The Problem With Carrie….Pt 2

The Prom:

 

Sissy Spacek's excellent performance as the tormented girl who snaps, ultimately leaves you with a sense of growing frustration for a world that allows good people to be tormented and turned into monsters themselves.

 

Teenagers, Alcoholics, Drug Addicts and the run of the mill criminal seem to boast a sixth sense about those who are less well-adjusted, who come from bad homes, or who are just sensitive...and therefore vulnerable. And then those individuals are ridiculed, teased, shunned and mocked sometimes, to the point of violence.

 

Probably nothing could expose this more clearly (or more artfully) than the locker room scene that opens Carrie. After a game of volleyball, De Palma cuts to the gym locker room. The steam from the showers softens the image on screen, providing the impression of a lulling dream, or even a sexual fantasy. Immediately, we start to understand how high school represents a time of sexual awakening. In one of the showers is Carrie, her hands wander innocently down to her stomach, then her legs -- and, as curious viewers -- we wonder how far this scene is going to go. As Carrie's hands continue to spiral downwards to her legs, scarlet blood suddenly stains her skin, mixing with the pounding water. It's menstrual blood. On her fingers, on her legs. On the floor.

Carrie’s first Terror is the viewers first terror as she frantically seeks help from her classmates in confronting this sanguineous dilemma, a harbinger of things to come.

The most memorable part of the Carrie Franchise is the Prom. As I had written in part one of this article: The balance between these “teen” characters is pitch perfect.

Though shy and awkward, Carrie is also beautiful in an innocent way...stepping into the realm of sexual maturity with awkwardness.

The sound, lighting, and camera movement cinematically magnify the chaotic bloodbath of the prom scene. Carrie’s earlier bathroom scene (where she reacts to her first menstruation) foreshadows the blood-splattering mayhem of this prom scene where every ounce of fear Carrie had previously experienced is reflected and instilled in the crowd.

 

Then there’s Spacek’s signature spine-numbing stare, paired with the sound of her telekinetic powers being released, both haunting and incomparable. During the start of the scene: Slow and paralyzing, analogous to the slow motion of the segment. gradually increasing tempo and approaching terror. This scene is the most memorable and while many (including myself) complained that Chloe Moretz failed in her portrayal of Carrie because she used her arms. After re-watching the 2002 version, actor Angela Bettis didn't use her arms during the prom scene either, making Carrie 2013 a derivative failure.

Full Prom Scene: Carrie 1976:

Remember there was NO CGI Special effects in 1976

 

The   original version is still the best, because given the violence in today’s schools, wouldn’t Ms Collins in the 2013 version be more alert to Sue Snell pointing out something bad is about to go down?

Humans have been around for over 35 MILLION Years but still act as clueless as if they were born yesterday.

 

For me, seeing Spacek first as a sweet young woman working to fit in: Quiet, shy, vulnerable and then as so harried, so abused by everyone in her life that she finally retaliates with the very force of hatred she despised so much in others is very sad and also the reason why I liked the ending of the 2002 version of Carrie so much. Sue Snell (Kandyse McClure) does what I wanted Sue Snell in the original version to do by giving Carrie new life.

 

More importantly the 2002 version  leaves the story arc open to the future of these Sue and Carrie (Not that there was any romance indicated between the two,) but knowing how young girls like to romanticize imagined love stories between characters and if you know what Sue Snell did for Carrie in the 2002 version, then you have an idea of where I am going with this.

Carrie 2002 Yup I liked this Version even more than the 1976 version, and that version is a masterpiece.

 

Anywho, Happy Halloween:

Prom Massacre from  Carrie 2013

MOVIES For Halloween

"Carrie (2013)" Genre: Horror , Drama Release: 18 October 2013 Rtg: 7.2/10(99 votes)

"All Hallows' Eve (2013)" Genre: Horror Release: October 29, 2013 Rtg: 7.1/10(7 votes)