This year’s remake of The Crow was a critical and financial disappointment, but now you can watch the original for slightly less than what the remake made at the box office — absolutely nothing. Starting this month, the 1994 film is streaming for free on Vizio WatchFree+. The streaming service is available for free to anyone using a Vizio device.
Based on a comic by James O’Barr, The Crow was directed by Alex Proyas (Dark City) and was well-received upon its release, making $94 million on a $23 million budget and earning an 87% Fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately, the film was forever marred by tragedy when star Brandon Lee was shot and killed in an on-set accident. Lee’s stunt double, Chad Stahelski, was used, along with digital face-replacement technology, to complete the film in Lee’s absence. Stahelski would later become a director himself, and has advocated for better on-set safeguards concerning firearms.
What Is ‘The Crow’ About?
The Crow stars Lee as Eric Draven, a Detroit musician who is killed alongside his fiancée Shelly (Sofia Shinas) by thugs working for local crime lord Top Dollar (Michael Wincott). One year after his death, Draven returns from the grave courtesy of a mystical crow. Reborn as an indestructible avenger, Draven dons ghostly facepaint and goes on a rampage, mercilessly mowing through Top Dollar’s henchmen (including David Patrick Kelly, Bai Ling, and Tony Todd). Assisting him are Sarah (Rochelle Davis), a young girl he and Shelly befriended, and sympathetic police officer Albrecht (Ernie Hudson). Meanwhile, Top Dollar plans to burn Detroit to the ground on the night before Halloween, known locally as Devil’s Night. Only Draven can stop him — if Top Dollar and his men don’t return him to the grave first.
The Crow spawned a trio of sequels, all with a different lead actor as a vengeance-seeking revenant. 1996’s The Crow: City of Angels was written by David S. Goyer, and was less successful both financially and critically than its predecessor. 2000’s The Crow: Salvation, which starred Eric Mabius and Kirsten Dunst, went direct to video, as did 2005’s The Crow: Wicked Prayer, which starred Eddie Furlong, David Boreanaz, and Tara Reid. A remake of the original film languished in development hell for years before it was finally released earlier this year, starring Bill Skarsgård. Audiences and critics were generally united in their opinion that it should have stayed in development hell.
The Crow is now available to stream for free on Vizio. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
Stream on Vizio WatchFree+
