As the sun begins to set on Canada, the night is just beginning for the film The Craft: Legacy. As I stepped out of the bus with a group of journalists into a studio that was planted in the middle of the woods, I could not help but feel that something enchanted awaited me behind those doors.
Here are a few things I picked up while on the set visit of The Craft: Legacy.
- Zoe Lister-Jones tells us why it is time for this sequel.
“A story that centers around women who come to their own power in today’s current climate,” Lister-Jones said, “is really important to me, in terms of giving voice to narratives that have been marginalized. Prioritizing representation, representing women authentically, showcasing the struggles that women are up against, and creating a world that feels current and fresh while paying homage to the original is what I strove to do with this production.”
- It is an all-woman, inclusive production.
From the actors, witch consultant, costume designers, even to the director, this hard-core sequel is not shying away from empowering women of marginalized voices and groups. The director Zoe Lister-Jones has selected a cast and team that represents diversity. The topic of sexual fluidity is a very important issue that this film tries to unpack. There are women of color and trans women presented in the principal cast.
- Avery Plewes talks about her experience as a costume designer.
“The original Craft means a lot to me and still does,” Plewes said, “so this is what I do. It is a dream for a millennial costume designer to get this job. I was intimidated at first. I really didn’t think I was going to get it, to be truthful. I am very excited, honored and happy to be here. I didn’t want to recreate the original, but there are Easter eggs within this version that pay homage to a lot of the original costumes, which you will notice if you watch closely.”
- Avery Plewes walks us through creating an identity for each girl.
In the script, each girl represents an element. In witchcraft they represent North, East, South, West, and each one also represents Air, Water, Earth, and Fire. They started with each girls’ elements and built their closet based on what elements each girl represents.
- Each girl has a theme that sets their color story.
Lily (Cailee Spaeny) is Water, and her crystal is aqua marine. She has the motif of pearls in her closet as well as tie-dye.
Tabby (Lovie Simone) is Fire and wears a lot of orange. In some scenes, you will see her wearing flame-print socks. On her first day of school, she wears flames on her sleeves.
Lourdes (Zoey Luna) is more about textures because she is Earth. She wears velvet and a ton of green. Green is her color. Plaids are also used in order to represent the highlands.
Frankie (Gideon Adlon) is Air, and purple is her color. Her closet is all over the place in order to represent air. Amethyst is her crystal.
- Costumes represent arcs and personality.
Tabby, Lourdes, and Frankie stay pretty consistent in the film with their outfits because they are practicing magic. Lily, however, has three arcs to her — her look changes over the course of the film, and it is worth seeing how it changes.
The coolest dress hands down goes to Lourdes. It is made completely out of safety pins. Check out how she slays.
- There is vision on magic behind the film.
Kym Murphy is the visual effects supervisor. She stated, “The best kind of special effects are the ones you can’t tell are fake. Even though this is a movie about magic, it is important that this film is very grounded and represented in the elements of the Earth. We can pull this from nature, and we can control it. So, it was great to collaborate with Zoe because we shared a similar vision.”
- All the actors come from a witchy background.
Lister-Jones said, “The actors are spiritually minded themselves; they all practice varying degrees of witchcraft. Even after their reading, all the girls came together and pulled out their crystals from their pockets and bras and were comparing them with each other.” She concluded with, “These young women are all so singular, special, and powerful.”
- There are concepts and themes behind the film.
Witchcraft has often been only seen as Wicca, but Lister-Jones wanted to be more inclusive of other traditions. It is also important to de-stigmatize how witchcraft is seen and understood. This film deals with intersectional feminism as well as race, class, and self-injury. At its core, this film is about communities of women who support one another and not about women who turn to tearing each other down.
- Let’s talk about the horror elements.
Zoe Lister-Jones plans to scare her audience. She says, “The film is witchy in the best possible sense, and there are horror elements to it. It is a combination of practical [meaning real action, not CGI], special, and visual effects. I love practical, but there are times when this is not possible.”
It was clear from the long night that filming would be going until daybreak. This writer, after an exciting night out, found himself slowly picking up his things and heading back to the bus before the sunshine of the day brushed his face awake.
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