Old Vs. New: Carrie

Contrary to the popular belief that remakes can never surpass the original, the 2013 adaptation of Stephen King’s first novel Carrie is a huge improvement from the 1976 classic.

Carrie is the story of a 16-year-old telekinetic girl who was being bullied at school and sheltered by a fanatically religious mother. Carrie eventually gets pushed way too far at prom and unleashes her devastating power on everyone. Most people know the details by now; for those who don’t, that’s all I can tell you.

The 1976 movie adaptation is a classic for all the good reasons. It is chilling because it rings true to our fears when it comes to both conventional society and public relations. It highlights religion as a potential obstacle to progress; at least, that’s the interpretation most people get from it. True to its source material, Carrie is a compelling and effective cautionary tale about bullying.

The same is true for the 2013 remake, but it is neatly updated to its present-day setting and with additional depth to the story and its characters.

The horror is quite subdued. The heightened suspense and drama intensifies the thrilling climax that followed.

I think the movie doubles as a commentary on the present American society and its various ups and downs. Adults Are Useless but only because they're either just as clueless as the teenagers they handle or spread out too thin keeping things how they should be. I especially enjoyed this one: the tanned brunette Chris Hargensen is just as vicious as her pretty blonde counterpart in 1976, but she is also, quite plainly, just a spoiled brat.

The special effects achieved where the "original" didn't. In 1976, movie trends and conventions were obviously limited and some of those which were used came out silly (the music and Psycho Strings, for example). This remake had the perfect tools to intensify the horror of the story throughout the movie. The camera angles and additional scenes give the movie the right tone and atmosphere and, surprisingly, humanizes almost ALL characters.

If it counts, the new Carrie is a marvelous example of Characterization Marches On. In this adaptation, nobody is completely good or evil even though Carrie and Sue are obviously the most sympathetic ones. It feels a lot like Mean Girls where Regina George is the way she is because she has lousy parents. The school bullies are self-centered kids; the gym teacher is a well-meaning but misguided counselor; and Sue Snell and Tommy Ross are pretty much Average Joes that just want to do the right thing for once.

Julianne Moore's performance can remind you of Sigourney Weaver as Lady Claudia in Snow White: A Tale of Terror. She was frightening, menacing, and sympathetic, all at the same time. Julianne Moore, unsurprisingly, exceeds expectations in her performance as Margaret White. The script, thankfully, gives the character depth. Her moral dimensions are badly warped, but she does love Carrie, somewhat. Chloë Grace Moretz also delivered excellently as the title character. Both actresses handled the dynamic as the dysfunctional religious family in the suburbs in Maine.

Oh yeah, there are nice touches of realism in the script, too. Mrs. White has a job; she's not entirely a Complete Monster; and she and Carrie actually genuinely love each other. They just have really serious problems especially because Mrs. White's morality and reality are badly warped. It's an improvement; the 1976 adaptation was more faithful to the book in that aspect, but this new addition gives it a refreshing touch and therefore a more horrific and heartbreaking dynamic between the two characters.

The prom scene and the preceding telekinesis clips are impressive. We see an immensely satisfying destruction to the school gym and everyone who hurt Carrie there. I felt exactly the way I did when I first read the book when I was 13.