The legacy of Andrew Fleming’s 1996 film “The Craft” still looms large, its goth-lite aesthetic of baby tees and black lipstick the epitome of cool for a certain set of impressionable teens in the mid-’90s. The line “we are the weirdos, mister,” became a manifesto of sorts for any girls who envisioned themselves as quirky, edgy outsiders. So it’s no wonder the movie gods (horror imprint Blumhouse) conjured up a sequel/reboot, placing “The Craft: Legacy” in the very capable hands of writer/director Zoe Lister-Jones.
Lister-Jones follows the basic plot blueprint, but updates the story in new and necessary ways, with an eye to contemporary culture. We still follow a teen girl, Lily (Cailee Spaeny), new in town, finding herself as the magical fourth member of a high school coven, discovering her own latent witchy powers in the process.
Lily and her mother, Helen (Michelle Monaghan), have just moved in with Helen’s new partner, Adam (David Duchovny), and his three taciturn sons. On Lily’s first day at school, she becomes the butt of a joke straight out of a teen magazine embarrassing moments column, and when the trio of Frankie (Gideon Adlon), Tabby (Lovie Simone) and Lourdes (Zoey Luna) console her, she’s grateful for the friendship. Soon the four discover what their powers combined can do against the aggressive boys at school, and their coven is off and running, with days spent chanting and studying the magical arts. The vibe is much more “sparkly rave fairy” than “angry Catholic schoolgirl,” but the essence is the same: fun and friendship mixed with light occultism.
For a villain, Lister-Jones personifies the cultural forces that stand in opposition to Lily and her fierce feminine faction: a retro-style toxic masculinity, embodied by Lily’s would-be stepdad. There are many ominous things about Adam, a speaker, author and thought leader of sorts in the masculinity sphere. He’s controlling, leads mysterious, cultish men’s groups, has a bunch of old family crests with snakes on them, and seriously, what is up with his sons? Lister-Jones stirs and stirs this bubbling cauldron of domestic menace and suspense, creating an intense energy that promises to explode with something truly terrifying, but it merely fizzles when all is revealed.