What Am I Going To Wear To Prom?

Carrie (2013)

Most of us remember what it’s like to be in high school. The weird hormones, the awkward feelings, and the strive just to fit in with the other kids. I admit that I have pity for you ladies though, to have more drastic changes to your bodies and minds than us guys, I can only imagine how difficult that must be. Well, horror novelist Stephen King took this subject one step further.

In a small town high school, Carrie White just wants to be normal. Raised by her very devout religious mother, Carrie has been sheltered from the world and the “evils” is contains. It doesn’t help when Carrie receives her fist menstrual period in the school showers after gym class. Along with her body changing, Carrie starts to notice that she is developing telekinesis (the power to move objects with your mind). Yet things start to change for Carrie when she is asked to prom by the most popular boy in school. However, prom goes from great to grotesque in a matter of seconds.

A lot of you out there have most likely seen the original 1976 Brian De Palma film so, like me, I’m sure you asked yourself “Why another remake?”, especially of a film that is a classic all its own. I am here to tell you that this is one remake that I enjoyed. Taking everything you know about the 1976 film version, this version is actually a litter closer to the source material. Carrie is played by a very talented Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass, Let Me In). Moretz portrays Carrie almost like a wounded animal through the first half of the film, transitions smoothly into a girl with a little more confidence, and at the end of the film a girl on a mission. Moretz does a great job getting you to feel sorry for Carrie and during the prom scene, because you feel sorry for her; you almost cheer her on while she loses it. What helps Moretz is Julianne Moore’s Margaret White. Moore is another amazing actress and takes the role of Carrie’s mother one step further. The screenwriters added a couple supplementary scenes for Moore to show how religious Margaret White really is. Moore shines in these scenes and almost makes you believe that she is the villain of the film.

This version of Carrie is directed by Kimberly Peirce, who is better known for Boys Don’t Cry. In all honesty I don’t think I could have thought of a better director for this film. At the core of this story it is about a girl that just wants to fit in and how mean high schools girls can really be toward each other. Peirce brings every ounce of that out of her actors in this film and projects it on screen.

Is Carrie scary? No, but neither was the original. This may be one time that I think the original is hurting the remake. I agree that the original was a terrific film, but because the original is so memorable, the remake is suffering. Unlike recent remakes, where they try and overdo the special effects or the violence, this version just tries to tell the story just a little differently. This is why I liked this remake. Very rare that I say that, but I did enjoy this film.

If you enjoyed watching Sissy Spacek lose her mind in 1976 then I think you will enjoy Chloe Grace-Moretz take it just a little bit further.

Verdict: Worth Your Time.