Looking Back: The Covenant

Lately, I have been feeling nostalgic and wanting to re-watch movies in my collection. This includes the 2006 supernatural thriller The Covenant. While watching it, I remember the first time I saw it. I think it would have made an excellent television, web series, or mini-series, instead of a movie. Unfortunately, the film did not get many positive reviews and was only reasonably successful at the box office.

If you have not yet seen The Covenant, I recommend that you do. The film takes place in the town of Ipswich at a private boarding school named Spencer Academy. This town has a unique and magical connection to the Salem Witch trials. During the trials, there were four families accused and burned for witchcraft. The descendants of those four colonial witch families still live in Ipswich. They are the Danvers (Caleb), Parry (Pogue), Garwin (Reid), and Simms (Tyler) families. The sons of these families are referred to as the Sons of Ipswich by local residents. When the boys turn 13, they receive a portion of their powers. Their powers are seductive, addictive, and hard to resist, like a drug. On their 18th birthday, the boys ascend and get their full power. These abilities are tied to their life force. The more you use the power, the faster you age.

During this year, two new students join their prestigious school. One is a transfer from a Boston public school named Sarah, who immediately hits it off with Caleb. They become romantically involved, and Caleb trusts her enough to reveal his secret. She is also roommates with Kate, Pogue’s girlfriend. The other new student is Chase Collins, who is not who he appears to be. Chase happens to share a connection to the Sons of Ipswich that goes deeper than they think. He is a part of the rarely-mentioned and mysterious fifth family. Showing his true intentions, Chase eventually reveals that he is only there to steal the boys’ powers on their 18th birthdays.

Who would have thought that many years later, Sebastian Stan would have become Bucky Barns/Winter Soldier? He is not the only one to have a successful career. Jessica Lucas portrayed Skye Yarrow on Cult and Tabitha Galavan on Gotham. You may also have noticed Chace Crawford as Nate Archibald on the hit teen series Gossip Girl. Taylor Kitsch played Tim Riggins in the sports drama Friday Night Lights. Last and certainly not least, Steven Strait went on to play Stevie Evans on Magic City and Jim Holden on the sci-fi series The Expanse.

Around the time The Covenant was released, I was a big fan of the series Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Supernatural – do you see a pattern? As a fan of supernatural shows, I was hoping for a cast ensemble that draws you into the story and makes you care about the characters. The Covenant ends ends with room for it to continue. But, because it never got a sequel, that leaves me with the question: Where is Chase now? In this time of remakes, I would love to see this movie get revamped with the technology that we have now.

If you are looking for a supernatural thriller with nostalgic feels, I recommend watching The Covenant.