The Craft: Legacy (2020)

The Craft: Legacy has a spark that’s hard to fake: it treats teen witchcraft not as cheap shock, but as a messy, intoxicating metaphor for identity, friendship, and the dangerous thrill of feeling powerful for the first time. Zoe Lister-Jones gives the film real warmth and character texture, letting this diverse coven feel like people you’d actually know—funny, wounded, impulsive—before the magic starts curdling into consequences. The vibe is glossy and spooky without going full nightmare, balancing high-school drama with ritualistic fantasy and a pointed, feminist edge aimed at the ways power gets taken, traded, and misused. It won’t satisfy viewers craving the original’s nastier bite, but if you want an accessible, character-forward supernatural ride with charm, style, and something on its mind, it’s an easy spell to fall under.

The Craft: Legacy wants to be a modern, inclusive teen-witch empowerment story with a dash of horror and a nod to the original, and you can feel the intention behind its themes. The problem is it plays things so safe that the plot becomes a checklist of familiar beats, with characters who don’t get enough depth for the darker turns to land emotionally. The pacing is choppy, the stakes feel oddly sanitized for the subject matter, and the “edgy” moments often come off more like PG-13 mood boards than genuine menace. If you’re craving the bite, chaos, and lasting impact of the 1996 film, you’ll likely leave underwhelmed—but if you just want a glossy, easy watch with a likable cast and some stylish witchy vibes, it might do the job.