I’ve been watching Mike Flanagan’s Carrie on Prime. I finished the fourth episode last night and today, I’m trying to find the strength to subject myself to rest of it. To say that I’m not a fan of the changes that Flanagan made to the story would be understatement. In my opinion, it really does reflect the worst tendencies of what is known as elevated horror.
Fortunately, you can currently stream Brian De Palma’s Carrie (1976) and, if you haven’t seen it, you really do have an obligation to do so. Flanagan needs 8 hours to tell his story. De Palma only needed 98 minutes and a cast that could actually deliver their lines in something that wasn’t a robotic drone. The film works because De Palma never feels the need to apologize for making a horror film. It also works because it actually has a nicely macabre sense of humor, something that’s lacking in both King’s novel and Flanagan’s work in general. The film is currently on Prime.
The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999) doesn’t get much respect from a lot of horror fans but I’ve always liked it. Interestingly, The Rage actually covers some of the same thematic ground as Flanagan’s adaptation. The difference is that, once again, it only needs 105 minutes to make its point and it doesn’t apologize for being a horror film. The scene where the football players go crazy while getting their heads shaved (and, in the process, become indistinguishable from one another) is surprisingly disturbing. The finale, where Rachel goes on a rampage, is effectively violent and horrific, even if it can’t match the power of De Palma’s prom. I was scared to wear my reading glasses after watching this movie. Emily Bergl gives a good performance as Rachel. Jason London sells the film’s final scene. The oldest son from Home Improvement loses his testicles in closeup. Be careful with those spearguns! The film is on Prime.
Evilspeak (1981) is the film that asks, “What if Carrie was a guy and what if he was a student at a military academy and what if he got his powers from a personal computer and what if he was played by Clint Howard?” That’s a lot of questions but, for the most part, the answers are all entertaining in their own demented way. Evilspeak is interesting because Stanley Coopersmith (played by the great Clint Howard) is not particularly sympathetic but his tormentors are so much worse that you still feel Stanley deserved his revenge and you don’t mind when the cannibal pigs show up. This is also an example of one of my favorite mini-genres, the killer computer film. I guess that people in the early 80s though you could do anything with a computer, even summon the denizens of the damned. The film is on Prime.
The Fury (1979) was De Palma’s follow-up to Carrie and I have to admit that I’m not a huge fan of this film. That said, I know that the film does have its fans. The fact that I’m listing it here shows just how much I’m currently disliking Flanagan’s Carrie. I’d even rather rewatch The Fury then suffer another minute of the new Carrie! That said, The Fury is occasionally interesting. De Palma mashes up a lot of genres. Kirk Douglas grimaces as if the world depended upon it. Amy Irving takes the film a bit too seriously, as if she expected to follow in the footsteps of Sissy Spacek and receive an Oscar nomination for playing a telekinetic teen. Carrie Snodgress is annoying but then her character dies in slow motion. Never let “Here comes The Pony Express!” by your final words. John Cassavetes later said he did the film for the money. Bless him. The film is on Prime.
