The Craft: Legacy Blu Ray Review (Sony Pictures/Blumhouse)
The Craft: Legacy (aKa Blumhouse’s The Craft: Legacy and The Craft 2) is a 2020 supernatural horror film written, produced, and directed by actress Zoe Lister-Jones (Band Aid & Woman Up). It’s a direct sequel to 1996’s The Craft. It was produced by Jason Blum (The Purge franchise, Insidious franchise, Get Out, Split/Glass, Happy Death Day 1/2, Halloween, and Upgrade) and Andrew Fleming (The Craft, Bad Dreams, Grosse Pointe, Hamlet 2, The Michael J. Fox Show, Ideal Home, and Problem Child). It was released on Video on Demand in the states. It had a limited theatrical release overseas and it grossed $2.3 million at the box office.
Three girls Frankie (played by: Gideon Adlon from Blockers, Witch Hunt, and The Mustang), Tabby (played by: Lovie Simone from Greenleaf, Orange Is the New Black, and Power Book III: Raising Kanan), and Lourdes (played by: Zoey Luna from Pose and University) try to freeze time with magic but fail to do so as they require a fourth member. Lily Schechner (played by: Cailee Spaeny from Bad Times at the El Royale, Pacific Rim: Uprising, On the Basis of Sex, and Devs) moves into the town with her therapist mother Helen (played by: Michelle Monaghan from Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Mission: Impossible franchise, The Bourne Supremacy, and Gone Baby Gone) to live with Helen’s boyfriend Adam Harrison (played by: David Duchovny from The X-Files, Twin Peaks, Californication, and Kalifornia). He has three sons, Jacob (played by: Charles Vandervaart from The Stanley Dynamic and Murdoch Mysteries), Isaiah (played by: Donald MacLean Jr. from Nurses and Workin’ Moms), and Abe (played by: Julian Grey from Downhill and Godless). The girls befriend Lily after she has her period in class and is mocked by her other classmates especially Timmy (played by: Nicholas Galitzine from Chambers, Share, & High Strung). 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. 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.Timmy hosts a party where he invites the coven and apologizes to Lily. He becomes friends with the coven. Lily places a love spell on Timmy using his sweatshirt. The next morning, during class, the coven is told by their teacher that one of their classmates committed suicide the night before. Lily opens up to her friends about performing love spell. They sever ties with her and bind themselves from magic. Helen tells Lily that she knows about her powers and admits that she adopted her from one of her patients. Her true enemy is revealed & she is forced to defend herself. Will her friends come back to help her? and Who’s her real mother that gave her all these supernatural powers????
The Craft: Legacy feels more like a remake or a reboot rather than being a direct sequel to the original film. Most of the bigger moments from the 1996 horror movie are redone in Legacy. The story, script, and concept are very similar until the finale. The original feature is far superior when compared to this new updated version but it’s honestly not as bad as it’s reputation. Cailee Spaeny really shines when it comes to the younger actors in this. That’s one of the bigger issues with this Blumhouse production. Most of the kids in this are nothing special and kinda generic. That was one of the strongest features of the 96 film, it was loaded with talent especially the coven. The other three witches here are not bad or anything like that but they all feel like watered down versions of the original. It’s great to see Michelle Monaghan in a bigger movie again, she has great chemistry with Cailee Spaeny. David Duchovny is mainly know for and does television but he gives one of his best performances in this follow up. The two veteran actors elevate this production with their presence. I thought it tried too hard to be the original at times then it ran out of gas for a little bit before it’s great last act. The finale really saved this from being bad to at least being average. The twist & the reveal of the mother makes me hope that they end up doing a third film with that actress in a bigger role than a cameo next time. If you enjoyed the first feature, you will most likely appreciate this one. The only thing that really makes it a sequel is the last act & finale but it has some fun familiar scenes from the original that are pretty cool. You might want to rent or stream this one before considering a purchase.
Let’s talk about the high definition presentation from Sony Pictures! This 1080p (2.39:1) transfer looks stunning on blu ray. It has a variety of different audio options which includes English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1, and French: Dolby Digital 5.1 here. This one sounds great especially the soundtrack which has a nice boost to it. All of the dialogue is crystal clear and all the witch madness in this is elevated, It has English, English SDH, French, & Spanish subtitles.
Let’s discuss the special features from Sony Pictures! “Franchise Legacy” is a little over 2 minutes. It has interviews with director Zoe Lister-Jones, producer Jason Blum, actors Cailee Spaeny, David Duchovny, Gideon Adlon, Zoey Luna, and Lovie Simone. They chat about the original film & what it meant to them. They talk about the story & concept for this sequel. It has clips from both films in it. “Powerful Story, Magical Director” is a little over 3 minutes. It has interviews with director Zoe Lister-Jones, producer Jason Blum, actors Cailee Spaeny, David Duchovny, Gideon Adlon, Zoey Luna, and Lovie Simone. It has some behind the scenes footage. They go all over the themes, story, and characters of this sequel. They chat about the director and her amazing pitch that won her this job. 4 “Extended and Alternate Scenes” with an Introduction from the director that ends up almost 12 minutes. She chats about why these scenes didn’t make the cut. I can see why they didn’t get included but they are still a nice bonus to have. It has a digital code. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!
