The film Carrie is a remake of the 1974 classic written by Stephen King--one of many, to be exact. The original film adaptation was in 1976, which became a Broadway musical reeking of considerable amounts of...fail...in 1988. That adaptation spawned a sequel (The Rage, Carrie 2) in 1999. The current Carrie film is actually the second film remake (the first remake being in 2002). It was originally scheduled for the Ides of March (that's March 15 for the benefit of those who do not know what it is) this year, but as a result of the Sandy Hook Massacre, it was moved to the 18th of this month.
If you are familiar with the book, then the premise of this film shouldn't be surprising. A teenager (Carrieta "Carrie" White) trapped between bullies who pick on her because of her...alien...upbringing--her first period left her horrified, for Khorne's sake--and a fundamentalist mother that makes the Westboro Baptist Church look like frak-mothering saints by comparison discovers that she has psychokinetic abilities. When her horrified reaction became a source of humiliation, her mother's idea of consoling her is something no sane mother would do: forcibly pray to Christ, among others. I'm a Christian, and I actually find the way Carrie's mother interprets the Word of Christ...let's just say mere words cannot express my horror at her logic.
Soon after that, Carrie discovers that she has psychokinetic powers. Looking at other examples, she discovers that she is not alone. She also learns that her own powers were inherited, which was anathema to her mother. But we'll save that for later.
Carrie's nightmarish existence changes for the better when Sue Snell, one of her original tormentors, and her boyfriend Tommy Ross, decide to atone for her mistake after the two have some sexy time. Sue walks away from her prom dreams, having Tommy ask Carrie out to the prom. In the end, Carrie says yes, and things seem to change for the better...if only Christine "Chris" Hargensen and William "Billy" Nolan didn't plan to sabotage it.
Carrie's fundie mom vehemently opposes her actions, and she stands up to her mother. It sure sucks for Margaret White, doesn't it? Especially since she sees her own kid as a witch (yes, burn-the-witch jokes are darkly appropriate here) and figured that Carrie must die. Carrie then goes Yuriko Omega on her mom, locking her in the same closet she was forced to pray whenever she did something normal for teenage women. Tommy brings her to the prom, and it is glorious. Never mind that the night before, Chris and Billy planned to royally ruin Carrie's night...
The night goes well, and Tommy and Carrie become Prom King and Queen. However, this is all a plot to royally (again with the royal puns, Jesucristo!) screw Carrie over. When it goes through...son of the Gundam Batman, Carrie is royally pissed (hey, third time's the charm, right?). Nice job spilling pig blood on Carrie and inadvertently killing the one guy who showed her any sympathy (Tommy) Chris and Billy, because she just went psycho on the entire school, sparing the only teacher who showed her anything closely resembling reason while leaving everyone in the room either dead or otherwise scared shitless.
Chris and Billy try to make their escape, but Carrie chases them, ultimately bringing their ride crashing into a gas station. To finish them off, Carrie then sets off the gasoline, courtesy of some electricity, resulting in a GLORIOUS EXPLOSION™!
In the end, she retreats to her home, cleaning herself up. Carrie then meets her mother, and they pray together...until Margaret literally backstabs her with a kitchen knife. They end up fighting until Carrie ends up delivering a Touhou-esque barrage of sharps into Margaret. The whole fight ends with a (pregnant--and it's a girl!) Sue being forced out of the White residence as it falls upon mother and daughter.
The film itself ends with Sue placing a flower on the (vandalized) White grave. The gravestone cracks, and the credits begin.
Moral of the film? You can only push someone so far before they begin to break. When that happens, all hell may very well break loose. The guy you enjoying picking on? He might end up slitting something--your neck or his wrist, it doesn't matter, something will be slit--in the middle of art class. The girl you humiliated in PE class? She might just smuggle a gun and use it to put a hole in your head the next day. In other words, bullying can have horrifying consequences. At best, you just created another recluse. At worst, say hello to your own killer.
