The Covenant

The Covenant (sometimes stylized as THE COVENAN+) is a 2006 American supernatural horror film written by J. S. Cardone, directed by Renny Harlin and starring Steven Strait, Sebastian Stan, Laura Ramsey, Taylor Kitsch, Jessica Lucas, Toby Hemingway and Chace Crawford. The film, despite receiving very negative reviews, was a moderate box office success.

Plot
In the town of Ipswich, four high school boys - Caleb, Pogue, Reid and Tyler, together known as the Sons of Ipswich - are the descendants of colonial witch families and thus wield magical abilities which first manifest on their 13th birthday and grow stronger until they Ascend at 18. The Power is linked to their life force; the more they use, the faster they age. This becomes more dangerous as, upon Ascending, their powers reach their full strength and become so addictive, seductive as they say, that some cannot resist. Caleb - who is closest to his 18th birthday - exhibits restraint.

While attending a bonfire, Caleb meets Sarah, a transfer student from a public high school in Boston. The Sons also meet Chase Collins, a new student at Spencer Academy. Their meeting is cut short when cops appear to break up the party. The boys escape by using their combined power. After a student is found mysteriously dead near their campus, various paranormal occurrences take place, with Sarah and her roommate Kate being the focus of it. Upset, Caleb suspects Reid - the most reckless of the warlocks - but he angrily denies any abusive usage of his powers.

Caleb and later Pogue see a "darkling", a dead spirit and a malicious omen. Meanwhile, Caleb and Sarah quickly become romantically close. During a swim race, Caleb notices Chase, who had befriended the group, displaying magic usage. After researching, Caleb concludes that Chase descends from a fifth family, one believed long extinct, that he is the bastard son of Goodwin “Goody” Pope and that he is the true perpetrator. As the Sons discuss this revelation, Pogue learns that his girlfriend was rendered comatose by a spell. Enraged, he hastily challenges Chase, who swiftly hospitalizes him.

Caleb visits Sarah, only to fall into Chase's trap. Chase reveals that he was unaware of his magic's origin, having been adopted. After locating his biological father, he learned of the price for Ascension; but it was too late and he has become too addicted to using magic. His biological father then transferred power to him. Chase wants to force other "Ascended" witches to transfer power to him as well, starting with Caleb. Despite Caleb's warning that having more power does not save him from aging to death, Chase ignores him. Before leaving, Chase threatens harm on Caleb's family and friends if he does not get what he wants. Caleb reveals the truth to Sarah and takes her to his father, a man of 44 years with a decrepit old body, exhausted from magic abuse. When Sarah suggests that one of the other three transfer their power to Caleb so he could evenly match Chase, Caleb immediately refuses, explaining that doing so will cost them all their lives.

On the night of Caleb's 18th birthday, he leaves to face Chase alone and has Reid and Tyler safeguard Sarah in public. However, Chase easily kidnaps Sarah. At an old barn, the two confront each other. Chase reveals a spellbound Sarah and gives Caleb an ultimatum of his life for hers. Caleb declares he will not will his power away or let Sarah come to harm. They duel and Caleb is clearly outmatched. At the exact minute of his birth, he Ascends and his power fully matures, which allows him to mount an offensive. However, as Chase has more than one magical share, he still proves superior and the temporary turn of tide does not last long. Back at home, Evelyn, Caleb's mother, begs her husband to save Caleb. He sacrifices himself and transfers his power remotely to his son. Once his father's power is infused within him, Caleb hits Chase with a final blow that engulfs him in a ball of flame. Sarah, Kate and Pogue awaken, freed from their curses.

Firefighters arrive on the scene. Caleb and Sarah wait until inspection of the barn's wreckage is complete; they are informed that a third person was not found, suggesting that Chase somehow survived and escaped. The pair get into Caleb's car and he casually uses magic to fix the busted windshield, which seems visibly unsettling to Sarah. He reassuringly holds her hand and they drive off.

Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 4% based on 72 reviews, and an average rating of 2.84/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Covenant plays out like a teen soap opera, full of pretty faces, wooden acting, laughable dialogue, and little suspense." The film is also the site's "Worst of the Worst" list, ranking 31st. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 19 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale.[8]

Box office
Upon its release in the United States, the film managed to top the box office charts with a $8.9 million opening on what was called a "weak" weekend. By the end of its theatrical run, The Covenant earned $23.3 million in the U.S. and $13.9 million in other territories for a total of $37.3 million worldwide). The film cost roughly $20 million to produce, not including marketing.