THE COVENANT
US, 2006, 97 minutes, Colour.
Steven Strait, Laura Ramsay, Sebastian Stan, Taylor Kitch, Chace Crawford, Toby Hemingway, Jessica Lucas.
Directed by Rennie Harlin.
The Puritans in Salem, Massachusetts 1692, those self-righteous persecutors of women falsely accused of being witches, have more than the savage goings on in their day to answer for. They have ‘inspired’ quite a lot of lesser horror stories (although Arthur Miller immortalised them effectively in The Crucible) – The Covenant is the latest.
What if several families formed a covenant to protect their supranatural powers, keep them secret and hand them on for generations? “Until now!”, as the opening of this film reveals.
Four seventeen year old high school students at a private institution all have the powers. One of them, the very earnest Caleb (Steven Strait) knows from sad family experience that the more one uses the powers, the more life and energy they use up. And the trouble is that it is addictive. He is about to turn eighteen and ‘ascend’, inheriting greater powers. So far, so good. However, a couple of his friends waste their powers. And, more however, somebody mysterious is exercising even greater powers. Could it be the handsome new student? Of course.
Caleb is destined to confront the usurper. Meanwhile, he has fallen for the attractive Sarah (Laura Ramsay) who has transferred from a public school. His mother is an alcoholic because Caleb’s father became addicted to power and grew prematurely old. The father holds the solution to the final battle.
As with so many American soap operas, most of the young cast all look the same, so that one has to check on the different coats Caleb and his foe wear to tell who is who. It doesn’t matter all that much because one is looking at the very flashy action and you know who is going to win. A male alternative to Charmed?
1. The popularity of this kind of horror film? For a younger audience? Special effects? Supernatural themes?
2. The background, the information at the opening, the Salem witch trials, the religious refugees in New England? The covenant, the families, the Ipswich Covenant? The three hundred years? The secrecy of the powers? The credibility of this kind of hypothesis?
3. The New England settings, the contemporary scenes? Homes, mansions, eerie homes, the school, dormitories? Authentic atmosphere? The coast? The beach parties? The cliffs? The atmospheric score?
4. The title, the families and the covenant? The consequences? Breaking the covenant?
5. The introduction to Caleb and his friends, the party, the cliff, their exercising their powers, jumping over the cliff? The characters? Interchangeable in character and appearance?
6. Caleb, the hero, the leadership? His relationship with his alcoholic mother? The memories of his father, his father addicted to the powers and becoming old? Caleb bringing things to his father, his relying on Gorman to look after his father? At the parties, studies, swimming, sports achievement? The clashes with his friends? The meeting with Chace, Chace becoming part of the group? Friendship, swimming rivalry – and Caleb crashing into the wall? His meeting with the girls, the attraction towards Sarah? The meetings with Sarah? The news of the death of their friend, the words of the principal? The preparation for the party?
7. Chace, his background, his family, his powers, addicted? Insinuating himself in the group? With Kate? Killing the student in the car? Spying on Sarah? His manifesting himself to Caleb, trying to injure him in the swimming? The arguments? The build-up to the finale – and the special effects for the struggle against each other, the exercise of powers? His defeat?
8. The group, in school, classes, parties, relationships? At the bar, the fights? The reprimands of the bartender? The concern by the principal?
9. Sarah and Kate, friends, sharing the room, Sarah and her nightmares, the spiders – and her reading in the library, finding out about the covenant, the effect of the spiders? Her fear in the shower? Her attraction towards Caleb, meeting his mother? Preparing to go to the dance? The hold over her by Chace, suspended, the fire, her being rescued? Kate, friendly, the accident?
10. Evelyn Danvers, alcoholic, her love for her son, his birthday? Her friendship with Sarah? Going to James Danvers, seeing him decrepit, addicted to his power? His giving his power to his son?
11. The popularity of this kind of story? The supernatural? The touch of the diabolical? New England and witches and the tradition? A youth-oriented horror film?
