Carrie was Stephen King’s first book to be published in 1974
and remains one of his most popular pieces of work. So much so that it received three film
adaptations, in addition one of them received a sequel, there is a Broadway
musical adaptation and has been referenced in several films and TV shows.
My personal favourite adaptation is the most recent, made in
2013 by director Kimberly Peirce starring Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore.
I’m sure a lot will disagree, after all the first adaptation made in 1974 by
Brian De Palma is considered a classic and cultural icon, also being a rare
horror film to receive Academy Award nominations. The 2002 adaptation also has
a few fans as well, as it is considered ‘more faithful’ to the book. In this
review I’ll be looking into the three film adaptations and how they represent
the book. I will be explaining why I feel the 2013 adaptation better represents
the book and why I feel it’s a great film in it’s own right.
This is a spoiler-heavy review on all them, here’s a summary
of the story for all of them:
Carrie White is a
teenage girl who has lived her whole life in abuse from her overly religious
mother, Margaret, and bullies at school. After a humiliating experience when
she receives her first period in the school showers, she begins to discover
she’s able to move things with her mind. When the girls at school are punished
for the way treated Carries, one of the girls, Sue Snell, decides to make it up
to her by getting her boyfriend, Tommy Ross, to take Carrie to the prom in her
place. Carrie accepts against the pleading from Margaret not to. While evil
girl, Chris Hargensen, wants revenge on Carrie for her punishment and she and
her boyfriend, Billy Nolan, rig the prom ballots so Carrie will crowned Prom
Queen and then dump pigs blood on her. This sets Carrie power to go into
overdrive and kill almost everyone at the prom.
Structure
The Book
·
The book has an interesting structure, it’s non-linear
and is almost like a case study on the horrific event and Carrie White herself.
There are no real chapter breaks; the novel is in two parts with an epilogue.
Instead there are scenes that are separated by extracts from newspaper
articles, books, interviews etc. The book is also relatively short compared to
most of Stephen King’s work; the copy I own is 242 pages long. It is very much
an anti-bullying story, an allegory for real-life tragedies caused by bullying
and abuse. With the telekinesis used as a metaphor for finding your inner power
and the misuse of it.
1976 Film
·
Director Brian De Palma abandons King’s
non-linear structure and omits all the extracts and interviews to tell it as a
straightforward story. De Palma’s adopts his unusual style of directing, giving
the film an art-film like style. The film mostly plays out like an unsettling
teen-drama that becomes a horror in the third act.
2002 Film
·
The 2002 adaptation is a TV film, which served as
a pilot for a TV series that didn’t go ahead. This film attempts to stick
King’s non-linear style by breaking up scenes with detectives interviewing
survivors of the tragic event. The film is pretty much an investigation drama
and a supernatural teen-drama.
2013 Film
·
Kimberly Peirce, like De Palma, tells the story
more straightforward however she weaves King’s social commentary into the story
more and updating it to fit today’s audience. She tells the story as like a
superhero origin story with an anti-bullying message and a tragic ending.
Characters
Carrie White
The Book
·
Despite being the title character, she feels
less of a protagonist and more of a subject. She was considered by many to be ugly
and overweight, incredibly shy and awkward. In scenes where the reader gets to
spend with time with her, she displays rebellion against her mother, even using
profanity. There was this suggestion that she was never a weak person, just
that people made her think she was. When
she discovers her powers, she’s able to stand up for herself and let her true
self come out. She also displays quite a sense of humour especially at the prom
with Tommy and his friends, telling jokes. Her physical flaws are emphasised
quite a bit in the first half being overweight, spotty and having colourless
hair, while the second half the narrator states it as fact that Carrie is
beautiful.
1976 Film
·
Played by Sissy Spacek, she does capture the shy
and awkward loner pretty well. She’s also likeable and is easy to feel sorry
for that you want to root for things to go her way. What I feel lacks in her
performance is the rebellious side, even when she stands up to Margaret it
doesn’t feel earned and comes across as forced. The sense of humour seems to be
lacking as well, she still comes across as awkward during the prom when she’s
socialising. The most memorable part of her performance, most likely what got
her nominated, was the death stare she gave during the prom massacre. Just the
image alone of her standing wide-eyed covered in blood. God that look is scary!
2002 Film
·
Played by Angela Bettis, she was considered to
be the highlight of the film even by the haters. Like Spacek she nails the
awkward loner but she’s able to display Carrie’s sense of humour as well. In
fact I enjoy some her comebacks (Chris “She tried to talk me into getting Botox”,
Carrie “Maybe she thought you needed it”) and I laughed when she was secretly
reading teen magazines in her praying closet. However she lacks the rebellious
side in the confrontational sense, she seems way to calm throughout the rage
towards the end doesn’t feel warranted.
2013 Film
·
Played by Chloe Grace Moretz, I want to start by
saying that I do not agree with the criticisms that she was miscast for being
too pretty. It did not matter, she gave a stellar performance. Also pretty
people get bullied too, even Moretz herself has said she was bullied in real
life. In fact I have a point to make later how physical beauty is portrayed in
the film. I also feel they were successful in making her look awkward compared
to the other teenage girls, for example she’s clearly younger than them which
works because Carrie is a late bloomer, it’s easier to buy that we’re watching
a girl become a teenager. What Moretz nails is the awkward feelings to be
around other people, I remember being an awkward teenager myself and doing what
she did, shrug my shoulders, fold my arms, hesitate etc. I also loved watching
her grow in confidence as the film goes on. We get to bits of it early as she
angrily tells her mother why she’s wrong about the bible and why she’s the
sinner, so you can the strong person she can become. I love seeing bits of Carrie’s
dark side, like knocking the knife on the floor to scare her mother and that
smile on her face as she does it. She’s also quite likeable, Moretz has got a
lot of charm in her facial expressions and line deliveries that you would like
to interact with her.
Margaret White
Book
·
Margaret is highly religious and mentally
unstable, she’s quite reclusive and looks down on other people, believing everything
they do is a sin. She met Ralph White and they had sex once out of wedlock,
feeling guilty they vowed never again even after they were married. Then one
night he raped her and she enjoyed it, which conceived Carrie. Ralph later dies
and Margaret believed her pregnancy was a cancer from God as punishment.
1976 Film
·
Played by Piper Laurie, she’s portrayed as much
less reclusive than the other versions as she goes to other people’s house in
attempt to convert them to Christianity. It’s also implied she does her bit for
the church too. This is the most over the top portrayal; she’s quite theatrical
in most of her line deliveries that it’s hard to take her seriously at times.
Laurie is able to add depth when Margaret reveals her backstory to Carrie. But
then it goes comical when she takes pleasure in stabbing Carrie and then
getting stabbed herself.
2002 Film
·
Played by Patricia Clarkson, who does a great
job with what she’s given to work with. Due to a lot of obvious censoring, the
religiousness and disturbing aspects of the character are toned down. Very
little is revealed about her backstory and her screen time is minimised to just
her essential scenes.
2013 Film
·
Julianne Moore plays her and I’m just going to
say it, she deserved an Oscar. She was terrifying! Closer to the book, Margaret
is not just an overly religious person but also is someone with mental health
issues. It’s heavily suggested she doesn’t understand Christianity very well as
she mentions things that aren’t even in the bible. In most of her scenes we see
her self-harming in disturbing ways. Unlike Laurie and Clarkson who look well
groomed, Moore constantly looks haggard and her hair is messy. I also like that
they humanise her, we see her drive a car, we see at her job as a seamstress. I
also like the motherly-love she displays in between the abuse, I do believe she
genuinely loves Carrie and wants to be a good mother, like when she let her out
of the closet she gives Carrie something to eat, kisses her and plaits her
hair. This is the most maternal portrayal of Margaret, the other versions
including the book she displays very little love. She’s still a scary character
but she’s also easy to sympathise with.
Sue Snell
Book
·
Sue was one of girls, who bullied Carrie but
feels really bad about it, even after being punished. She attempts to make it
up to Carrie by convincing her boyfriend to take Carrie to prom in her place. After
the disaster she still tries to help Carrie, Carrie forgives her when she could
see into Sue’s mind and see that she never meant any harm. The White Commission
tries to use her as a scapegoat for the incident, but she fights it off and
writes a book telling her perspective of events.
1976 Film
·
Played by Amy Irving, who is likeable enough and
does a great job with what she’s given to work with. This version is largely
downplayed from the book, mainly because the film tries to keep her intentions
unknown to the audience until the third act. Letting the audience think she may
have talked Tommy into taking Carrie to prom because she was in on the prank,
then the audience realise she was not when she sees the rope and bucket. It’s
confusing as she was the first to throw towels at Carrie and scream “Plug it
up” and doesn’t seem to show remorse until the detention scene. We do get to
see her explain she’s trying to help Carrie when she’s confronted by Miss
Collins and later to Frieda but we are still supposed to suspect her. We don’t
see her during the actual prom massacre and she doesn’t go to see Carrie after
either. While we see the guilt she has at the end, having extreme nightmares
about Carrie, we don’t get much personality out of her. Irving was given a
second chance to bring more depth to the character, in the 1999 sequel Carrie 2: The Rage. Where we learn she
spent time in an asylum after the event and became a school counsellor. She notices
student Rachel has telekinesis and discovers that she’s Carrie’s half-sister.
She attempts to warn Rachel but fails as she loses control at a party and Sue
is killed with a spike through the head. While it was nice to see Irving do
more with the role, Sue’s character still suffers from achieving nothing and
being killed off in a pretty dumb way.
2002 Film
·
Played by Kandyse McClure, the film features her
quite heavily in the interview portions as well as the main story. While this
Sue is faithful to the book and we are let in on her good intentions. However I
wasn’t too keen on McClure’s performance, throughout the main story she had the
same facial expression and her line deliveries were quite bland, that I didn’t
really buy her as either a bully or someone who’s remorseful. I did enjoy her
though during the interview scenes, when she was giving her perception on
certain characters and religion there were some dialogue that she was able to
pull it off with a wit in her delivery.
2013 Film
·
Played by Gabriella Wilde, she’s able to bring a
warmth and compassion that was lacking in the previous portrayals. Like in the
book, she feels guilty immediately and confides in Tommy about it. After
accepting her punishment, she realises from Chris that it was about getting to
go to prom, which drives her to the decision to not go and get Tommy to take
Carrie in her place. There’s a moment in the book where Sue thinks she maybe
pregnant, here it’s expanded upon – Carrie senses Sue is pregnant with Tommy’s
baby and forces Sue out of the house to safety while it’s crashing down. It
helps serves as a redemptive moment for Carrie who unlike Margaret sees the joy
in pregnancy regardless that it’s out of wedlock, leaves Carrie with hope after
losing the will to live.
Chris Hargensen
Book
·
Chris is the ringleader of the girls who bullied
Carrie, when refusing to go to detention Chris is banned from attending prom.
Chris has little to no redeeming qualities, she’s spoilt, sociopathic with a
history of bullying several girls brutally (firecracker in a girls shoe).
1976 Film
·
Played by Nancy Allen, I feel is way she’s too
likeable to be taken seriously as a horrible person. While she is convincing enough
as the queen bee, most of her scenes are played comically and Chris just comes
across as a cardboard cut out. I don’t mean any disrespect to Allen, after all
she’s Robocop’s badass sidekick Anne Lewis, now that’s the role she was born to
play!
2002 Film
·
Played by Emelie De Ravin, she’s portrayed as almost
pure evil at the start as she declares that she hates Carrie at the beginning
for literally no reason and has a terrible attitude towards teachers in general.
Yet however towards the end she does show a bit of a soft side, as she
hesitates about pulling the rope and is shocked when Billy tries to run Carrie
over. It seems like this Chris is someone who thinks she’s powerful but in fact
she has no power at all.
2013 Film
·
Played by Portia Doubleday, who gives a terrific
performance as this nasty character. She’s convincing as the high school mean
girl, who loves being in control and has a short temper. She’s more sociopathic
than the previous versions, after Billy bashes a pig for her she slits it’s
throat without any hesitation. This Chris is a bit of a social media and
technology addict, she not only filmed the shower incident and posted it
online, one of the first things she does when she gets home is check her
computer. She also can’t resist texting Sue bragging what she’s about to do
with Carrie, despite a warning from Billy. Despite being an evil person, there
are small moments that humanise her, when she sneaks into the auditorium you
see the sadness in her face that she’s missing prom, attempts to check on Tommy
when he’s hit with the bucket and then attempts to text her dad for help in the
midst of the massacre. But ultimately she’s still evil, as when she sees Carrie
on the road she yells at Billy to run her over and even tries to do it herself.
Miss Desjardin
Book
·
She’s like a surrogate mother for Carrie and a
stark contrast to Margaret. While at first disgusted with Carrie and slaps her
during the shower incident, she regrets it and apologises to her. She heavily
sympathises with Carrie, trying to comfort her and severely punish the girls
who bully her. She bonds with Carrie with her own prom story and survives the
prom massacre by escaping through the vents.
1976 Film
·
The character is renamed Miss Collins and is
played by Betty Buckley. While she doesn’t apologise to Carrie for slapping her,
she still sympathises with her and is given a scene encouraging confidence in
Carrie after being asked to prom. Then she confronts Tommy and Sue suspecting
they’re pranking her. Like the book she shares with Carrie her own prom story,
which is a touching moment. This is the only version to be killed during the
prom massacre and quite brutally as Carrie crushes her abdomen with a
basketball rafter. This is likely because through Carrie’s eyes Miss Collins
was laughing at her too.
2002 Film
·
Rena Sofer plays the more badass version of the
character, as she angrily confronts the bullies and throws tampons at them. She
has an aggressive tone with the girls and like the book tells them they are all
ugly. She gets to show her softer side sharing her prom story with Carrie and
telling her that she can put high school life behind her. Like the book she
escapes through the vents and she tells the detective the bizarreness that she
has witnessed.
2013 Film
·
Judy Greer plays the softer portrayal of the
character, when she tells the girls their punishment she’s more calm. When
Chris resists, she tells the girls because of that how severe their punishment
is and has a little gloat. She also displays initiative by bringing up Chris’s video
against her father who attempts to get her fired and get Chris her prom
privileges back. Because Greer is a mostly comedic actress, they do use a bit
of humour, especially her over-the-top dance at the prom. While we don’t get to
see her share her prom story, she still gets the scene like Miss Collins
encouraging confidence in Carrie and confronting Tommy and Chris. Like in the
book, she apologises to Carrie for slapping her. Her kindness has impacted
Carrie, who deliberately levitates her away from electrocution and pushes her
to safety.
Tommy Ross
Book
·
Sue’s boyfriend, whom asks him to take Carrie to
prom. He’s very reluctant at first, believing Sue’s plan to be crazy but goes
ahead with it anyway. He ends up enjoying Carrie’s company at the prom,
possibly even falling for her. Not much is known about Tommy’s personality,
he’s mostly just a nice guy. Although he has a bit of a backstory as he reveals
to Sue he beat another student who used to beat him. After the blood dump, the
bucket drops on his head, which presumably caused his death.
1976 Film
·
Played by William Katt and I have to admit I
can’t take him seriously mainly because I’m always distracted by his blonde
perm. There’s no mention of him beating up someone in his past. He secretly
shows compassion to Carrie in English class, she speaks out saying Tommy’s poem
is ‘beautiful’, which Tommy uses as a way to get her to accept his invitation
to prom.
2002 Film
·
Played by Tobia Mehlor and unfortunately I can
remember hardly anything about his portrayal. He’s mostly a generic good guy
and not much else. Although he does get one standout moment at the beginning,
where he hits a guy for picking on Carrie – which I guess is a nod to his
backstory in the book.
2013 Film
·
Ansel Elgort portrays Tommy and he is very easy
to like, as he does bring personality to the role. Like in the book, he
confesses his backstory to Sue. Tommy sticks up for Carrie in English class
after she reads out a poem and the teacher mocks her. Later he shares her
interest in poetry as a way to bond with her and talk her into going to prom. Elgort
and Moretz have great chemistry on screen, you believe they genuinely enjoy
being with each other. When he tells her “You’re beautiful”, you know he means
it. When the bucket on his kills him, you feel Carrie’s grief that when she
snaps you feel that with her.
Billy Nolan
Book
·
Chris’ abusive and controlling boyfriend and a
gang leader, he conducts the plan for the prank and slaughters a pig.
1976 Film
·
Played by John Travolta and while I do like him
a lot as an actor, he’s easily the biggest miscast out of everyone. I can’t
help but feel this version of Billy was nothing more than proto-Danny Zuko.
Billy is supposed to be an evil gang leader, who is quite abusive and
controlling of Chris. Here he doesn’t seem evil, he’s just pathetic, nothing
more than a doormat to Chris’s evil plan. Even when he slaps her, it’s played
mostly for humour and doesn’t across as abusive and more like a kid lashing
out.
2002 Film
·
Played by Jesse Cadotte, who I got to say gave a
pretty chilling performance, he has such a cold expression in his eyes I
wouldn’t want to go anywhere near him. When he threatens to kill Chris if they
get caught, he barely moves, he just gets under your skin. He’s very
manipulative and controlling that he actually makes Chris look good in
comparison.
2013 Film
·
Played by Alex Russell, who is less cold than
Cadotte but is equally abusive and controlling. Probably physically as he grabs
Chris and threatens her to kill her if they get caught. He also forcefully
stops Chris from texting her dad during the massacre.
Norma/Tina
Book
·
Tina and Norma are friends of Chris who may have
switched the ballots so Carrie can be crowned prom queen. They escape with Miss
Desjardin through the vents and Norma tell her perspective of the events
1976 Film
·
Norma is played by PJ Soles, who plays both
characters’ roles while Tina is just an extra. Norma is Chris’s best friend who
switches the ballots so Carrie would be crowned. Soles gives a memorable
comedic performance and she always wears a redcap in every scene, including the
prom. She does get a lame death though as she’s knocked unconscious with a
firehouse.
2002 Film
·
Katharine Isabelle plays Tina, she is Chris’s
best friend who switches the ballots at prom. Isabelle’s performance is extremely
over the top, every moment you see her onscreen she’s pulling faces and/or
fidgets, which gets so annoying. There’s even a moment where she growls at
Carrie like a dog. Her death couldn’t come sooner for me, as a basketball board
crushes her. Isabelle starred in Ginger Snaps
another horror film which deals with an outcast coming-of-age through
supernatural means and she was great in that film, but awful in this. Norma’s
character, played by Meghan Black, is altered from the book as she’s not
involved in the prank. In fact she’s picked on by Chris and Tina but unlike
Carrie she’s doesn’t let it get it to her, she’s not afraid to speak her mind
and is Class President. Like in the book, Norma survives and gets interviewed
by the detective.
2013 Film
·
Zoe Belkin plays Tina, while Norma is not
present. This is the least memorable depiction as she’s mostly there as Chris’s
right-hand with little personality. She play’s her role of switching the
ballots so Carrie would be crowned, but she also adds to the cruelty by playing
the shower video after the blood dump. Also there’s a subtle look exchange she
and the nasty English teacher share, implying they may be having an affair. She
gets the best death though, as Carrie whips her with electric cables until her dress
catches fire.
Carrie’s Rage
Book
·
After the blood dumping, people laugh
hysterically Carrie runs off the stage as Miss Desjardin tries to help her and
Carrie thinking she’s laughing too forcefully pushes her away. She runs and
gets tripped up which makes the laughter even louder, but she makes it out of
the auditorium. Then she decides to get her revenge, she goes back seals the
doors shut and turns on the sprinklers. Then gets carried away as all she’s got
on her mind is “Power!” and begins killing everyone setting the place on fire
and electrocuting people on the wet floor. Norma says she saw Carrie look
through the window with a smile on her face.
1976 Film
·
I like that we see the laughter through Carrie’s
eyes, we know a lot of people laughed but it’s left up to audience to do decide
if Miss Collins was actually laughing or Carrie just saw it that way. I’d go
with the latter as it would’ve been out of character. Carrie’s widen and
appears to be in a catatonic state and looks around at everything she does. She
seals the doors and sets off the firehouse, kills Miss Collins and sets the
whole place on fire and leaves everyone inside to die. While she was aware of
what she has done, it’s suggested her powers went into overdrive and wasn’t in
control of it. After it’s over, she appears confused and then starts to cry
realising what she’s done.
2002 Film
·
Like the 1976 film, she goes into a catatonic
state however she’s not aware of what she was doing. When it’s over she has no
memory of what happened and is confused.
2013 Film
·
The video of the shower incident is played after
the blood dump, adding to the humiliation. Similar to the book, Carrie runs off
the stage and Miss Desjardin tries to help her and Carrie pushes her away.
However, when Tommy is killed by the bucket she goes back and cries over his
body. The anger she had supressed for years, finally gets the better of her and
lets out her rage with a force knocking everyone down. She has a lot of anger
in her face and she uses her hands to orchestrate her revenge. During the
massacre we start to see her smile as letting out her rage is finally giving
her satisfaction. She self-conscious enough that she’s sure whom she kills and
who she chooses to live. After it’s over she’s distressed over what she’s done,
her revenge fantasy has become a reality as she looks at her hands like Lady
Macbeth.
Other Changes
Both the 2002 and 2013 films take changes that De Palma’s
film has made. Carrie’s prom dress is red in the book, while all three have it
as light pink (all versions of Margaret still see it as red) which is
understandable as blood on red material is not interesting visually, having
blood on a lighter colour makes it stand-out better. In the book, Carrie runs
outside after the blood dumping and creates the massacre while looking through
the window, while all three films have her still on stage. Again it looks
better that way, it shows the power she has over them making her more
dangerous, like a queen.
There’s a scene in the book that was filmed for all versions
but only the 2002 film kept it in. In the scene, Carrie as a child talks to a
teenage girl sunbathing next-door and asks her about her breasts and says only
bad girls get them; then Margaret catches her and drags Carrie into the house
and Carries screams and a rain of stones come down and damages the house. It’s
understandable, despite being referenced a lot in the book it doesn’t seem to
have an impact on the main story and is largely forgotten about in the second
half. The 2002 film might as well have cut it since the scene is never brought
up again. According to De Palma, he cut it because he couldn’t get the stones
to look right but also behind-the-scenes pictures show Spacek also playing the
child version, which is ridiculous because she was 26 at the time (side note
Jodelle Ferland who played Sharon/Alessa from Silent Hill plays young Carrie in 2002 film, while in the deleted
scene for the 2013 version she’s played by Skyler Wexler who played Kira in Orphan Black). The 2013 film was going
to use it as the opening, personally I was happy with the opening scene they
went with and that they moved the hail of stones to the climax as a way of
destroying the house.
The 2013 film takes a lot of scenes and changes from 1976
film, which is most likely why screenwriter Lawrence D. Cohen from that film
was given a co-writer credit. However these are changes/additions De Palma’s
film that I actually quite liked and I feel they work fine Peirce’s film,
probably even better.
·
I already mentioned the poetry scene in both
films and the difference is that it’s Carrie’s poem in the 2013 film. Sue is
also present and she sees Carrie look at Tommy when he sticks up for her, which
gives Sue the idea for Tommy to take Carrie to prom.
·
Miss Desjardin confronts Tommy and Sue about
asking Carrie to prom and asks Tommy if he’s worried looking ridiculous dancing
with her. Sue responds saying, “We don’t care how we look. Do you we?” looking
at Tommy. Tommy doesn’t respond in the original while Tommy here agrees with
Sue.
·
Sue discovers Chris’s plan and tries to put a
stop to it, but Miss Collins/Desjardin thinks Sue is trying to sabotage Carrie
and kicks her out. In the original Sue sneaks to the prom just to watch and
sees the rope and bucket, while in the one Chris texts Sue to brag and Sue goes
to the prom to investigate.
·
Margaret tells Sue Snell’s mother these are
“Godless times”. In the original it’s when she goes to Mrs Snell’s house trying
to convert her to Christianity. In the new film, it’s when Mrs Snell picks up Sue’s
prom dress from the laundrette where Margaret works at. Mrs Snell is
complimenting her work and brags about Sue, while Margaret is secretly digging
a seam-ripper in her leg.
·
Margaret’s Death - In the book and 2002 film,
Carrie makes Margaret’s heart stop beating. In the 1976 film, Carrie with her
powers pins her hands to the doorframes and stabs her with several kitchen and
sewing utensils as they fly into her one-by-one, resembling the crucifix in the
closet. She makes orgasmic sounds as she slowly dies with a smile on her face.
In 2013 film, it’s similar although this time they fly to her at once. She
gasps in pain, Carrie unpins her while she’s still alive and Margaret dies in
her arms.
1976 Film
De Palma’s direction combined with the minimal budget he was
given, gives it the feeling of an art-house film; it’s incredibly beautiful but
it also strange.
Like the opening shower scene, while I’m not one to complain
about the sight of naked beautiful woman taking steaming hot showers,
especially combined with Pino Donaggio’s sensual score. However it’s unreal
when I’m supposed to buy these 20+ looking women as 16-year-old girls and they’re
happily walking around naked; being a guy born in the 90s I can’t definitively
know if teenage girls were actually like this? But from personal experience, I
remember at school the changing rooms being a scary place, I was very insecure
about my body and the none of the boys showered naked, even the ones in good
shape. Nevertheless, it is a wonderfully erotic scene but it shows that De
Palma wasn’t going for realism. It was likely just an excuse for De Palma to
show off eye candy in his film, part of it actress Nancy Allen practically
shakes her breasts to the camera. Another example is the blood-dumping scene, the
amount of time Carrie and Tommy were on stage and the applauding from the crowd
went on so long, Sue spent a lot of time studying the rope and bucket realising
what’s about to happen. Why is this applause still going on? And why is Chris
taking so long to pull the rope? Granted it’s still an intense moment, as the
audience realises Sue was never involved in the prank but they’re with her as she
was so close to putting a stop to it and ultimately failed.
There are also inconsistencies where scenes are placed, for
example - the scene where the auditorium is being decorated which takes place
after Chris and Billy installed the pigs blood, so how did nobody notice it?
That scene also features Norma with her usual pigtails but literally in the
previous scene we see her get her hair done for the prom.
There’s also quite a bit of 70s cheese, like the detention
scene which looked less like a punishment and more of a regular workout with an
added silly score. Which was most likely another excuse for De Palma to add more
eye candy watching these ladies workout in short-shorts. There’s also a cringe
worthy moment where Tommy and friends are trying on tuxedoes and it
fast-forwards a debate they’re having.
Despite my criticisms, I still have to acknowledge the film for
the masterpiece of classic horror that it is. Brian De Palma delivers a
beautiful yet strange feel to the film with odd camerawork, editing which
includes split-screens, as well as an intriguing use of lighting and primary
colours. While the effects haven’t aged well, he makes up for it by creating a
haunting atmosphere that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The ending
dream-sequence to this day still remains one of the most iconic endings that is
both emotional and scary.
Overall as wonderful as the film is, it’s not the adaptation
for me as it is for many fans. But a great film regardless and deserving of
it’s classic status.
2002 Film
Since the 2002 version is TV films, the cinematography shows
that with unimpressive camerawork that looks cheap and very over lit. There’s
also quite a bit censoring with little to no nudity or swearing, the religious
content was watered down and the blood that looks like runny strawberry jam. The
music is awful, it’s so cheesy and at time sounded it belongs in a Disney
Channel Movie.
There’s so much silliness in this film, which makes me
wonder what anyone was thinking. When the girls surround the shower cubicle
looking over Carrie all I could think was ‘What are they standing on?’ In the
next scene, they shove a thousand tampons in her locker again all I could think
is ‘Where did they get so many tampons from?’ Also attempts to modernise the
film, screenwriter Brian Fuller updates and adds dialogue which is just awful
e.g. “This is so far from over, it’s not even in the same area code as over”, “We
should have a rule: If they do something in a Freddie Prinze Jr. movie, we're
not allowed to do it in real life” etc. Speaking of which a pop culture
reference like that has really dated the film, I don’t think Freddie Prinze Jr.
even acts any more.
As you’d expect from a TV film, the special effects are
pretty terrible, there’s a lot of cheap CGI like the rain of stones and the
town destruction with debris flying everywhere. Even the practical effects are
bad, I already mentioned the blood looking but when it was being dumped on her
it looked like it was being shot at her with a big hose.
That’s not to say this film doesn’t have its good merits.
With a longer running time there are scenes that try to flesh out the characters
particularly the teenage girls, even more so than in the book which is what
makes it feel more like a teen drama. I really liked the character Helen,
played by Chelen Simmons, she’s one the girls who bullied Carrie and is
genuinely nice to her at the prom. She even catches on that a prank is about to
be pulled and attempts to put a stop it, then tries to help Carrie after the
blood dump. It was nice to have another character besides Sue who was a bully
actually be nice to Carrie. Her role is similar to Frieda from the book and
other films, however Frieda had nothing to do with bullying Carrie, while Helen
is in the book she’s just a background character. Chris and Sue also get an
extra scene each with Carrie, Chris attempts to manipulate Carrie against Sue,
while Sue attempts to bond with Carrie helping her pick out lipstick.
This is the only version where Carrie lives at the end, as
Sue successfully revives Carrie and helps her fake her death and leave town. It
was mainly done so they can make the TV series, which thankfully didn’t happen.
Although I didn’t care much for this film, I can see why it
appeals to some fans for adding more from the book.
2013 Film
While I’m not saying that the 2013 film is definitively the
best of the adaptations, I feel it better captures what I love about the book
better and is a great film in it’s own right.
Kimberly Peirce goes for a more realistic tone than the
other two, with warm lighting and a soft score by Marco Beltrami. She downplays
the eroticism from the original, there’s no nudity and scenes with the girls in
swimsuits, gym kit and even the sex scene with Tommy and Sue are portrayed in a
non-fetish way.
Peirce focuses on Carrie’s coming-of-age, showing her growth
in confidence as the film goes on. Adding in aspects of a superhero (or even a
supervillain) origin story, with Carrie practising and developing her powers
and using the powers as a metaphor for her growth and femininity. Carrie uses
her telekinesis to even do mundane things, which could serve as a metaphor for
addiction.
This film is updated to fit with modern times but avoids pop
culture references and limits the updates to mobile phones and social media,
which aren’t overused but when they are they actually enhance the story. Chris
films the shower incident and posts it online which is a reference to
cyber-bullying which is a big problem in today’s society. This helps carry the
bullying issues throughout the film, after the video is posted online people
laugh at Carrie where she goes and those who aren’t laughing still look at her.
It also backfires on Chris when her father tries to appeal but refuses to
handover her phone knowing she’ll be caught. It’s also very effective when the
video is shown again after the blood dump adding that extra layer of
unspeakable cruelty and humiliation. I love other ways to keep the bullying
consistent, like the English teacher and yes some teacher are actually like
this and it’s disgusting. The volleyball scene was handled interestingly, when
Carrie accidently hits Sue with the ball everyone laughs and lets Carrie laugh
with them until Chris says “You eat shit” and they laugh at Carrie. It’s
actually a bit of clever foreshadowing, that Carrie will be mislead and then
humiliated.
I love some of the nods the book
·
Margaret listens to Let The Lower Lighter Be Burning and I love the added touch of
having her sing along to it.
·
The principle’s discomfort over the subject of
menstruation but it’s played for humour and even won’t use any words related to
it.
·
When Chris makes an online profile for Carrie
Billy suggests Blood Sport as her
favourite film, which is the title of Part 1 in the book.
Other details I love
·
In the shower scene, Sue is the first to lash
out at Carrie and throw tampons while Chris is at first helpful telling there’s
nothing and tries to give Carrie a tampon. As it escalates the reverse happens,
as Sue stops yelling and throwing and Chris orchestrates the chant “plug it up”
and films Carrie.
·
Before Miss Desjardin slaps Carrie, there’s a
quick shot of the tampons moving by themselves, quite clever that I didn’t
notice on the first viewing.
·
Carrie’s poem Samson Angonistes foreshadows the disaster about to come.
·
After trapping Margaret in the closet, Carrie
plays His Amazing Grace on the radio
as she leaves.
·
Carrie watches Chris show Billy the video and
he’s wearing sunglasses which Carrie sees after Tommy’s death, making her
realise it was them who did this.
·
The reason Chris and Billy have trouble getting
out of the car park is because Sue’s car blocks them in.
·
When Margaret tries to stab Carrie she point the
blade to her eye, just like when she pointed the scissors at baby Carrie at the
beginning. Kind of implies baby Carrie was able to use her powers to stop her
even back then.
Physical beauty plays a great part visually especially when
you look at Carrie, Chris and Sue. Throughout the film Chris has an unnatural
look to her, she wears a lot of makeup and quite a bit of hairspray in contrast
to Carrie who’s beautiful with messy hair and no makeup. There could be a bit
of jealousy that Chris puts a lot of effort in her appearance unlike Carrie who
doesn’t need to. When Carrie and Chris have their showdown, Chris’s face
smashed through the car window and her beautiful face is destroyed, revealing
the true ugliness inside. Then Sue (I got to say Gabriella Wilde is one of the
most beautiful girls I’ve seen in my life) in the first half, she wears makeup
and has perfect hair. In the second half she wears no makeup and unbrushed
hair, while Carrie wears makeup and has perfect hair. When they see each other
at the end, neither are wearing are makeup and have unbrushed hair. Also earlier,
when Carrie looks in a mirror it breaks and later Sue looks at herself through
the same cracked mirror. It’s a nice way of displaying their inner beauty but
also the grey areas of their personalities.
This is not perfect either, from what I read there was a lot
of studio interference. Peirce apparently filmed more scenes from the book, in
attempt to stick to the book’s structure, including The White Commission. These
would’ve helped give this film more of it’s own identity and not be looked as
just another remake. That’s not to say I felt these were essential, I still
think Peirce was able to deliver King’s message and social commentary such as
including the cyber-bullying and not over do it. Some of the special effects
could’ve used a little bit more work, it was obvious when CGI was used, some of
it was used effectively especially when practical effects were used. The final
shot is a bit over the top, with Carrie’s grave cracking over a rock song. I
actually really like the ending itself, with Sue walking through the graveyard
of all the victims and leaves a white rose on Carrie’s vandalised grave, while
we hear her give a cautionary monologue. The white rose at funerals is often a
symbol of hope, purity and promise of heaven, so there’s irony putting it
against a grave with the words “Carrie White Burns In Hell” painted over it.
With the film starting off with Carrie’s birth and ends with her grave, it
feels like a perfect bookend -from cradle to grave. But I feel a slight crack
and no sound would’ve been far more effective.
Overall I love this film and I feel it does justice to the
book. When it comes to adaptations there’s always going to be debate over which
version represents the source material better and what’s better in general.
There are several adaptations of classics like Dracula or Pride &
Prejudice and people are just going to like the version they like and
neither are going to be wrong. Stephen King wrote a beautiful book that
deserves to be taught as literature and so far it’s got three film adaptations
among others that can appeal to different people and help bring a wider
audience to the story.
