[title size=”1 to 6″ style=”options: default, sidebar”] Album Grade: D+[/title]

Remaking a cult classic is a tall task. The true question that every filmmaker must consider when undertaking such an endeavor is whether to stay true to the original storyline or to deviate from it in order to create something new. Carrie, the remake of the 1976 cult classic that was adapted from a Stephen King novel, opts to stay true to the original story, but is this enough to please everyone?

Carrie is about an extremely socially awkward high schooler who, raised by a religious extremist mother, suffers unending torment by her peers. Oh, and she also has telekinetic powers, so that’s something. Through the course of her torment, Carrie’s ever popular schoolmate and former bully Sue feels remorse for her, making the decision to opt out of going to prom and has her equally popular boyfriend take Carrie instead. However other students, specifically the main antagonist Chris, have more devious plans for prom night. In short, prom night turns into a nightmare for Carrie, leading her to go on a telekinetic rampage with all the prom attendees as her victims. Great story, right?

Storyline aside, it is worth mentioning that the acting performances, for the most part, are executed pretty well. Omitting a few annoying and hacky characters, the scenes where Carrie is at prom with Mr. Popular are pretty heartwarming, all to the actor’s credit. It’s really nice to see the social outcast Carrie be swept away by someone who is out of her league and to see her finally have fun in her life, which makes it all the more heartbreaking when things go awry.

The thing about Carrie is that it is almost an exact replica of the original movie, just with more advanced special effects and a few more gruesome deaths. Granted these are pretty fun to watch even in today’s desensitized society but is it really worth making an entirely new movie if those are the most significant additions?

Another critique, which may be an irrelevant criticism as far as the general quality of the film is concerned, is that I feel the movie is limiting its audience with an ‘R’ rating. Seeing as how the story revolves entirely around prom, it stands to reason that many high schoolers would be interested in this movie, however many high schoolers aren’t legally old enough. But this is an entirely superfluous complaint, and bears no weight in my judgement on the film itself.

In short, Carrie is a somewhat fun yet repetitive remake of a cult classic, which could be good or bad. Fans of the original may be glad to see it stay true to the source material, yet others will likely see no need in a remake that follows its predecessor so closely. In my humble opinion, Carrie is worth a watch for those interested in paranormal films, but probably not worth $9. If you’re looking to satiate your thirst for Halloween horror, wait for this to come out on rental and go see Insidious: Chapter 2 instead.