Carrie (2013)

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UK Release Date: November 29th 2013

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.

Director: Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don't Cry, Stop Loss)

Starring: Chloe Grace-Moretz, Julianne Moore, Judy Greer

I've never seen the 70's original. Most horror fans will have either seen it or know of its gory ending. This remake is not bad as remakes go, but it's not groundbreaking material because it doesn't add anything new, or different, to the story of Carrie (unless you are a fan of the book).

Carrie is more like a teen-drama than a horror. It's not even remotely scary. Carrie (Grace-Moretz) is bullied by all the girls at her school. Having her first period in the school showers is bad timing indeed, and the other girls think it's funny to throw tampons at her. A video of the ordeal is posted online. She can hardly escape the torment at home, as she's constantly oppressed by her religious nut-job mother (Julianne Moore). You can almost feel her pain when she finally wreaks vengeance.

It's all a build up for the epic finale at the prom, whom Carrie has been invited to (much to her surprise). There's a sense that the beginning and the middle is 'filler', trying to entertain us by building on audience/character relationships before Carrie suddenly unleashes her inner rage. It's clear to see why they've done it, but I'd have rather seen Carrie become a vigilante overtime, and use her telekinetic abilities to great effect, rather than make her bed levitate or a flag flap around.