Telekinetic terror on the big screen

Home-schooled for most of her life, Carrie knows little about the outside world until a court order forces her to attend school. As a shy and gawky outsider, she is shunned by her classmates.

Petrified after having her first period, Carrie is tormented by the girls in her locker room and subjected to embarrassment, with the episode filmed and spread on the Internet.

This section differs from the original story, but is true to its anti-bullying message. Carrie’s discovery that she has telekinetic powers pushes her further away from the other kids, reinforcing her belief that she is different and will never have a normal life.

A scene from the movie Carrie. Image courtesy www.carrie-movie.com

The discovery also enrages her, mother, who sees it as a sign of evil.

Chloe Grace Moretz does a brilliant job in a good version of the tale, but there’s no danger that her rendition will replace Sissy Spacek’s definitive performance (in Brian De Palma’s 1976 original). Director Kimberly Peirce provides no further insight into King’s fable, with the only add-on being the inclusion of 21st Century technology and improved special effects (which doesn’t make it any scarier).

Carrie is invited to the prom by high school jock Tommy Ross (Ansel Algort), a well-intentioned idea that leads to disaster. Obeying his girlfriend Sue Snell’s (Gabriella Wilde) orders in an attempt to make up for the locker room incident, the idea is intended to come across as sympathetic.

But Carrie is in the mood for revenge. Although a strange experience for those familiar with the original, this version is bound to elicit the same excitement in today’s viewers as it did in those who saw the original.

With the brilliant marketing ploy – a YouTube clip of an actress is set up in a coffee shop appearing to move objects with her mind – there’s no doubt this Carrie will do well.