TV & Movies

The Craft Sequel Trailer Teases A Connection To One Of The Original Witches

Let the ritual begin.

by Jessica Wang

Something wicked this way comes. The trailer for The Craft: Legacy introduces a brand new coven of witches, and it appears that writer and director Zoe Lister-Jones’ version of the beloved 1996 film has a connection to one of the original witches, too. The trailer, unveiled on Tuesday, Sept. 29, introduces Cailee Spaeny, Gideon Adlon, Lovie Simone, and Zoey Luna as an eclectic foursome of teen witches in high school who conjure up some mischief as they discover their newfound powers. Michelle Monaghan and David Duchovny also star in the film, out on demand on Oct. 28.

Complete with a haunting rendition of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” the trailer introduces Hannah (Spaeny) as she moves to a new town with her mother (Monaghan) and her new stepfather (Duchovny). After a rough first day at school, Hannah meets three girls in search for a fourth member for their coven. The four then form a bond and lean into their powers, brewing up trouble for schoolmates along the way. Fans of the original will be able to guess where the story goes from here, but this isn't a remake or simply a reboot. It seems the new movie will take place in the same universe as the 1996 original.

In a menacing nod to the original film, Hannah discovers a polaroid of the iconic Nancy Downs, one of the original power-hungry witches played by Fairuza Balk. As for whether this means Balk could make a cameo in the reboot, that remains a mystery. But given Nancy's tragic ending in the original, it's possible she could return as an even bigger magical threat.

The original film starred Balk, Robin Tunney, Neve Campbell, Rachel True as the witch foursome. And though they are not (publicly) set to return in The Craft: Legacy, producer Douglas Wick, who worked on the original 1996 film, was involved. "I did The Craft so many years ago, and I started doing it because I just wanted to make a movie about teen-aged girls coming into their sexuality, and as I was reading about it, I was reading that the age-old mythology for talking about female empowerment and fear of it was witchcraft," Wick said in an interview with Comicbook.com in June. "So then I started going to writers to try and do that. We talked to so many people and we found a really talented female writer/director and we're happy with what she's doing.”

The Craft: Legacy will be available on demand everywhere on Oct. 28.