Carrie is a 2002 American TV horror mini-series directed by David Carson (Witchblade; Star Trek: Generations) from a screenplay written by Bryan Fuller (American Gods; Hannibal), based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name. The movie stars Angela Bettis, Patricia Clarkson, Rena Sofer, Kandyse McClure, Emilie de Ravin and Tobias Mehler.
Carrie was previously adapted as a film in a 1976 version and again in 2013.
Plot:
Carrie White is a lonely and painfully shy teenage girl with telekinetic powers who is slowly pushed to the edge of insanity by frequent bullying from both her classmates and her domineering, religious mother…
Reviews:
“Carrie is cheaply put together and lacking in any flair of style. DePalma turned Carrie into an almost hazy supernatural fever dream, while director Caron just goes through the motions. NBC really seemed intent on slapping together a mini-series that would also be a pilot, but instead, it’s just a lame retread that’s twenty minutes too long…” Cinema Crazed
“Really, the only reason to watch this is to love the Brian De Palma Carrie all the more. Its economy [it’s 40 minutes shorter and has 12 times the impact], its technique, its structure and construction, its writing, and its emotional resonance are all thrown into sharp relief.” Cinema de Merde
“The CG effects, as in the aforementioned fiery meteor scenes and especially in Carrie’s all-in post-prom-gone-ablaze walk home are pretty dodgy. Kandyse McClure’s decision to play conflicted good girl Sue Snell as a glib smart ass is a woefully misguided one since she’s supposed to be the other main sympathetic character…” Horror 101 with Doctor AC
“While Brian De Palma put everything he had visually into his Carrie, David Carson seems to approach the story as just another tv assignment and churns it out with a nondescript lack of artistry or style […] David Carson has almost entirely replicated every incident that occurs in the original.” Moria
“Carson embraces the flat, unimpressive TV aesthetic: his direction is far from static, but it is so obviously a product of an era when the line between cinema and television had yet to blur. That is, until the climax, when it’s suddenly well-lit, atmospheric, and impressively staged […] a transformation that mirrors its title character’s makeover.” Oh, the Horror!
“Angela Bettis gives an off-putting titular performance that plays more like a parade of acting tics than a character, while Patricia Clarkson conversely underplays her role as Carrie’s mother and neutralizes the character’s menace in the process. The rest of the cast is fairly negligible…” Pop Culture Thoughts
” …Carson simply isn’t able to inject this stretch with anything even resembling excitement or tension – with the filmmaker’s efforts compounded by Laura Karpman’s distracting and flat-out awful score. The end result is an interminable made-for-television train wreck that boasts shockingly few positive attributes…” Reel Film Reviews
“Bettis does a great of filling the role precedented by Sissy Spacek, giving a convincing performance as the strange girl who can’t even begin fitting in. Sue Snell (Kandyse McClure) is not quite as sympathetic and believable as played in the original DePalma adaptation, but still translates effectively.” Rock! Shock! Pop!
Cast and characters:
- Angela Bettis … Carietta ‘Carrie’ White – Twisted Tales TV series; The Woman; Toolbox Murders; May
- Patricia Clarkson … Margaret White
- Rena Sofer … Miss Desjarden
- Kandyse McClure … Sue Snell
- Emilie de Ravin … Chris Hargensen
- Tobias Mehler … Tommy Ross
- Jesse Cadotte … Billy Nolan
- Meghan Black … Norma Watson
- Chelan Simmons … Helen Shyres
- Katharine Isabelle … Tina Blake
- David Keith … Detective John Mulchaey
- Miles Meadows … Kenny Garson
- Sean Tyler Foley … Lou Garson (as Tyler Foley)
- Laurie Murdoch … Principal Morton
- Michael Kopsa … John Hargensen
Filming locations:
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
132 minutes
Audio: Stereo | Dolby SR
Aspect ratio: 1.33: 1
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