announced Zoe Lister-Jones would write and direct the film, with Jason Blum serving as a producer, under his Blumhouse Productions banner, with Andrew Fleming from the original film, serving as an executive producer, with Columbia Pictures distributing.[2]

Casting

In June 2019, Cailee Spaeny joined the cast of the film.[3] In September 2019, Gideon Adlon, Lovie Simone, and Zoey Luna joined the cast of the film.[4] In October 2019, Nicholas Galitzine, David Duchovny, Julian Grey, and Michelle Monaghan joined the cast of the film.[5][6][7][8] In November 2019, Donald MacLean Jr. joined the cast of the film.[9]

Filming

Principal photography began in October 2019.[10] During filming in Toronto, director Zoe Lister-Jones explained in an on-set interview that The Craft sequel “... centers on young people, and young women specifically coming into their power in today’s current climate..."[11]

Music

The film's original music, composed by Heather Christian, was released digitally by Madison Gate Records on October 28, 2020.[12]

Release

The Craft: Legacy was released on video on demand by Sony Pictures Releasing on October 28, 2020, followed by a theatrical release internationally.[13][14] The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD on December 22, 2020 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.[15]

Box office

In its first weekend the film earned $680,000 while in the following weekend it earned $390,000 and in its third $242,000. As of December 25, 2020 the film has grossed $2.3 million.[1]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 49% approval rating based on 106 reviews, with an average rating of 5.50/10. The website's critics' consensus reads, "Although director Zoe Lister-Jones has forged a new path for the weirdos of today, The Craft: Legacy's spells may only enchant fans of the original."[16] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 54 out of 100 based on reviews from 24 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."[17]

Kate Erbland, writing for Indiewire, said the film is "an entertaining and insightful mashup of tropes, both respectful of what came before and willing to try new tricks".[18]

Accolades

The Craft: Legacy was nominated for the 2021 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film (Wide Release).[19]

References
  1. "The Craft: Legacy Box Office". The Numbers. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  2. D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 26, 2019). "Columbia Pictures & Blumhouse Officially Tap Zoe Lister-Jones To Direct & Write 'The Craft' Reboot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  3. Galuppo, Mia (June 21, 2019). "'The Craft' Reboot Finds Lead With Cailee Spaeny (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  4. N'Duka, Amanda (September 19, 2019). "Gideon Adlon, Lovie Simone, Zoey Luna Join Cailee Spaeny To Lead 'The Craft' Remake From Blumhouse". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  5. N'Duka, Amanda (October 8, 2019). "'The Craft': Nicholas Galitzine Set For Sony, Blumhouse Revamp". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  6. D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 16, 2019). "'The Craft' Casts Spell Over David Duchovny As 'X-Files' Actor Joins Blumhouse-Sony Revamp". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  7. D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 22, 2019). "'The Craft': Netflix 'Godless' Star Julian Grey Joins Sony-Blumhouse Revamp". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  8. D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 24, 2019). "Michelle Monaghan Under The Spell Of Blumhouse-Sony's 'The Craft'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 29, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  9. D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 5, 2019). "Donald MacLean Jr. Joins 'The Craft' Cult". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  10. "Directors Guild Canada" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  11. Cairns, Bryan (October 2, 2020). "'The Craft: Legacy' is Bringing Back That Cult-Classic Magic for a New Era". SyFy. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  12. "'The Craft: Legacy' Soundtrack Details". Film Music Reporter. October 27, 2020. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  13. Chichizola, Corey (September 29, 2020). "Blumhouse's The Craft: Legacy Trailer Reveals Connection To The Original". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  14. Squires, John (September 29, 2020). "Blumhouse's New Movie 'The Craft: Legacy' is a Sequel to the 1996 Original Film!". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  15. "'The Craft: Legacy' Blu-Ray". Blu-Ray.com. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  16. "The Craft: Legacy (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  17. "The Craft: Legacy Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  18. Erbland, Kate (2020-10-28). "'The Craft: Legacy' Review: Cult '90s Teen Witch Classic Gets a Clever Modern Sequel". Indiewire. Archived from the original on 2021-01-13. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  19. Ramos, Dino-Ray (January 28, 2021). "GLAAD Unveils Nominees For 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards; Deadline's New Hollywood Podcast Honored With Special Recognition Award". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
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