Witchy stuff was big in the 1990s: goth clothing, moon stones and crystals, black cats and tiger’s eyes. And there was plenty of media to go around, like Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Practical Magic, and if you were a super-edgy teenaged girl, The Craft. But witches have come back in a big way, with slightly more female empowerment and whimsy — just look at Witchtok if you don’t believe me. And yes, that comes with reboots, like the The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the prequel series The Rules of Magic, and yes, The Craft: Legacy.
The film follows a squad of teen girls, played Cailee Spaeny, Gideon Adlon, Lovie Simone, and Zoey Luna, who discover they are a coven and can harness different magical powers. However, it immediately becomes clear that their newest member might not have as firm a grasp on her abilities and becomes a danger to herself and her loved ones. The film also stars Michelle Monaghan, David Duchovny, and Nicholas Galitzine. Interestingly enough, the film called back to Nancy Downs, the antagonist of the original The Craft, and the cast list includes Fairuza Balk, who originally played her.
You can tell from the trailer that this is not your mother’s The Craft. The fashion sensibilities are very clearly 21st century, and the magic is way more glittery and sparkly, and a lot more centered on celebrating femininity and alternative cultures. Whether this will be a tale of witchcraft gone awry or if one of the girls is pulling the strings behind the scenes isn’t clear from this trailer, but it will definitely tackle issues of bullying and harassment like the original did. Rather than letting the spooky season go to waste in order to release it in theaters, Sony Pictures is releasing the film on Video on Demand.
The Craft: Legacy is set to premiere on demand everywhere on October 28, 2020.
