Carrie (2013 film)

Carrie is a 2013 American supernatural horror film directed by Kimberly Peirce. It is the third film adaptation and a remake to the 1976 adaptation of Stephen King's 1974 novel of the same name and the fourth film in the Carrie franchise. The film was produced by Kevin Misher, with a screenplay by Lawrence D. Cohen and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. The film stars Chloë Grace Moretz as the titular character Carrie White, alongside Julianne Moore as Margaret White. The cast also features Judy Greer, Portia Doubleday, Gabriella Wilde, Ansel Elgort and Alex Russell. The film is a modern re-imagining of King's novel about a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother, who uses her telekinetic powers with devastating effect after falling victim to a cruel prank at her senior prom.

Carrie
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKimberly Peirce
Screenplay by
Based onCarrie
by Stephen King
Produced byKevin Misher
Starring
CinematographySteve Yedlin
Edited byLee Percy
Music byMarco Beltrami
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • October 7, 2013 (2013-10-07) (Arclight Hollywood)
  • October 18, 2013 (2013-10-18) (United States)
Running time
99 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 million[2]
Box office$84.8 million[2]

The film held its world premiere at the Arclight Hollywood in Los Angeles on October 7, 2013, and was released in the United States by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Screen Gems on October 18. The film received mixed reviews, with critics calling it "unnecessary" and criticizing the lack of originality and scares, though they praised the modern updates and cast.[3] It grossed $84 million worldwide at the box office.

Plot

Carrie White is a shy, unpopular girl from Ewen High School in Maine. While showering after gym class, Carrie experiences her first menstrual period. believing she is bleeding to death and runs out yelling for help, but the other girls ridicule her by throwing tampons and pads at her. Longtime bully Christine "Chris" Hargensen records everything on her smartphone and uploads it to YouTube.

The school's physical education teacher Miss Rita Desjardin, comforts Carrie and sends her home with her disturbed, religious fanatic mother Margaret White, who believes menstruation is a sin. Margaret demands that Carrie abstain from showering with the others. When Carrie refuses, Margaret hits her in the forehead with a Bible and locks her in her "prayer closet". As Carrie screams to be let out, a crack appears on the door, and the crucifix in the closet begins to bleed. Carrie begins to experience more telekinetic abilities and researches her abilities, learning to harness them.

Miss Desjardin threatens the girls who teased Carrie with an ultimatum: either endure detention for their behavior or be suspended from school, prohibiting them from attending prom; Chris is the only one who refuses to take part in detention and is suspended. Sue Snell regrets her part in the incident. To make amends, she asks her boyfriend, Tommy Ross, to take Carrie to the prom. Carrie accepts Tommy's invitation and makes a prom dress at home. Carrie asks her mother to let her go to prom, and Carrie manifests her telekinesis. Margaret believes this power comes from the Devil and is proof that Carrie has been corrupted by sin.

On prom night, Margaret tries to prevent Carrie from going, but Carrie uses her powers to lock her mother in the closet. At prom, as part of Chris and her boyfriend Billy's plan, Chris's friend, Tina Blake, discreetly slips fake ballots into the voting box, which names Carrie and Tommy as prom queen and king. At home, Sue receives a text from Chris, taunting her about her scheme to humiliate Carrie. Sue drives to the prom, arriving just as Carrie and Tommy are about to be crowned. Sue sees the bucket of blood dangling above Carrie and attempts to warn someone, but Desjardin locks her out of the gym, suspecting that Sue plans to hurt Carrie.

Chris dumps the blood onto Carrie and Tommy, and Nicki plays the "shower video" of Carrie on the large screens, inciting laughter from the audience. Carrie pushes Miss Desjardin with her powers when Desjardin attempts to help her. The bucket falls onto Tommy's head, killing him. Enraged, Carrie uses her telekinesis to kill every student and staff but spares Desjardin. An electrical wire merges with leaking water, and a fire breaks out. As the school burns to the ground, Carrie walks away. Chris and Billy attempt to drive away, but Carrie crashes the car, killing Billy. Chris attempts to run Carrie over, but Carrie lifts the car and throws it at a gas station, killing her.

Carrie arrives home, takes a bath, and changes into her nightgown afterward. Carrie tearfully tells Margaret about the prank, and they embrace as Margaret recounts Carrie's conception, revealing that Carrie's father raped her, and Carrie's birth made her believe that Carrie is a sin she must pay for. Margaret stabs Carrie in the back with a knife, believing that she must kill Carrie in order to prevent the Devil from possessing her again, and attacks Carrie, but Carrie kills her with many sharp tools. She becomes hysterical and makes stones rain from the sky to crush the house. When Sue arrives, a furious Carrie lifts her with her powers but senses that Sue is pregnant with a baby girl. Carrie protects Sue and throws her out of the house to safety as the house collapses and sinks, apparently killing Carrie as well.

After giving her testimony in court regarding the prom incident, Sue visits Carrie and Margaret's grave and places white roses by the headstone. As she leaves, the gravestone begins to break, and an enraged scream is heard, alluding that Carrie may have somehow survived.

Alternate Ending

After placing the roses on Carrie's grave, Sue suddenly feels pain from her pregnancy and begins to go into labor. Sue is in the hospital and is preparing to give birth to her baby. As she struggles to give birth, Carrie's bloody hand suddenly emerges and grabs Sue's arm. Sue screams loudly as she wakes up in her own bedroom with her mother comforting her and telling her that her nightmare is over.

Cast

Production

In May 2011, representatives from MGM and Screen Gems announced that the two companies were producing a film remake of Carrie. The studios hired Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who previously adapted King's work The Stand into a comic book, to write a screenplay that delivers "a more faithful adaption" of King's novel than the 1976 film.[5] However, Aguirre-Sacasa ultimately shares a screenwriting credit with Lawrence D. Cohen, who wrote the 1976 film.[6]

Upon hearing of the new adaptation, King remarked: "The real question is why, when the original was so good?" He also suggested Lindsay Lohan for the main role and stated that "it [the film] would certainly be fun to cast".[7] Actress Sissy Spacek, who played Carrie in the 1976 adaptation, expressed an opinion on the choice of Lohan for the character of Carrie White, stating that she "was like, 'Oh my God, she's really a beautiful girl' and so I was very flattered that they were casting someone to look like me instead of the real Carrie described in the book. It's gonna be real interesting".[8] In March 2012, the role of Carrie White was offered to Chloë Grace Moretz,[9] who accepted the role.[10]

Kimberly Peirce directed the film,[11] while Moore starred as Margaret White and Gabriella Wilde played Sue Snell. Alex Russell and Ansel Elgort were cast in key roles,[12] and Judy Greer played the gym teacher Miss Desjardin.[13]

Principal photography took place in the summer of 2012 in the Greater Toronto Area, with locations including Mississauga and Etobicoke.[14]

Release

The original release date was March 15, 2013,[15] but the release date was moved to October 18.[16][17]

Sony held a "First Look" event at the New York Comic Con on October 13, 2013, that allowed attendees to view the film prior to the release date. The event was followed by a panel session with several members of the cast and crew.[18]

Trailers for the film included a phone number that offered promotions to the caller, as well as a recording of a simulated encounter with characters from the film.[19]

Home video

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on January 14, 2014. The Blu-ray features an alternative opening and ending and nine deleted scenes.

In the alternative opening, a young Carrie has a discussion with her teenage neighbor, who is sun-bathing, over the fact that Margaret believes that women with breasts are sinful. Margaret catches them in the conversation and believes that the neighbor is offending Carrie, not before the neighbor's mother disagrees with her. Suddenly, stones begin to rain only on the White household. Margaret, believing it is a sign from God, takes shelter inside her home with a distressed Carrie.

In the alternative ending, a subliminal frame image of Carrie's bloodied arm is seen grabbing onto Sue's arm as Sue continues to scream in her room.

Reception

Critical reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 50% approval rating with an average rating of 5.49/10 based on 187 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads: "It boasts a talented cast, but Kimberly Peirce's 'reimagining' of Brian De Palma's horror classic finds little new in the Stephen King novel -- and feels woefully unnecessary".[20] On Metacritic, it scored a 53 out of 100 based on 34 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[21] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B-" on an A+ to F scale.[22]

Kevin C. Johnson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch gave the film a favorable review: "Long before the blood starts spilling, it's clear the new team has mostly nailed it. The reboot is as good a Carrie remake as possible, though it's not truly a scary movie; the film takes its time living up to its R rating".[23] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle also gave the film a favorable review: "In a way, the new Carrie is almost too easy to enjoy. Everything discordant and all the nagging weirdness and strange feelings surrounding the original have been smoothed down, and what we're left with is a well-made, highly satisfying and not particularly deep high school revenge movie".[24] Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune gave the film a positive review: "The acting's strong; in addition to Moretz and Moore, Judy Greer is a welcome presence in the Betty Buckley role of the sympathetic gym instructor. But something's missing from this well-made venture. What's there is more than respectable, while staying this side of surprising".[25] Joe Neumaier of the New York Daily News gave it three out of five stars: "With the exception of some appearances by social media, Carrie doesn't try to hip up King's basic, often slow story. And while De Palma's version is fondly recalled as a high-blood-mark of the 1970s, this new take seems to linger a bit more on the bugaboos of overparenting and bullying while underplaying Mama's fanaticism. Peirce only glancingly lets her heroine have a mild discovery-of-powers moment that feels 'X-Men'-ish".[26] In a positive review on Roger Ebert's website, Matt Zoller Seitz awarded the film three out of four stars, praising the portrayal of Carrie and Margaret's relationship and the feelings of sympathy Carrie manages to evoke, although he criticizes the representation of Chris as "exaggeratedly evil". Seitz ultimately concludes by stating: "The first Carrie was horror. This is tragedy".[27] A. A. Dowd of The A.V. Club gave the film a C− rating, criticizing Moretz's Carrie as "too adjusted, coming across less like the 'very peculiar girl' King described in his novel and more like the stealth babe of some nottie-to-hottie teen romance". Dowd lamented on the film as a whole: "It's a strange thing to say about a movie so obsessed with the red stuff, but this Carrie is bloodless".[28]

Box office

Sony estimated the revenue for the opening weekend of Carrie as between $16 million and $18 million, while others estimated a bigger margin of $24 million to $28 million due to the Halloween season. However, the final takings totaled $16.1 million and the film was ranked at number 3 behind Gravity and Captain Philips, both of which were in their second and third weeks, respectively. By the end of the week, the film managed to gross $20.1 million.[29] In week two, the film slipped 62.8% to sixth place with $5.9 million and 43.2% to ninth place in its third week with $3.4 million.[30][31][32]

At the end of its run, the film has grossed $35.3 million in North America and $49.5 million in other countries for a worldwide gross of $84.8 million. It is the 67th highest-grossing film of 2013 in the United States.[33]

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result
2013 Alliance of Women Film Journalists Sequel or Remake That Shouldn't Have Been Made Carrie (tied with Oz the Great and Powerful) Won
Fright Meter Awards Best Supporting Actress Julianne Moore Nominated
Best Special Effects Carrie Nominated
Women Film Critics Circle Awards Hall of Shame Carrie Won
2014 People's Choice Awards[34] Favorite Horror Movie Carrie Won
Saturn Awards[35] Best Horror Film Carrie Nominated
Best Young Actor/Actress Chloë Grace Moretz Won
Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Best Supporting Actress Julianne Moore 3rd place
Dorian Awards Campy Flick of the Year Carrie Nominated
Jupiter Awards Best International Actress Chloë Grace Moretz Nominated
Joey Awards International (Non-Canadian) Actress Feature Film/Made for Television or Straight to Video Feature that was filmed in Canada Chloë Grace Moretz Won
World Soundtrack Awards Film Composer of the Year Marco Beltrami Nominated

References
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  2. "Carrie (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  3. Gilman, Greg (October 18, 2013). "What the Critics Think of 'Carrie': Super Scary - or Unnecessary". TheWrap. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  4. Darren Franich. "'Carrie' remake includes great 'Die Hard' cameo". Ew.com. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  5. Kit, Borys (May 19, 2011). "MGM, Screen Gems Team for 'Carrie' Remake". The Hollywood Reporter.
  6. Ginhold, Michael (October 17, 2013). "Review: CARRIE (2013)". Fangoria. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  7. Labrecque, Jeff (May 20, 2011). "Stephen King sounds off on new 'Carrie' remake -- EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly.
  8. "LiLo in 'Carrie' remake? Sissy Spacek can see it". CNN. July 12, 2011. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
  9. Fleming, Mike (March 27, 2012). "MGM Formally Offers Lead Remake Of Stephen King's 'Carrie' To Chloe Moretz". Deadline Hollywood.
  10. "Chloe Grace Moretz celebrates 16th birthday with star-studded bash" Archived October 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. WMAR-TV-ABC News.
  11. Fleming, Mike (January 4, 2012). "MGM/Screen Gems Eye Kimberly Peirce to Direct Remake of Stephen King's 'Carrie'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
  12. Ge, Linda (May 15, 2012). "'Chronicle' star Alex Russell and Broadway actor Ansel Elgort join "Carrie" remake opposite Chloe Moretz". Up and Comers. Archived from the original on April 4, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
  13. Rich, Katey (May 25, 2012). "UPDATE: Judy Greer HAS NOT Signed On To The Carrie Remake As The Gym Teacher". CinemaBlend.com.
  14. Bramble, Timothy (October 17, 2021). "15 horror movies filmed in Toronto and the locations you can still visit". BlogTO. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  15. Sitterson, Aubrey (April 13, 2012). "'Carrie' remake gets Spring 2013 release date". IFC. Archived from the original on August 23, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
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