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The Crow: 15 Years Of Devil's Night

Posted 10/30/09 12:01 pm EST by in caliber


The CrowToday we post the final installment of our five-part Halloween Week retrospective on "The Crow," celebrating the film's 15th anniversary with cast and filmmaker interviews that explore its origin and legacy. If you're just discovering this feature, be sure to look back through our "15 Years Of Devil's Night" archive.

PART FIVE: REMEMBERING BRANDON LEE AND "THE CROW"
By Ryan J. Downey

James O'Barr originally conceived The Crow to channel, process and release his anguish and heartbreak over the death of his girlfriend, who was killed by a drunk driver. Brandon Lee, whose famous father had passed away at the all too young age of 32, was cast to play the lead in the film version of the comic.

Many strange and awful circumstances surrounded what would nevertheless eventually emerge as a triumphant and transcendent film. As Time Magazine reported in 1993, sets were ravaged by a storm, a carpenter was almost electrocuted. As the cast and crew have recounted, illness, accidents and even death touched many of them in their personal lives as well. And of course, as is now widely known, Brandon Lee was killed during a tragic onset accident with just days left of filming to complete. Read More...

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The Crow: 15 Years Of Devil's Night

Posted 10/29/09 5:02 pm EST by in caliber


The CrowOur five-part Halloween Week retrospective on "The Crow" continues, celebrating the film's 15th anniversary with cast and filmmaker interviews that explore its origin and legacy. Check back each day this week for another installment of our "15 Years Of Devil's Night" series.

PART FOUR: BEST. SOUNDTRACK. EVER?
By Ryan J. Downey

"The Crow" soundtrack is quite possibly the greatest alt-rock compilation assembled in the '90s. Coupled with Graeme Revell's hauntingly moving score, bands like The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, The Jesus and Mary Chain and Machines Of Loving Grace perfectly complimented the movie's dark and romantic themes.

Even the bands who contributed cover songs selected material that lined up well with the flick, intentionally or not. Nine Inch Nails covered "Lost Souls," by one of The Crow creator James O'Barr's favorite bands, Joy Division. Rollins Band did a version of Suicide's "Ghost Rider," about the Marvel hero. Pantera's take on "The Badge" was even more savage than the original by punk legends Poison Idea.

My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult and Medicine both appear in the film. And of course, Eric Draven's background was enhanced by making him a musician (Brandon Lee even learned to play guitar). Read More...

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The Crow: 15 Years Of Devil's Night

Posted 10/28/09 8:46 pm EST by in caliber


Skull CowboyOur five-part Halloween Week retrospective on "The Crow" continues, celebrating the film's 15th anniversary with cast and filmmaker interviews that explore its origin and legacy. Check back each day this week for another installment of our "15 Years Of Devil's Night" series.

PART THREE: THE SKULL COWBOY SPEAKS! THE CROW'S LOST CHARACTER.
By Ryan J. Downey

The Skull Cowboy appears in James O'Barr's comics and nearly made it into "The Crow." An other-worldly guide for Brandon Lee's resurrected avenger Eric Draven, the mysterious figure would have provided a great deal of the film's exposition, setting up the "rules" of the afterlife and Draven's mission.

The character, portrayed under heavy prosthetics by actor Michael Berryman ("The Devil's Rejects," "Weird Science," "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest"), can be glimpsed in a deleted footage montage on the collector's edition DVD of "The Crow" and longer scenes, including one with dialogue, have made their way online. The Skull Cowboy would have first appeared as Draven emerges from the grave.

The absence of Berryman's character from the final cut of the film subsequently caused a bit more footage to be left out, most notably, an extended fight sequence with Funboy (Michael Masse). Read More...

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The Crow: 15 Years Of Devil's Night

Posted 10/27/09 6:16 pm EST by in caliber


The CrowToday we continue our five-part Halloween Week retrospective on "The Crow," celebrating the film's 15th anniversary with cast and filmmaker interviews that explore its origin and legacy. Check back each day this week for another installment of our "15 Years Of Devil's Night" series.

PART TWO: JOHNNY DEPP? CHRISTIAN SLATER? BON JOVI?! CASTING ERIC DRAVEN
By Ryan J. Downey

Before "The Crow," Brandon Lee's biggest role was in "Rapid Fire," an above-average action flick carried mostly by his grace, charm and combination of various martial arts styles years before the phrase "MMA" was popularized. His other credits included "Showdown in Little Tokyo" opposite Dolph Lundgren, little seen low-budget foreign action flicks "Laser Mission" and "Legacy of Rage" and the televised "Kung Fu: The Movie," with David Carradine.

Brandon dropped nearly 40 lbs. to play Eric Draven and was deeply involved in his characterization and fight choreography. His performance was at once natural yet supernatural in style throughout the film, which would define his legacy and remove him from the shadow of his famous father. Here, one of the producers, one of the writers, and one of the actors in the film reflect on Lee's casting and contributions. Read More...

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The Crow: 15 Years Of Devil's Night

Posted 10/26/09 6:44 pm EST by in caliber


The CrowNot only is it Halloween Week here on Splash Page, this year also marks the 15th anniversary of Brandon Lee's debut in the live-action adaptation of James O'Barr's dark comic book series "The Crow." With that in mind, we're celebrating with a five-part retrospective on the 1994 film, its origins and its legacy, culled from interviews with the cast and filmmakers behind director Alex Proyas' celebrated film. Check back each day this week for another installment of our "15 Years Of Devil's Night" series.

PART ONE: 52 MEETINGS FROM THE COMIC TO THE SCREEN
By Ryan J. Downey

Sure, there's Richard Donner's Superman, the Christopher Nolan Batman films, but to many, "The Crow" remains the greatest comic book flick ever made.

The late, great Brandon Lee, who was killed in a tragic onset accident just days away from completing the film, completely embodied the pathos, grace, otherworldly invincibility and dark humor of James O'Barr's Joy Division fueled black and white comic book about murder, heartbreak, the afterlife and justice. Read More...

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Cover Artist

Splash Page welcomes Ed Tadem to our cover artist family (our custom-designed theme up top). Currently working on the forthcoming "Avengers" animated series, Tadem's work can also be seen in the "Jackie Karma" issues of Image's "'76," and in "Pop Gun, Volume 1." Ed Tadem can be found online at EdTadem.com.
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