Movie Info
Movie Name: Carrie
Studio: Trilogy Entertainment Group
Genre(s): Horror
Release Date(s): November 4, 2002
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Sucks to be Carrie White
Carrie White (Angela Bettis) was always an outcast…then something happened that changed everything. Sue Snell (Kandyse McClure) finds herself being questioned by police about Carrie White, her boyfriend Tommy Ross (Tobias Mehler), Carrie’s tormenter Chris Hargensen (Emilie de Ravin), and the events that led up to the Ewen High School prom. Sue reveals to Detective John Mulcahey (David Keith) that Carrie White wasn’t like other girls, and the world was about to find out.
Directed by Bryan Fuller (who also adapted the screenplay), Carrie was a made-for-TV horror film. The movie was the second adaptation of Stephen King’s classic 1974 novel and followed Brian De Palma’s Carrie in 1976 and the sequel Carrie 2: The Rage in 1999. It aired on NBC on November 4, 2002 and the film received poor reviews.
Don’t worry, Carrie…you’ll love prom! You look great in red.
I saw a bit of Carrie when it was on, and I mostly recall the ending. If watch the film, it generally follows King’s story with toned down visuals and dialogue, but the bullying feels like it was raised and modernized (slightly). Due to the plotline of the film, a ******spoiler alert****** is in effect for the rest of the review.
The story for Carrie is generally known at this point and has become a cultural touch point (aka the famous prom ending). This movie goes a bit closer to the book with the story being recounted by Sue Snell to officers after the fact. It also goes into the strange connection that Sue and Carrie had at the end of her rampage. What is different is that the movie takes a left turn near the very end that you wouldn’t see coming if you were familiar with the text.
In this version, Carrie lives. The movie was intended to be a backdoor pilot for a potential Carrie series (I guess Carrie would just wander around like The Incredible Hulk or something). Sue takes Carrie to Florida to live her life. It is odd and feels like a copout (especially considering the long runtime of the movie). This is added to a script that is less visual and impressive than De Palma’s much older version.
No matter what version, there is something very tragic about this scene that you don’t want it to happen
What can’t be faulted is the cast. Angela Bettis has made a career out of being the outsider and is a decent choice for Carrie (though I don’t like the decision to have her powers be almost seizure like when she’s using them). Patricia Clarkson likewise is a good choice for Margaret White but she pales in comparison to Piper Laurie’s take. Future Battlestar Galactica vet Rena Sofer plays the sometimes sympathetic Sue Snell while Lost alum Emilie de Ravin plays the pretty girl villainous Chris Hargensen in all her nastiness. Rena Sofer’s take on Ms. Desjarden is good and I like that Ginger Snaps star Katharine Isabelle plays Chris equally vindictive friend Tina.
Carrie is an odd and forgettable remake. The movie feels muted due to the TV nature (which didn’t necessarily need to be the case if you saw films like Salem’s Lot or even later TV series like Hannibal), but it also didn’t need to be gorier. In fact, Carrie didn’t need to exist at all. This version of the film doesn’t add to the story and doesn’t really look at it any different than the superior 1976 version. Carrie again was brought to the screen in 2013 starring Chloë Grace Moretz.
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