It's always fascinating to look back at the early careers of actors who have since become household names, especially when their beginnings are so wildly different from their current public personas. For Chace Crawford, the heartthrob of "Gossip Girl" fame, his current role as the morally compromised and often cringe-worthy The Deep in "The Boys" is a testament to his range. But before he was suiting up as a deeply flawed "superhero," Crawford, alongside a pre-Marvel Sebastian Stan, starred in a fantasy horror film that, in my opinion, is best remembered for its sheer audacity rather than its quality. This film, "The Covenant," released in 2006, is a perfect example of a project that, while critically panned, offers a peculiar kind of entertainment.
What makes "The Covenant" so intriguing from my perspective is how it represents a very specific moment in teen cinema, attempting to blend dark fantasy with a certain nu-metal aesthetic. The marketing tried to position it as a spiritual successor to "The Craft," a comparison that, frankly, feels a bit ambitious. While "The Craft" managed to ground its supernatural elements with a semblance of real-world witchcraft, "The Covenant" throws all pretense of logic out the window. It's a film that revels in its own incomprehensible plot, where teenage boys discover they are witches who "ascend" at 18, gaining powers that, predictably, lead to dire consequences like premature aging and insanity. It's this very lack of grounding that, for me, makes it a guilty pleasure. You're not watching it for profound storytelling; you're watching it for the glorious absurdity.
Sebastian Stan's involvement, before he became the iconic Bucky Barnes, is another layer of interest. His character, Chase, is the mysterious newcomer who stirs the pot among the "Sons of Ipswich." Looking back, it's easy to see how this role, despite the film's failings, allowed him to explore a darker, more enigmatic persona. The film's reliance on shoddy CGI to cover up narrative gaps is, in retrospect, hilariously transparent. It’s a prime example of how ambitious ideas can be let down by execution, but that doesn't mean there isn't a certain charm in witnessing that ambition, however misguided.
One thing that immediately stands out is the film's incredibly over-the-top dialogue and scenarios. The line "Harry Potter can kiss my a**!" delivered during a car chase where they magically fly off a cliff perfectly encapsulates the film's CW-esque, yet undeniably fun, approach to supernatural teen drama. Personally, I think if "The Covenant" had been a television series, it might have found a more forgiving audience, allowing its wild premise to breathe. As a film, however, it's a wild ride that, once you accept its inherent ridiculousness, is surprisingly watchable. It’s a relic of a bygone era of teen fantasy, and while it may not have done wonders for the careers of its young stars at the time, it certainly provides a memorable, if unintentionally comedic, glimpse into their early days. It really makes you wonder what other hidden gems, or perhaps not-so-gems, are lurking in the filmographies of our favorite actors, waiting to be rediscovered.
