Originally titled The Craft, the renamed The Craft: Legacy does everything a legacy sequel is supposed to: It remakes the original film from a modern perspective while reverently existing in the pre-established universe of the original movie(s). Thus enters Hannah (Cailee Spaeny), the new girl in school whose non-conforming appearance is making her the victim of bullying by some. But to others, she shows potential. Soon Hannah is being recruited by three other girls (Gideon Adlon, Lovie Simone, Zoey Luna) who have a book of spells that’s called “The Craft.” It warns of the danger of needing to bind witches who become a threat to themselves or others, and it apparently includes a photo of Fairuza Balk, who played bad witch Nancy Downs in the original movie. Thus the trailer acknowledges we are existing in the same universe, and that this tale might go a little differently. Indeed, with the film being written and directed by Zoe Lister-Jones, The Craft: Legacy promises to bring a new perspective on this archetypal story with perhaps a greater emphasis on the complexities of female friendships than the original, which devolved into a rivalry where one witch tries to steal (and kill) the other’s crush. The Craft: Legacy is filled with evocative images like glowing pools of water, and a welcome cast of character actors as the parents, including Michelle Monaghan and David Duchovny.
