Story

Lily (Cailee Spaeny) moves to a small town with her mum, Helen (Michelle Monaghan), who is newly engaged to a charismatic man, Adam (David Duchovny), who has three sons. After a terrible first day at her new high school, Lily is befriended by three outcasts – Lourdes (Zoey Luna), Frankie (Gideon Adlon) and Tabby (Lovie Simone). They soon discover that Lily has powers and that she is the ‘fourth’ for whom they’ve been waiting in order to form a coven.

While school bullies torment Lily and she struggles to fit in to her new ‘family’, she and her new friends begin to explore the extent of their combined power. They cast a spell on Timmy (Nicholas Galitzine), a notorious bully, to make him get in touch with his feminine side. In the process they find that he has turned from a tormenter into a friend. The night after Lily casts a love spell on Timmy, he’s found dead. When the others learn what Lily has done, she’s blamed for his death. Consequently, the girls swear off using magic and bind Lily to do the same.

But then Lily discovers that her soon-to-be stepfather is actually a warlock in disguise, intent on stealing her power for himself. A message from beyond the grave brings new perspective to the coven. It helps them unite against an evil force, which is stronger than each of them individually but no match for the combined force of their power, friendship and female spirit.

Themes

Witchcraft; bullying; male domination; supernatural phenomena; adoption; curses; menstruation; single-parent families

Violence

The Craft: Legacy has some violence. For example:

  • After Timmy touches and taunts Lily, she makes him fly into a row of lockers, using only her mind.
  • Timmy trips Lily on purpose, making her fall across the floor. He teases her for having her period.
  • Timmy is rumoured to have killed himself. The actual death isn’t shown.
  • Lily is upset with her mother for concealing the fact that Lily is adopted. Lily accidentally uses her power to shove her mother away.
  • Adam tries to grab Lily. He punches her in the head and she falls to the ground unconscious.
  • Adam repeatedly tries to attack Lily, threatening to kill her. He throws all of her friends into the air and they hit things, landing unconscious on the ground.
  • Adam admits to killing Timmy.
  • Lily and her friends burn Adam alive.

Sexual references

The Craft: Legacy has some sexual references. For example:

  • During a sex education class, the topic of consent is discussed while two teenagers kiss in a video.
  • A character talks about being a virgin.
  • Timmy says that he has ‘hooked up’ with both girls and a guy. He says, ‘It felt good when I was with girls but I like both’.
  • Lourdes is openly transgender.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

The Craft: Legacy shows some use of substances. For example:

  • There is a bong in a teenage child’s bedroom.
  • At a party one teenage child refers to a special drink he has hidden away.

Nudity and sexual activity

The Craft: Legacy has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:

  • Lily’s mother and Adam kiss. Adam keeps putting his arms around Lily’s mother.
  • Lily and Timmy kiss passionately on a couple of occasions.
  • Lily is seen naked from behind as she steps into a special bath.
  • There are two separate scenes in which masturbation is implied.
  • Lily’s stepbrother is seen in bed with his shirt off. It’s implied that he’s masturbating while watching porn.

Product placement

None noted.

Coarse language

The Craft: Legacy has frequent coarse language.

Ideas to discuss with your children

The Craft: Legacy is a supernatural drama with a similar, although far less violent, storyline to its 1996 predecessor. It showcases a very diverse cast and emphasises messages about the importance of friendship and the power of the female spirit. But it isn’t a movie for younger viewers. It’s most suited to an older teenage and female audience.

The main message from this movie is that your differences are what make you powerful.

Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children include respect for others, self-control, friendship, responsibility, honesty and vulnerability.

This movie could also give you the chance to talk with your children about real-life issues like:

  • the idea that weakness is bad and that only the strong should survive
  • the belief than men and boys must always be strong and that if you aren’t strong you aren’t a real man
  • the belief in magic, the ability to cast spells on others and the power of Ouija boards
  • the comparison between a strict, authoritarian parenting style and more democratic style
  • the lasting effects of bullying.

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Raising Children Network is supported by the Australian Government. Member organisations are the Parenting Research Centre and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute with The Royal Children’s Hospital Centre for Community Child Health.

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