Downers Grove is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. It is known for its beautiful neighborhoods, excellent schools, and thriving community. However, there is a peculiar curse that has haunted the village for years, known as "The Curse of Downers Grove". Legend has it that this curse originated in the late 1800s and was brought upon the village by a young woman named Elizabeth. She was accused of witchcraft and condemned to death by the townspeople. As she stood on the gallows, she cursed the village, vowing that no happiness would ever last in Downers Grove.
While some popular movies, like 1993’s Hocus Pocus, erred on the silly side, other projects attempted to accurately and seriously portray real witchcraft practitioners. That same year, the enormously popular The X-Files debuted on Fox, and the occult was frequently covered in hyper-specific detail. In 1997, J.K. Rowling published her first Harry Potter novel, reviving kids’ interest in reading—and stoking conservative Christian zealots’ fears that the series was indoctrinating their children through witchcraft. (Today’s followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory, which includes accusations of Satanic rituals that include harvesting children’s blood, makes it clear that each generation has its own iteration of witchcraft-related hysteria, however fringe.)
Written and directed by Zoe Lister-Jones, it is a remake and a sequel of sorts, updated for an era that demands improved diversity of all kinds, both onscreen and in writers rooms. The flurry of interest in witchcraft among teens was annoying to some, who assumed younger seekers would lack the depth of seriousness that, in their view, witchcraft required.
As she stood on the gallows, she cursed the village, vowing that no happiness would ever last in Downers Grove. Since then, Downers Grove has experienced a series of unfortunate events and tragedies. These include unexplained deaths, mysterious disappearances, and strange accidents.
The Craft Inspired a Generation of Teenage Witches. Now a Sequel Is Poised to Do the Same
P erhaps no other contemporary film had as great an impact on the modern witchcraft movement as The Craft. Though it premiered to middling reviews, the 1996 movie, directed by Andrew Fleming from a script co-written with Peter Filardi, captivated both experienced witches and total acolytes with its authentic portrayal of adolescent girls who dabbled in witchcraft to improve their lives and gain power. Enthralled by its dark glamour, countless young girls were compelled to learn more about witchcraft and paganism, many turning to the nascent pagan internet for information and networking.
In those days, with AOL barely up and running and social media still a distant dream (or nightmare), a teenager interested in the occult would usually keep it to herself or a few peers. Today, the digital landscape is full of teenage witches making a name for themselves, crafting trendy aesthetics on Instagram and hexing the moon via TikTok. According to Vogue UK, the #Witchtok hashtag had racked up nearly 2 billion views as of July 2020, and the #witchesofinstagram hashtag has over 5.6 million posts. That’s a lot of digital witchery.
The Craft: Legacy, a sequel to the cult classic, arrives on Premium VOD on Oct. 28, capitalizing on the original’s newfound fan base among younger audiences, and its enduring popularity enjoying a revival via social media. This is thanks, in part, to its pitch-perfect late-’90s soundtrack and fabulous femme-Goth fashions, which have found their way to many a mood board. But beyond its meme-worthy, nostalgic appeal, there’s a sense that The Craft has been behind the mini-witchcraft revivals that seem to occur roughly every seven years or so. A Seven Year Witch, if you will.
The long-lived series Charmed, which ran from 1998 to 2006, was loosely based on The Craft. A slew of other teen-witch stories followed, ranging from straight-to-video shlock to one-off “witchcraft episodes” (including Broad City and, more recently, The Baby-Sitter’s Club and PEN15 ). There have been reality shows like Mad, Mad House, British series like Hex and A Discovery of Witches, and many other series including Motherland: Fort Salem, Luna Nera, A Siempre Bruja, Salem, and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, set to debut its fourth season in December. Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story anthology devoted two seasons to witches, Coven and Apocalypse. According to Kate Laity, a professor of medievalism and media studies who teaches a course on witchcraft at The College of St. Rose, “The Craft has definitely had an impact and continues to do so, especially on young women fascinated by magic and witchcraft; and it’s a rare one who isn’t to some degree.”
The Craft: Legacy makes its debut against this rich backdrop (and timed perfectly for Hallowe’en). Written and directed by Zoe Lister-Jones, it is a remake and a sequel of sorts, updated for an era that demands improved diversity of all kinds, both onscreen and in writers’ rooms. As older witches, nostalgic millennials and the next generation of would-be pagan enthusiasts anticipate The Craft: Legacy, it’s worth unpacking the dual contexts framing its release: the evolving wave of interest sparked by its predecessor, but also the longer history of pop culture’s intersection, and fascination, with witchcraft.
Locals believe that these occurrences are a result of the curse that Elizabeth placed upon the village. Over the years, various attempts have been made to break the curse, but none have been successful. The villagers have tried everything from performing rituals to seeking the help of paranormal experts, but the curse remains intact. Despite the curse, Downers Grove continues to thrive in many ways. Its residents are resilient and have learned to live with the curse, always cautious of the potential dangers that it may bring. The village has become somewhat of a tourist attraction, attracting visitors who are curious about the curse and its effects. Whether one believes in curses or not, the Curse of Downers Grove has certainly left a lasting impact on the village. It is an eerie reminder of a dark past and the power of superstition. Maybe one day, someone will find a way to break the curse and bring lasting happiness and peace to the village. Until then, the residents of Downers Grove will continue to live with the curse hanging over their heads, always mindful of the legend and its potential consequences..
Reviews for "The Otherworldly Curse of Downers Grove: An Investigative Journey"
1. John Doe - 2/5 - I must admit, I was quite disappointed with "The Curse Downers Grove". The storyline was confusing and lacked depth. The characters felt one-dimensional and their motivations were never clear. The acting was mediocre at best, with no standout performances. Overall, I found the film to be a forgettable and uninspiring experience.
2. Jane Smith - 1/5 - "The Curse Downers Grove" was a complete waste of my time. The plot was all over the place, making it impossible to follow or care about what was happening. The acting was incredibly dull and the dialogue was poorly written. The special effects were laughably bad and only added to the overall disappointment. I would not recommend this film to anyone.
3. Mike Thompson - 2/5 - Unfortunately, "The Curse Downers Grove" fell flat for me. The story started off promising, but quickly became convoluted and predictable. The characters were poorly developed, and I never felt invested in their fates. The pacing was off, with too many slow moments that dragged on. The lacklustre ending left me feeling unsatisfied and wondering why I even bothered watching it. Overall, I cannot recommend this film to others.
4. Emily Wilson - 1/5 - I found "The Curse Downers Grove" to be incredibly boring and unoriginal. The plot was predictable and felt like a rehash of countless other horror films. The scares were cheap and relied heavily on jump scares, which quickly became tiresome. The acting was wooden and lacked any sense of emotion or depth. Overall, this film did not live up to my expectations and I regret the time I spent watching it.