A Grave Mistake

It’s been roughly one year since “A Grave Mistake” was certified GOLD by the RIAA.

The Crow, which inspired the song and music video, arrived in theaters on May 10, 1994.

Based on James O’ Barr’s cult indie comic book, which saw the creator quoting liberally from The Cure and Joy Division in a dark story written to exorcise his real-life grief, The Crow “gave birth to the most badass antihero of all time,” as Spencer once told Kerrang! Magazine. 

Eric Draven and Shelly Webster’s upcoming nuptials are brutally destroyed when the pair are attacked and killed by a group of thugs on Devil’s Night, the day before Halloween, when criminals set fires across Detroit. One year later, Eric is resurrected and, with the aid of a supernatural Crow and mystical invulnerability, he “sets the bad things right,” knocking off each of their killers one by one. 

Eric was portrayed by Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee. Tragically, he was killed in an on-set accident at only 28 years old, with just weeks left to finish the film. 

Lee’s co-stars included Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), Michael Wincott (Black Hawk Down), and David Patrick Kelly (The Warriors). There were also memorable performances by others who have since passed, including Jon Polito and Michael Massee, both of whom died in 2016, and Candyman star Tony Todd. 

Director Alex Proyas and his cast and crew ultimately completed the film as a tribute to their fallen friend, and it became a box-office smash upon its release. Proyas paints a gothic, surrealist vision of the Motor City, with an incredible score powered by Nine Inch Nails covering Joy Division and an original song by The Cure, among many other incredible tracks. The movie is filled with great action and a heaping helping of dark humor, but at its tender heart, it’s ultimately a romantic film, about love surviving and even beating death. 

O’Barr lost his fiancée to a drunk driver before writing the comic. Lee himself was engaged at the time of his death. (His fiancée, Eliza Hutton, broke her 28-year silence after the death of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021, calling for alternatives to guns on sets.) 

Spencer has praised Lee’s performance as “show-stopping” and called The Crow “visually stunning.” “A Grave Mistake” is a reverent homage, with an Ice Nine Kills twist. “It’s one of those movies that will forever be a classic,” Spencer told Louder Sound in 2024. “And rightfully so. Everything from the cinematography to the storyline to the music – it’s a special film.”