Carrie (2013)

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     With almost a complete absence of original films, who knows what’s going on with the latest remake/reboot/redo/sequel/prequel/mashup in theaters right now. What to call them? How to judge them? Sit back and enjoy them? Sure, that’s easy enough, but most of them are lame. Horror flick Carrie hits theaters this month and before I get into how it compares to the book, let’s consider what to call it. Back when Total Recall came out in 2012, everyone called it a remake because the Arnold Schwarzenegger version from 1990 is based on the same short story by Phillip K. Dick. It’s not a remake, it’s just another adaptation. The same is true with Carrie. It isn’t a remake, it’s simply based on the same book. And just like the new Total Recall, the new Carrie is useless, boring; total trash.

     I mean, it’s got good things going for it. Chloe Grace Moretz (Carrie) is a great young actress. She’s becoming quite the star. She does a decent enough job, but Sissy Spacek gave a much better performance. Julianne Moore (Margaret White) is an Academy Award winning actress, she can blow you away! But it seems a bit redundant to have an Oscar winner try to fill a role that was already nominated for an Oscar. In terms of film rewards, you literally can’t get any better than that. It makes you wonder…why was this movie even made? Well, I know why…because the recent trend is that really bad horror films make a lot of money. Insidious Chapter 2, widely considered terrible in comparison to the original, broke box office records. No matter how bad modern horror films are, they make loads of money.

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     The one aspect of the new Carrie that earns it points is its attempt to be more like Stephen King’s classic novel. It’s a pretty weak attempt but it gives us more moments taken right from the book than the Brian De Palma’s 1976 version. We see Margaret White giving birth to Carrie after she initially assumes the baby is cancer. We get more backstory involving Carrie’s father. All of these things are fleshed-out in the book but merely mentioned in the movie. It’s nice that the filmmakers tried to incorporate more of the book into their movie, but it feels hollow next to the book.

     The movie also contains a few excellent gore-filled horror scenes. None of them appear in the novel, but they add to the viewing experience. The scene when Chris and Tommy pay their due by Carrie’s carnage is brutal but wonderfully executed; an excellent use of slow motion. You really feel Carrie’s rage when she urns their tricks against them.

     This movie is obviously worse than the book. Even on its own it’s just bad. This movie was essentially made for those young enough to not have heard of either the book or the 1976 movie. But then again, it’s rated R. No one under 17 can buy a movie ticket! I don’t know what the purpose of this movie is. Don’t go see it. Read the book instead.

Carrie

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     Carrie is a classic, plain and simple, and Brian De Palma’s 1976 version is almost as famous as the book itself. Stephen King’s first published novel, Carrie is a terrifying tale about a lonely high school girl with telekinetic powers. Her overly-religious mother and her over-the-top evil classmates make her life a living Hell. Finally one day she snaps and everyone in her small Maine town pays the price. We all know about the dreaded prom scene. It’s a classic horror moment. The image of Sissy Spacek drenched in blood in her gown is ingrained in many a mind. But which does it better, the movie or the book?

     Having never seen the movie all the way through or read the book, I dove into the pages with no real expectations. I was surprised, though, that the Carrie in the book is so very different from the Carrie in the movie. King describes her as dopey, overweight, and spotted with pimples on her neck and back. Sissy Spacek is arguably very pretty and a poor choice for a teen misfit. Especially in the prom scene, Spacek looks truly beautiful. As far as performance goes, however, Spacek nails it. You can’t help but feel horrible at the way she is treated by the other girls. The book fleshes out the tension and makes it more believable, but I found it impossible to accept that kids are that mean to each other. I think today Carrie would be quite popular, at least the way she is depicted in the movie.

     Don’t get me wrong, I loved the film. It’s so rare that a horror movie is actually, well…good, and not just there for scares. I’m amazed at how 70s and 80s horror movies found excellent directors to tell their tales. These days you’ve rarely if ever heard of the man behind the camera of a popular horror film. De Palma has made many classics in many genres (Mission: Impossible, The Untouchables, Snake Eyes) but take for example the director of the upcoming Carrie remake, Kimberly Peirce. Who’s ever heard of her? She’s practically a no-name. Gone are the John Carpenters, James Whales, and if I may say so, Steven Spielbergs of yesteryear who made excellent horror movies that did more than just make you jump.

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     Other highlights of De Palma’s version include performances by John Travolta and William Katt, not to mention Piper Laurie who was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Carrie’s mother. Although none of these characters are completely true to their literary counterparts, they all do wonderfully in their roles. Travolta plays Billy, a loser who dresses like a 50s greaser even though it’s 1976. He is hilarious as a back-talking jerk. I’ve never been so taken by Travolta as I was by him in that role. Katt plays Tommy Ross, the nice popular kid who takes Carrie to prom as a favor to his girlfriend. He’s great; very likable and funny. And of course there’s Laurie as Margaret White. She is pure evil even though she thinks she stands for all things good and Godly. You simply can’t help but hate the way she treats Carrie. It’s a role that could be played out real cheesy, but Laurie does a fine job.
     On all counts the book is better (of course) but I will give the movie one thing: the ending. Prom Night is better on the screen. The book takes a whole 100 pages to describe an event that plays out over less than an hour. The book’s description is all-encompassing, presenting multiple views on the same event, but after a while it becomes tiresome. Every character describing the event says the same thing (“I’d never met Carrie White, but I just knew it was her”) and it becomes too much. The movie has great fun showing you what happens rather than telling you.

     The book has the final say, though, if just for the brilliant ending (which sadly the movie ignores entirely). The book continuously brings up the possibility that Carrie’s powers are genetic and could pop up anywhere in any child. Most people say it’s foolish to believe so, but the final page gives the reader a terrifying account of a little girl playing with marbles…with her mind!!!

Check out my book-to-movie comparison of the upcoming Carrie remake starring Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore out October 18.