In 1976, Brian De Palma brought “Carrie” to
terrifying life in a film considered by many who have seen it as a classic of
the horror genre.
Oscar-nominated performances and still timely
themes surrounding religion and teen bullying have cemented De Palma's 'Carrie'
as one of the most well-respected horror films of the past 40 years.
With such a reputation to live up to, Kimberly
Peirce's 2013 "Carrie" feels as though it's afraid to be different,
much like its teen protagonist.
Wrongly billed as a "re-imagining" of
Stephen King's classic novel, "Carrie" tells the story of a sheltered
high school girl who discovers that she has telekinetic powers after being
bullied and ridiculed by her classmates.
If kids with cell phones speaking different slang
are all that set this "re-imagining" apart from De Palma's original,
then Peirce and her creative team need detention and prom privileges revoked.
While teen angst is timely as ever, especially in
today's cyber age, Peirce doesn't bring much to the table in terms of
presentation.
The production design, from Carrie’s house, to the
school and the prom, looks and feels exactly like the original.
The script, from original “Carrie” screenwriter
Lawrence D. Cohen and “Glee” producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, features dialogue
that sounds verbatim to Cohen’s 1976 screenplay.
That being said, the new scenes tacked onto
the script were executed rather well.
The film’s chilling opening sequence features
Carrie’s mother, Margaret White (Julianne Moore) wailing for help and
forgiveness from a bed strewn with bloodstained sheets.
If the screams of agony weren’t frightening
enough, several religious icons and grotesquely melted candles litter the bedroom, lending a creepy Gothic vibe to a bizarre scene
that concludes with Margaret giving birth to Carrie in the bed.
Later on, after finally accepting Tommy Ross’s
invitation to prom, Carrie gleefully goes to a store to pick out fabric for a
dress – giving the audience a glimpse of how she feels coming into her own,
despite an abusive mother and mean classmates.
Give all credit to Chloe Grace Moretz for stepping
out of Sissy Spacek's shadow and making this role her own.
With every timid look, smile and tear shed, her
emotions feel genuine and confident — qualities sorely lacking from the rest of
the production.
As for Margaret, Moore is the only choice for the
character made famous by Piper Laurie's grim, Oscar-nominated performance.
Since I only first saw the original after finding
out about this remake, I could only see Moore whenever Laurie was onscreen.
Moore is nothing short of terrifying in her turn
as Carrie's religious fanatic mother.
Though it's well acted, Peirce's
"Carrie" is an unnecessary impersonation of a superior film with
important themes that still hold up today.
Save yourself the price of a prom ticket and watch the 1976 version of
"Carrie" on Netflix this Halloween.
6.5/10
Good review Ben. While I can see why you liked this, I just can't agree. This, to me, felt like a new low for remakes and one that didn't quite ruin the legacy of the original, but made it shine a whole lot brighter as being a signature piece of horror from the 70's.
ReplyDeleteYeah, at any rate, it definitely makes DePalma's version look better. This new one just feels really superfluous in the end.
ReplyDeleteAlso, a quick question if you'll indulge me:
I'm hoping to begin an examination of how & why internet content spreads to the places it does. Specifically Im looking at my Blogger metrics for that kind of information. But im wondering how you read my reviews. Where do you, personally, first see them? What kind of device do you read them on?
How do my posts reach you?