The Crow - A Feature from Ashley Brilinski & Dave Christy

Welcome to the Spotlight Lounge! Today's Feature Friday isn't so much forgotten, but a reminder of how sometimes movies just stay with you for whatever reason. 

Guest Writer Ashley joins Dave to talk about
The Crow!

Let us know what you think in the comments below!

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Ashley - 

While I appreciate the many stories & adaptations in The Crow universe I'll be focusing on the original 1994 film. I do recommend the graphic novels but know they're different from the film in parts & a bit darker.

"People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that soul back to put the wrong things right." James O'Barr, The Crow

The film focuses on Eric Draven, a rock musician who is murdered along with his bride to be on the night before their wedding. A year later he is brought back to life by a crow who leads him to the people responsible for the horrific events so he can dish out a nice hearty helping of revenge. He crosses paths with Sarah, a teenage girl who he & his fiance had befriended as well as one of the officers who worked the scene that night who assist him when they can. 

Unfortunately Brandon Lee was accidentally killed while filming & the movie was dedicated to him & his fiance ?

James O'Barr wrote The Crow graphic novels that released in 1989 as a way to work with the grief of loosing his fiancé in a car accident. I didn't know that when I saw the movie (which was made 5 years after the first comic was released) but after finding that out I loved it even more. He took a huge tragedy & was able to create something beautiful and brilliant. He's said in interviews that it was, "one last love letter to that person & a chance for him to get some justice that we don't really get in the real world."

I was fortunate enough to meet James O'Barr at a convention in 2014. He was very down to earth & friendly. We were able to talk for a while about love, grief, creative outlets, & music (did I fail to mention this movie has a killer soundtrack?).

With the story itself being on the darker side most people don't see it as love story but I can't see it any other way. It's violent yet beautifully poetic at the same time. If you're a fan of vigilantes or a sucker for a good revenge fantasy this is one you shouldn't miss.
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About The Author - 

Ashley Brilinski is the queen of Halloween and can loves everything to do with it.  She regularly provides awesome fandom items for Muser Giveaways AND sends in amazing items for Melanie and Greg. Her attention to detail is second to none.  This is her third guest article for Melanie's Muses but we hope there are many more to come!

Dave - 

​Even though I was a comic book reader, I hadn’t heard of The Crow until the movie came out. The independent comic was nowhere near my radar. Then, of course, the first thing I heard about the movie was the on-set death of the film’s star, Brandon Lee. It served as another splash of gasoline on the flames surrounding the curse of Bruce Lee, thinking it now has passed on to his son. More can be explored on this subject in the Shudder series “Cursed Films”.

​The film is amazing. One of my first obsessions. Saw it twice in theaters and tracked down a bootleg VHS copy from theaters before the official release and proceeded to watch it every night for a week straight. I was completely enamored with the look, feel and of course the story. That’s the main thing. The movie can look amazing but if the story isn’t there, it will be a dud.
 
Then there are the ways the film could have changed. The soundtrack keeps the pace moving and is almost like a character itself. It’s very much a sign of the times. Grunge music and the alternative scene was taking hold and is well represented here. A couple years earlier and we could have different sounds laying the basis underneath the spectacular visuals.
 
Following news articles about the movie, you are bound to hear all about scenes filmed but were cut out. It would be several years before the special edition DVD release where we actually see these scenes. The most famous one being the Cowboy scene, where Eric Draven is warned about working for the living and leaving him vulnerable. No longer invincible, his path for vengeance could be paved with his own blood instead of the blood of his victims. Even though this is important information in the final battle, this scene ends up on the cutting room floor.  

It spawned a couple sequels and a tv series. Some fared better than others but still cannot compare to the original. It’s safe to say it should have been left alone rather than tarnish the legend with lesser products.
 
As we rapidly approach 30 years since the initial 1994 release, I have to ask. If you haven’t seen this yet, WHY NOT?

​​​​Dave Christy loves horror, music, documentaries and more.  He is also the co-runner of several fan based groups including Morningstars (THE Lucifer fan group also run by Melanie), and now is a member of the VIPers Spotlight Lounge team for Melanie's Muses.  Other than "In The Spotlight" Features -check out his "31 Days Of Halloween Movies"

Melanie Here - My fun fact for this article - Christian Slater was considered for the role of Eric Draven! Imagine how THAT would have turned out!

Also no code word on this article  - the code words for the week have been posted already and you can enter one already found by clicking the button below!

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