Brian De Palma’s original Carrie (1976) holds a special place in my heart for several reasons. It was the first rated “R” movie I ever saw, and it was the first movie I ever saw on VHS. It also paved the way to my lifelong love affair with horror movies. I remember sitting in my best friend’s basement with her family’s brand new video player and being absolutely terrified as I watched one of my favorite books (written by Stephen King) come to life on the tiny television screen in front of me. I had nightmares for weeks after I saw it. So I went into this remake with a bit of trepidation. How could this updated film top the original?
Well, it can’t. Director Kimberly Peirce’s version of the horror classic is a serviceable bit of filmmaking, but it’s completely unimaginative and doesn’t add anything new to the original story. It’s literally a scene-by-scene retread of De Palma’s film with a hip young cast and some impressive special effects. Consequently, the film feels a bit dull and tired.
Carrie has an above average cast. Chloe Grace Moretz (Let Me In) comfortably steps into Sissy Spacek’s shoes and pulls it off quite well, although I found her a little over the top in the film’s final third. Julianne Moore is excellent as her crazy religious zealot mother. The two play off one another well, and their complicated love/hate relationship is fully fleshed out, adding a bit more depth to the story. Carrie is devastated by her mom’s frequent confessions that she wanted to kill Carrie at birth (and that birth scene is harrowing). Funny girl Judy Greer plays it straight as the kindly gym teacher who befriends Carrie when she is taunted in gym class after getting her period.
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