Released: November 3, 1976
Director: Brian De Palma
Screenplay: Lawrence D. Cohen (based on the novel by Stephen King)
Tagline: "If you've got a taste for terror...take Carrie to the prom"
Cast:
Sissy Spacek as Carrie White
Piper Laurie as Margaret White
Amy Irving as Sue Snell
William Katt as Tommy Ross
John Travolta as Billy Nolan
Nancy Allen as Chris Hargensen
Betty Buckley as Miss Collins
Dirty pillows. Pig's blood. "The prom." All elements of the original Carrie referenced in everything from pop culture to idle conversation to big budget horror-comedy tribute extravaganzas. Now iconic, the story of high school senior Carrie White, a misfit mocked for her awkwardness, lack of social skills, and primarily her naivety at the workings of her own body when she begins to menstruate in the showers after gym class and subsequently freaks out. Her situation isn't helped by the fact that she is the daughter of a sin-obsessed, manic religious zealot of a mother, who punishes Carrie for her "everyday sin" of being born and existing by locking her in a closet with only a candle and a picture of Jesus so that she can pray for forgiveness.
The restrictions placed on Carrie's life by her insane mother, Margaret--no leaving the house except for school, no friends, no dates, no questions about her physical maturation--make it quite easy to pity Carrie. She's frail, unwanted, and seemingly powerless. But then. It seems that along with her buddy sexuality, Carrie starts to develop growing telekinetic powers that are intertwined with her emotional state, so that when she's eventually set up for a cruel and vicious prank at her school's prom all of her repressed anger is unleashed in bloody fashion.
The story is timeless. It's hard to watch Carrie and not identify with the film one way or another, either as the kid who was deemed too different to be respected, or as the classmate who sniggered, pointed fingers, and taunted. In both scenarios, there is going to be a level of discomfort to the viewer. The film is complex, and reads as creepily justified, though it allows the audience to share the other characters' disdain for the genuinely odd Carrie, and thus make them complicit in her torment.
And I always thought I looked good in red...
Sissy Spacek gives a brilliant performance in the film, and both she and Piper Laurie (whom you might know as Catherine Martell in Twin Peaks) were nominated for Academy Awards because of their work in this film (Spacek for Best Actress, Laurie for Best Supporting Actress). Spacek's performance does not beg for sympathy from the audience, but delicately insists that the outcast should be feared as well as pitied, and in a post-Colombine age, this gives the film a greater resonance than just remembering to see the swan inside all of the ducklings out there. De Palma definitely capitalized on Spacek's acting chops to capture the perfect cocktail of horror and tragedy, very much in keeping with the themes and tone of King's first novel. The film had to work with a relatively limited budget, but in the end it worked, as De Palma had to work his movie so that it found shocks in something other than spectacular effects.
The well-managed blend of sinister and sad, the even build of tension and story aided by Cohen's thoughtful screenplay (he would later go on to script another Stephen King nightmare-fest, It (1990) and in effect, scare the crap out of me), strong performances from the cast (not just the outstanding Spacek and Laurie but the supporting players as well), and the emotional connection between character and audience nurtured throughout by De Palma's camerawork makes Carrie a frequent mention near the bottom of Top 10 Horror lists. It seems fitting, as Carrie did get the recognition she so craved, even if she never quite truly made it to the top.
Needless to say, you won't be seeing Kimberly Peirce's reworked Carrie (2013) gracing similar lists anytime soon. Though it has a few things going for it, in the end the film relies too heavily on the final sequence, which makes the rest of the effort too hollow and distant.
Carrie (USA)
Released: October 18, 2013
Director: Kimberly Peirce
Screenplay: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa & Lawrence D. Cohen
Tagline: "You will know her name"
Cast:
Chloe Grace Moretz as Carrie White
Julianne Moore as Margaret White
Judy Greer as Miss Desjardin
Gabriella Wilde as Sue Snell
Ansel Elgort as Tommy Ross
Alex Russell as Billy Nolan
Portia Doubleday as Chris Hargensen
Director Peirce, best known for writing and directing Boys Don't Cry (1999) with Hilary Swank, changes very little from the De Palma original, aside from modern updates and a tweak on how Carrie recognizes and wields her burgeoning telekinetic powers. When her rage does boil over, the expression is certainly dramatic and intense in the film, but insulting obvious as CGI. This new Carrie is not the lost young creature of the original who lashes out in the confusing midst of a terrifying mental breakdown, but basically a certifiable sorceress who wields destruction by simply outstretching her hand. My suspicion is that for those moviegoers who are unfamiliar with the original film, or who think that it is too "dated" for their modern cinematic pallets, then Carrie's near magical powers will be fun and exciting to watch.
As was to be expected, the remake takes great pains to align itself with a younger demographic, allusions to Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms strewn about, an excessive use of texting, and a reference to Tim Tebow that tops it all off. And while all of this superficiality has been added to draw viewers in on the most basic level, lost is the true essence and meat of the story. The timid expressions and subtle body language of a severely troubled girl exploring new found confidence as she moves towards a tragic end are left to Spacek in the original. Instead, Chloe Grace Moretz, too blond, broad-shouldered, and attractive to look mousy and embody the alien eeriness meant for her character, has to work harder to sell the victim status, but her exaggerated hunching, tightly crossed arms, and barely frizzed hair don't do the trick. Moretz's Carrie rises to power on an occasional mean spirit, waving her arms and directing her power as specific individuals to wishes to ravage and coming across more like an evil witch than a broken girl with a gift she can't comprehend or control.
Throughout the film, Moretz seems uncomfortable in her role. There's no sense that she has ever experienced isolation, ridicule, or the machinations conducted by nasty peers. And honestly, she's not very committed to pretending she has, either. I'll admit that yes, there were moments when she communicated awkwardness and melancholy, but they were too much of a mask, not really believed by Moretz, and thus not believed by the audience. I'm not a particular fan of Moretz in general, but I do acknowledge that she can have an appealing onscreen presence in the right circumstances. I just don't think that dysfunctional Carrie White was the right fit for her. I'm thinking lack of life experience might play a role in the disconnect.
Oh yeah, poor homely, awkward Carrie...
Even though fans of the original will be hard-pressed by buy into Judy Greer as the concerned gym teacher, given that she flops in comparison to Betty Buckler's Miss Collins in the 1976 film, the remake does offer an immense improvement on the character of Tommy Ross, here played by Ansel Elgort. He's much more in tune with the psyche of a high school jock than William Katt ever seemed to be.
There is too much emphasis in the remake on the prom scene. The entire film essentially serves as a set up to the outrageous and bloody display of mayhem and madness that explodes as a result of Carrie's supernatural power. None of these moments are given time to actually be moments, rather than stepping stones on the way to the finale. Moretz was mis-cast, and Peirce took the bones of a story without taking the muscle. Given that this October has proven to be a pretty slim season for horror and Halloween fans, however, I suppose we'll have to make do with this skeleton of a film.
Still, I can't help thinking back to what the true father of the terror and tragedy that became Carrie White, Mr. Stephen Edwin King, said when he heard that the story was going to be re-adapted, "The real question is why, when the original was so good?"
Why, indeed, Mr. King? Why, indeed.
Carrie (1976)
5-Totally Terrifying
4-Crazy Creepy
3-Fairly Frightening
2-Slightly Scary
1-Hardly Horror
Carrie (2013)
5-Totally Terrifying
4-Crazy Creepy
3-Fairly Frightening
2-Slightly Scary
1-Hardly Horror
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