The original, 1976's
Carrie, based off of a book written by Stephen King ("Misery"), was directed by Brian De Palma and starred Sissy Spacek as Carrie White. A great film. But, I wanted to point out that I recently watched the 2002 remake. It was a television movie, directed by David Carson and starred Angela Bettis in the lead role. But, it's not the direction of the film or the acting that stood out, it was the writing. So, after the film ended I felt compelled to see who had made all these small but clever changes from the original feature film, that gave it that je ne sais quoi. Lo and behold, it was Bryan Fuller. Who is the creator of two of my favorite series,
Pushing Daisies and more recently,
Hannibal.
Why do I bring this up? For one, anyone that likes
Carrie should give the 2002 remake a gander. Just try to ignore the shotty special effects. And two, it means I'm softening my stance on this new remake, as I am more open to watching it, hoping that it too can add a fresh, modern take on the material.
A reimagining of the classic horror tale about Carrie White (Chloë Grace Moretz), a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother (Julianne Moore), who unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom.
The quiet suburb of Chamberlain, Maine, is home to the deeply religious and conservative Margaret White (Moore) and her daughter, Carrie (Moretz). Carrie is a sweet but meek outcast whom Margaret has sheltered from society. Gym teacher Miss Desjardin (Judy Greer) tries in vain to protect Carrie from local mean girls led by the popular and haughty Chris Hargenson (Portia Doubleday, Youth in Revolt), but only Chris’ best friend, Sue Snell (Gabriella Wilde, The Three Musketeers), regrets their actions. In an effort to make amends, Sue asks her boyfriend, high school heartthrob Tommy Ross (newcomer Ansel Elgort), to take Carrie to prom. Pushed to the limit by her peers at the dance, Carrie unleashes telekinetic havoc. Brian De Palma’s 1976 film version of CARRIE earned Oscar nominations for stars Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie.
CARRIE - directed by Kimberly Peirce, from a screenplay written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa; Based on the Novel by Stephen King. The includes: Chloë Grace Moretz, Judy Greer, Portia Doubleday, Alex Russell, Gabriella Wilde, Ansel Elgort and Julianne Moore. The horror film opens in theaters October 18.