Carrie
Release Date - 2013
Country of Origin - America
Directed by Kimberly Peirce
Starring - Chloë Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore, Gabriella Wilde, Ansel Elgort, Judy Greer, and Portia Doubleday
Ahhh Stephen King how your works are so fun. They’re always a fun ride to sit through and almost constantly bring about emotions as well as, for some, fear. Plus they make for some great movies. Whether it something simple and homey (for lack of a better word) such as Stand By Me, to something grounded in reality but is truly terrifying such as Misery, to psychological horror as can be witnessed in The Shining, to a variety of other types of stories. Yes you’re work and the movies and TV miniseries they’re based on can sometimes vary in quality, but it’s almost become universal that if you want a fun and sometimes scary read, you go to your work. You are considered a master of horror and literature after all.
His first published and still one of his best, Carrie is a story passed down through generations…sort of. A story which combines horror, the lives of teenagers and puberty (something that other horror films have done such as the fantastic Ginger Snaps). It’s a story that I think just about anyone can get and understand. To be frank I’d give the book or any of the numerous films to my daughter (if I ever have one) when she hits puberty as a way of showing her what could happen around that time in her youth, though in a way that is more fiction then reality. Point is Carrie’s a great story, and great stories lead to great things.Carrie was the first Stephen King novel to ever be turned into a movie, the movie being the beloved and rightfully hailed 1976 adaptation staring Sissy Spacek and directed by Brian DePalma. The story later went on to be adapted again in the form of a 2002 television film, and even made it’s way into the theater, first as a Broadway musical and then as a straight up play. The film even spawned a sequel in 1999 with The Rage: Carrie 2. All of these versions have helped keep the story alive and well and has brought King numerous fans. Though out of all of them it is DePalma’s version which is loved the most, and for good reason as it is one of the best horror films of all time.
However even though it’s based on a book, any adaptation of Carrie is not impervious to be met with hate. Anytime a new version is made fans will despise it simply because it’s a remake of the original film. What’s that you say? It’s just another adaptation of the novel? FUCK IT ANYWAYS! HOW DARE ANOTHER VERSION BE MADE! HOLLYWOOD IS STUPID AND OUT OF IDEAS! This was the reaction when a new version of Carrie was announced and released in 2013. Critics were meh on it; most fans hated it unless they actually went in with the right mindset and idea of giving the film a fair chance (my own mother still refuses to watch the film because she thinks it won't be as good as the DePalma version). To this day the film raises mixed reactions, people either like it or hate it. The film becoming another case of what happens when a new version of a movie is coming out, regardless if it’s based on a book or even being touted as being closer to the book (coughcoughcoughnewauditioncoughcoughcough). Truly it’s unfair and another casualty in that formula…
…and so I’m going to review the film today. Why? Because for starters I thought it would be a great way to kick off Hell-O-Ween 2. Why not take our first leap into modern films? Secondly I actually like the film and wanted to give it a fair review and shot. I guess some may call this bias, but as with anything I review that I personally like, I look at it and review it from a critical view and not a personal one, I only bringing up personal thoughts every so often. So that’s reason enough in my book. Don’t like it? Tough shit.
Now for all fairness sake, I will NOT make any reference to any other version of Carrie outside of the book. It’s only fair to treat this film as it’s own piece and not compare it to any adaptations that came before it (this is the only true way to watch a remake in my opinion). So do not expect me to bring up the 2002 version and do not expect me to bring up De Palma’s version (I’d say the same for the sequel but I have not seen it…plus it doesn’t really have a whole lot to with Carrie from the looks of things). With all of that said, let’s dive right into Carrie.
The film begins as Margaret White (played by Julianne Moore) is going into birth. She writhes around on her bed, she dead certain that she’s dying. When she does finally bring her child into this world she seems puzzled by it’s appearance (because it’s natural to not notice the signs of pregnancy, you growing bigger, and all of that other stuff). As she looks down at her baby she says that it’s a test from God himself, and that her course of action is simple: cut it down. Margaret grabs a pair of scissors and goes to end the brief life of the newborn, but she doesn’t and instead tosses the scissors away and picks up the child, her motherly instincts seeming to kick in.
Fast forward to the present and that baby has grown up to be Carrie (played by Chloë Grace Moretz). She’s now 16, a teenager near the crisp of adulthood. She isn’t well liked though by the rest of the class as they find the fact that she goes around saying everybody is damned to not be a good quality. That and you know, shy people who like to read, keep to themselves, and are different overall are deserving of being bullied (obviously sarcasm is obvious). One day while showering after gym Carrie begins to have her period, the first of her life. Convinced she’s dying, Carrie runs around screaming bloody murder (I’m terrible I know), beginning for help from her fellow classmates. However they simply mock her, this movement led by Chris Hargensen (played by Portia Doubleday) and Sue Snell (played by Gabriella Wilde), however Sue soon stops. Carrie is eventually saved by the gym teacher Miss Desjardin (played by Judy Greer). Margaret show’s up some time later and takes Carrie home.
The reactions to this are mixed. Sue feels guilty about what she did, and in an act to try and achieve forgiveness asks and gets her boyfriend Tommy Ross (played by Ansel Elgort) to ask Carrie to their senior prom, an invitation Carrie accepts. Sue takes the punishment they receive as a personal vendetta by the school and Carrie and sets out to get revenge with her boyfriend Billy (played by Alex Russel). Carrie is simply confused, even angered that her mother never told her about this. However it is through this confusion and anger that Carrie learns something special about her: she has telepathy.
And so the night of the prom comes, Carrie dressed in a pink dress she made from scratch (the joys of having a seamstress as a mother…well kind of in this case). She wows everybody at the prom with her beauty, the night turning into one she’s bound to never forget. But it becomes a night she’ll remember forever, but for the wrong reasons. Chris and Billy pour pig’s blood on Carrie as revenge, prompting her to become mad. This anger grows even more when the bucket accidentally falls and hits Tommy in the head, killing him. Truly upset now Carrie unleashes her emotions and telekinesis on the school, she turning this dream like setting into that of a nightmare. It was suppose to be a night of fun, but has instead become a night of terror.
Yeah…not my longest look at a story. Though to be honest, I don’t think it needed to be looked at in depth as I usually do. Chances are if you’re reading this you know about Carrie and should know the plot by now, meaning it would be rather pointless for me to hang on it a lot. But anyways, that is Carrie, and as the poster claims, you will know her name. How is the film as a film, and how well of an adaption of the original novel is it? I shall answer both of those questions right now.
I do think though that there was a missed opportunity with Carrie's character with the film being in a modern setting. Carrie’s somebody raised in a very strict Christian home, meaning that things such as cellphones, computers, and things of the sort aren’t something she’s familiar with. I think it would have been fun to see her get attune to modern culture and even pop culture a bit more. We sort of see it in the library scene when Carrie can only type slowly compared to others, but I think it should have gone further. Show her learning to use a cellphone, watch some TV, typical things that a normal teenager would do, but she wouldn’t and couldn’t. Plus is it just me, or am I the only one who wanted to see Carrie try and go out with some girls in preparation for prom? Regardless, Carrie’s character is handled well and Mortez turns in a very good performance.
After Carrie, the next main character would be Margaret. And boy oh boy is she something else. Moore’s performance is just perfect and fits the character like a glove. While in every version of the story Margaret is portrayed as a very religious woman, this one makes out to be a psychopath. She’s more psychotically obsessed then she is religious and it makes her all the scarier. Not only that but she’s prone to self harm. We see her bash herself on the head multiple times, scars all across her arms, and she even digs a sewing utensil into her own thigh, the thigh itself covered in scars. This lady is a lunatic and I’m not shocked that Carrie or anybody would be scared shitless of her. She’s the type of nut job that wouldn’t be put to trial because of being mentally incompetent. Moore’s performance really does shine out and while I haven’t seen a whole lot of her work, this is pretty different then what I have seen. She definitely gives the best performance of the entire film.
The rest of the characters are developed quite nicely as well, Sue I think being the one with the most behind Carrie. The actors themselves do a good job too. I will say that some seem pretty standard, but outside of those few the rest do a good job. I actually think Elgort is the second best actor of the whole film. His Tommy is friendly, kind, warm, etc. He really comes off as genuine with his actions and it makes the character more likeable. Doubleday’s Chris is just an utter bitch (and even more). You will sit in your seat just waiting for her to die. The only performance I have any problems with is Greer’s. While she comes off as warm and caring, I just don’t see her as a teacher. The way she acts is more like a college student then a teacher. I know a teacher could act like that given the situation, but it still just comes off more as a college volunteer then an actual teacher. However outside of her, the rest of the cast do a good job with their portrayals.
The cinematography is up to snuff as well. It does seem typical of the modern horror film, but while typical it is pretty nice. But there is something I just can’t get into, and it’s something I don’t get about modern horror as a whole. Why do we need to make the films look as dark as possible? I swear every horror film now just has this hue/tint of brown or dark orange nowadays. It makes sense if you’re indoors at night, or in a place without any lights. But during the day, inside a school (though I’ve seen worse, I’m looking at you Odd Girl Out), or anything like that just makes it seem out of place. Maybe if it was taking place during fall I wouldn’t mind it so much, but it’s not during that time. It’s just a choice I don’t get one single bit in this film, or any other film of modern times. Also it’s worth noting that the blood is muddier in color. It’s bright in spots, but it just seems a little too dark. Personal nitpicks aside though, the film looks good and its shots are good too.
But this is a horror film, and the important thing to ask is “Is the film scary?” Well, yeah, I’d say so. It got me to jump a couple of times, so it’s scary in that aspect. The true terror though is simply in what the girls do to Carrie. King himself said it best “Highschool is hell,” and this shines through any version of Carrie. But this one just amps it up to a new level. The girls actually film Carrie freaking out and upload it to Youtube, they even play the video after Carrie’s been soaked with blood. This is something that struck as utterly terrifying. We’ve come to that point where we can actually do something like that and share it with the entire world. I’m sure it’s happened somewhere. The shower scene to me is the most effective and best of the entire film. So in the typical horror sense, I think the film is scary. But in the bullying aspect, this film is nightmarish.
So, as it’s own film, how does Carrie measure up? Quite well in my opinion. The story is handled well and moves along at a good pace. It doesn’t drag it’s feet nor does it just shift into turbo and fly right past you. The main characters are all developed, though some more than others. The acting is nice, the cinematography is good, and the soundtrack fits the film (though I’m not a big fan of it outside of the song playing when Tommy and Carrie dance). The only real problems with the film is simply that the acting does get a bit too standard at times and that they kinda get bullshitty with Carrie’s telekinetic powers (apparently being telepathic means you can tell somebody’s pregnant and see what the gender of the baby is even though it isn’t fully developed yet). Outside of those however, Carrie is a great film that can stand on it’s own two feet.
But let’s get down to what everybody wants me to talk about. How does the film hold up to the book? Well story wise, it follows pretty close to the book. There is one change though, and it’s something that neither of the other movies have done either. In the book Carrie returns home after destroying the school (two changes actually, Carries blow the school up in the book instead of just letting it burn). When she gets home she encounters her mother and the two pray together until Margaret tries to kill her. Carrie ends up killing her mother and then leaves the house. She heads to a roadhouse where, according to her mother, her father committed marital rape and impregnated her with Carrie. Billy and Chris exit the roadhouse after making love (and sinking into the bed) and spot Carrie. They then attempt to run Carrie down, however Carrie uses her powers and sends the two crashing into the roadhouse. Sue arrives on the scene and through a psychic link, experiences the death of Carrie, the event causing her to miscarry.
What I just described has never been in any adaption. Everything up to it has, but Carrie leaving the house, the roadhouse scene, and Sue’s miscarriage never make it to any adaption. Why this is I don’t know. I won’t hate this film or any other for not including it, but I did want to bring it up. Outside of that though, the movie follows the story very well. Format wise, no film follows the book, but that’s understandable. The book’s story is told through newspaper clippings and other books, something that would be difficult to do in a movie. So story wise, yes outside of the ending. Format wise, not one single bit, but that’s okay (only the 2002 version comes close to that format, and even then it’s not the exact same).
With all of that in mind it should be pretty easy to see what my final thoughts on the film are as a whole. Carrie is a great film and I highly recommend it to fans of the book, other adaptations, fans of Stephen King, and horror in general. It is a film with a lot of mixed opinions on, for very understandable (if some being stupid) reasons. However if you’re willing to give it a try, and view it simply as it’s own film and adaptation of the novel, I think Carrie won’t disappoint you.
A +
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