Carrie

CARRIE

Director : Kimberley Peirce

Year : 2013

Genre : Horror

Rating : **

 

Much like Gus Van Sant's 'Psycho', 'Carrie' is a film that beggars the question, why was it made? Sticking so close to the 1976 Brian De Palma classic, the film only comes across as perfunctory and useless to those who have seen the much more superior original version. Rather than expanding the popular Stephen King novel beyond it's basic elements, director Kimberley Peirce chooses to copy entire set pieces and lines of dialogue from the De Palma adaptation and this only increases the odd and superficial nature of the picture, leaving us waiting for the various iconic scenes that made the 1976 film so important and striking. Lacking the tension, the emotion or the overwhelming tragedy of the story or the original movie, 'Carrie' is a film that perfectly demonstrates why remakes are pointless and damaging to the legacy of the initial pictures they leech from.

Carrie White is a socially awkward and bullied schoolgirl who discovers that she has telekenetic powers after being pushed too far by those who torment her. Sheltered by her ultra religious and psychotic mother, she is completely outcast from her peers, but when she is hideously humiliated at the school prom, the town she lives in discovers the extent of her destructive and potentially deadly capabilities.

With great films under her belt such as 'Boys Don't Cry' and 'Stop - Loss', director Kimberley Peirce has gained something of a good reputation in Hollywood so she may have been a good choice to helm a new version of the classic story. However, rather than exploring and expanding the well known tale, she is merely happy enough to follow the story practically verbatim and this does immediately drain the picture of any drama or even threat. I remember watching 'Carrie' for the first time as an adolescent and being completely sideswiped not only by the horror, but also the astonishing way in which De Palma created a portrait of a young teenager being bullied. Around the same time, I too was experiencing horrible torment from my peers and after having watched the film, I remember feeling very emotional and somewhat melancholic. For this reason, 'Carrie' still holds a special place in my heart and remains of the most personal films ever made for me. Watching this remake, it does seem that the director and the producer cares little about the underlying tragedy of the story, but rather the violence and the amount of gore they can throw in. 'Carrie' was never about violence, it was about the way in which we try and often fail to overcome overwhelming pressure and crippling fear.

Whatever you may think about the Brian De Palma film, there is no doubt that Sissy Spacek completely inhabited the role of the almost Shakesperean Carrie White. Bringing a heartbreaking vulnerability but also blind naiviety to the central antihero, Spacek would not only gain massive critical praise for her performance but would also be nominated for an Academy Award. Taking on the role this time is Chloe Grace Moretz who is best known for playing Hit Girl in the hugely popular 'Kick Ass' series as well as Abby in the utterly rubbish 'Let Me In' and she has proven in these films that no matter what the quality of the overall picture is, she will always try her hardest and bring her A game to every single character she plays. 'Carrie' is absolutely no different and if it wasn't for the fact that she was following in the footsteps of Sissy Spacek, her portrayal of Carrie would be considered brilliant. However, she pales in comparison to Spacek's wholly flawless portrayal of the broken and tormented wallflower.

While Sissy Spacek was fantastic, nothing can compare to Piper Laurie's unbelievable personification of Carrie's psychotic mother, who is easily one of the most terrifyingly deranged characters in the history of the horror genre. Cementing everything that is wrong with religion, Margaret White drilled her way into our psyches and just like her costar, would earn a nomination for a best supporting actress Oscar. Playing Mrs. White this time is another superb actress, the spectacular Julianne Moore who is always a joy to watch on screen. However just like Moretz, she can't help but be overshadowed by the much stronger performance that preceded her. Basically copying the same idiosyncracies and insanity that Laurie brought to the role, Moore does nothing but imitate the shrieking madness that made the character so spine chilling to begin with and this dramatically reduces the terror and trepidation generated.

It may not have been perfect, but 1976's 'Carrie' still remains one of the most influential, terrifying and moving horror movies ever made. While the production values may be better and the special effects are certainly more convincing than it's predecessor, this adaptation lacks any of the elements that made the original so epochal. I would love to say that this remake is better than so many other of the awful recent  're imaginings' of classic shockers, but it really isn't. They may be terrible but at least 'Halloween', 'Black Xmas' and 'A Nightmare On Elm Street' tried to expand on their originals. This film doesn't even try.