FILM REVIEW: Carrie (2013)

Carrie (2013) is a 2013 horror film based on the story by Stephen King, there was an earlier film adaption starring Sissy Spacek. The film stars Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore and was released in the US on 18^th October 2013. It was directed by Kimberley Peirce and written by Lawrence D Cohen and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

PLOT

A reimagining of the classic horror tale about Carrie White, a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother, who unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom.

WHY I WATCHED

I can barely remember Carrie but there isn’t a lot to remember when you think about it, the plot is concise it is the scares that bring you to the theatre. I’m a fan of Chloe Grace Moretz and when I did the sums I figured it was hard to do this remake badly so I took the plunge.

WHAT I THOUGHT

Does what it says on the tin is probably the easiest way to sum things up. What this film succeeds in doing is taking a plot premise in this case revenge and dressing it up in a believable way. For instance it was just hard watching ‘the’ scene where between Carrie’s ignorance and the cruel streak of the girls around her the darkness inside and her powers are formed.

One of the most interesting things is the boyfriend of the popular girl, Sue who is actually a pretty stand up guy and calls her out on the prank and is initially very against the whole prom date but then when he agrees he treats her properly. Sue’s apology is more from a place of guilt than anything.

We need him to balance out the bitchy, evil and crazy that is most of the other characters in this film. We feel sympathy for Carrie but she is far from normal thanks to her severely messed up childhood and as the finale of the film shows she carried a darkness too.

The final act of the film from Prom onwards is pretty spectacular though I don’t think I would call it scary, tastefully gruesome? Yeah but nothing that is likely to give you nightmares, no that would be more likely from the opening act than of the final one. The effects are wonderful and draw you in just like they should in brief moments it could be compared to Chronicle which blew my mind.

All in all I would say if you have seen the original Carrie it is worth taking a look at this one, it offers something unique and well-made not just another lazy remake, if you have never seen Carrie then you should check this out as a Horror not likely to trouble those of a delicate disposition and hey there’s Chloe Grace Moretz so you might as well get on board with that hype train because she is destined for huge things.