The New Carrie Is Bloody Good

Cooper Irons ’17 / Emertainment Monthly Staff

It’s easy to watch the 1976 horror classic Carrie now and wonder, “What if?” What if this were modern day? What if we were given a little more insight to those who surround her? Those curious enough needn’t wonder any longer because the answer has come; and Kimberly Pierce’s retelling of the prom night from hell and the girl who sparked it is all too satisfying.
However, those looking for a by-the-book reheated rundown from the Sissy Spacek affair will find this teen tragedy a little too ambitious on its rightful perch. After all, Pierce is clearly aiming to please fans of the original Stephen King novel, an all too smart move. With the abandonment of what we learned from Spacek, we’re given Chloë Grace Moretz‘s interpretation, who actually has a voice. We’re rooting more for her than anything else. Spacek’s Carrie was more socially awkward while Moretz’s has a curiosity that Pierce taps into when allowing her to explore her telekinetic powers. Nevertheless, Chamberlain’s doomsday is still deliciously rewarding.
Less so is Julianne Moore as the ultimate Smother Mother. While Moore is able to deliver Margaret White’s lines of manic Christian scramble sans a speculative eyebrow-cock, she never hits the witchy, scary stride of Piper Laurie. But, then again, Moore’s humble Cape Cod is more commonplace and conservative than Laurie’s cave of Catholicism worship that spooked like a haunted house. However, Carrie’s classmates prove to be exceptionally impressionable, whether they’re chasing her with pitchforks or trying to embrace her. The latter includes Ansel Elgort‘s charming and cuddly jock Tommy Ross. Moretz and Elgort have so much chemistry that it’s easy to get swept up in Carrie White’s own prom fantasy and believe that a picturesque ending is possible.
Carrie‘s greatest gift seems to be its outsmarting tantalization of what we thought we already knew. The dedication and commitment to the King novel results in a creepy and captivating tale. Spacek seemed to have only scratched Carrie White’s surface, where Moretz viciously claws her way into the rubble only to revel in a fierce and biting script. Carrie is one piece that is wicked spellbinding when tampered with.
Carrie hit theaters Oct. 18.
Check out the trailer:

Stills from the film: