THE CROW
BORM AGAIN
Iconic 1994 movie The Crow is a touchstone for generations of rock and metal bands. With a controversial remake about to hit cinemas, we look at the undying influence of the cult classic
WORDS: MATT MILLS
When James O’Barr came up with the idea for The Crow in 1981, all he wanted it to achieve was emotional catharsis. He was a 21year-old US Marine stationed in Berlin, still reeling from the death of his fiancée at the hands of a drunk driver a few years earlier while they were still in high school. He didn’t know if the comic he was writing and drawing would ever get published.
“It was just a way of getting it down on paper,” James told The Los Angeles Times in 1994, referring to the grief he still felt. “I had never done anything that personal before.” 1
The first issue of The Crow wouldn’t be published for another eight years, but this story of an undead avenger seeking retribution against the men who killed him and his fiancée took on a life of its own, thanks in large part to the 1994 movie adaptation.
That film, directed by Alex Proyas and starring Brandon Lee as the title character, aka resurrected rock musician Eric Draven, became a cult hit. With the tagline ‘Real love is forever’, its aesthetic influenced countless rock, metal and goth artists, while a brilliant soundtrack featuring everyone from The Cure and Nine Inch Nails to Rage Against The Machine and Rollins Band helped reshape the way Hollywood incorporated heavy and alternative music into big-budget movies.
Brandon Lee’s tragic on-set death didn’t stop the franchise continuing, with even a trio of underwhelming sequels failing to dent the character’s iconic status. A brand new remake, with It star Bill Skarsgård stepping into Brandon’s shoes as Eric Draven, will hit cinemas in late August, 30 years after the original movie. Like its title character, The Crow refuses to die.
“Eric was my hero,” says former Him vocalist turned solo star Ville Valo. “The film happened right after grunge broke and was really grungy in a cool way. There were a few darker films, but I don’t think there was anything considered ‘gothic’ coming out of Hollywood at the time, and it had a bit of rock’n’roll. Eric was carrying a crow and a guitar.”