4K UHD/Blu-ray Review: CARRIE (2013) COLLECTOR’S EDITION

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Mar 17 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

“It’s not the devil, Mama. There are other people out there like me who can do what I do.”

We had previously reviewed the original FOX Blu-ray release of this title. Some portions of that review have been carrie-d over to this one.

Carrie White (Chloë Grace Moretz) is a shy, repressed teenager whose over-protective and fanatically religious mother Margaret (Julianne Moore) tries to keep her sheltered from the world. Carrie has been so protected by her mother that when she has her first period in the high school shower after gym class, she thinks she’s dying and starts screaming. Her classmates point, laugh and chant “plug it up” as they toss pads and tampons at her face. When the gym teacher, Ms. Desjardin (Judy Greer), punishes the girls for their behavior, queen bee Chris (Portia Doubleday) refuses to cooperate and is banned from the school prom. However, her friend Sue (Gabriella Wilde) feels remorse for her participation and asks her boyfriend Tommy (Ansel Elgort) to take Carrie to the dance. Meanwhile Chris plots her revenge and comes up with a way to really embarrass Carrie in front of the entire school. However, she is unaware that when Carrie became a woman, she also unlocked telekinetic powers that are growing stronger, and unleash when Carrie gets emotional.

Carrie is the latest film adaptation of Stephen King’s 1974 novel of the same name. This film takes inspiration (and diaogue) from Brian De Palma’s classic 1976 film, while also trying to not only be faithful to the original source material, but also give it a more modern feel, integrating newer technology and the rising cases of cyber bullying at the time this film was made.

Many times during the Blu-ray commentary and featurettes, the director describes the film as a superhero origin story. While I agree with that to a degree, I wouldn’t quite label Carrie a superhero. Perhaps a super villain, but one that the audience ends up rooting for. As Carrie gets bullied and is pushed to the edge, you definitely want those who are harassing and harming her to get their comeuppance, but Carrie’s brand of justice goes a little overboard. The bloody, lethal punishment doesn’t quite fit the crime, and some innocent people are also left in its wake.

The film is generally well cast. Chloë Grace Moretz delivers an excellent performance as Carrie. She is able to capture every stage in Carrie’s progression from wallflower to monster—from the shy, sheltered girl who stands in the back of the pool in gym class, to the more confident stronger girl who fights to have her voice heard, to the powerful rage monster she becomes by the end of the film, even standing up to her mother. Also delivering a stellar performance is Julianne Moore as the creepy, over-protective mother with her overly-religious views that find her mutilating herself in the name of prayer, to locking her own daughter in the closet to protect her from the world. Margaret White has had her own dark past, and now she is taking it out on her daughter.

Overall, the film has many of the elements of your typical teen horror film, but focuses more on the bulling drama, personal growth, and demons of the Carrie character rather than the horror aspects of the monster she ultimately becomes. The iconic prom scene is what most people remember from the story of Carrie, and the version in this film is really well done. The mix of practical and visual effects is seamless, and looks quite amazing and natural on this Blu-ray presentation.

Scream Factory’s new 4K release features a new 4K Scan from the original camera negative, which is used for both the 4K and Blu-ray presentations. While the video presentation is generally solid, comparing the new 4K release to FOX’s previous Blu-ray release, I struggled to find any drastic difference in clarity between the two. I found that the 4K picture generally looks a bit darker with the new HDR color-grading, though still clear and detailed. The initial shower scene comes off a bit more cinematic with this darker look. I also found that the colors are a little inconsistent, going from a bit pale in one scene, to slightly over-saturated in another, and looking bright and clean in another. This may just be a visual choice by the director. Once Carrie goes full-on rage mode, the film definitely takes on more of a reddish hue. The film’s audio track is excellent, making nice use of the stereo and surround channels to provide a really immersive feel. This is especially noticeable as a storm brews outside as Carrie confronts her mother about going to the prom, and when all chaos breaks out in the school.

This 4K release includes both a 4K UHD disc as well as a Blu-ray disc, which are packed on either side of a standard 4K keepcase. As with all Shout! releases, there is no digital copy, but our review copy did include a cardboard slipcover. While the previous Blu-ray release by FOX offered the ability to watch the film in both the original theatrical version as well as with an alternate ending in place, this disc only offers the theatrical cut of the film, but the alternate ending is presented separately in the bonus material. I prefer the theatrical ending anyway, but the alternate cut will please fans looking for more of a horror movie-style ending. Scream Factory’s disc ports over all of the bonus material from the previous release, including an interesting audio commentary from the director, 10 minutes of deleted/alternate scenes (also with commentary), some behind the scenes featurettes and interviews and a fun viral video prank used to promote the theatrical release of the film. The release also contains nearly an hour of brand new interviews with production designer Carol Spier and Stephen King author Joseph Maddrey. Only the commentary is available on the 4K disc, while the rest of the bonus material only appears only on the Blu-ray disc.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:39:41)

2160p / Widescreen 2.35:1
Dolby Vision / HDR10
Audio: English 5.1 Surround DTS-HD Master Audio, English 2.0 Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English SDH

Blu-ray:

1080p / Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English 5.1 Surround DTS-HD Master Audio, English 2.0 Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:
Only the commentary can be found on the 4K disc, the rest of the bonus material appears exclusively on the Blu-ray.

The Devil’s Hand: Designing Carrie (22:53)
In this brand new interview, production designer Carol Spier talks about basing the look on Norman Rockwell paintings, the design of the house & the school (including the lockers, shower & gym), collaborating with the director, Carrie’s confrontation with her mother, the final scene, and more. The audio of the interview plays over clips from the film, with a couple brief side-by-side glimpses of Spier speaking.
They’re All Going to Laugh at You: Adapting Carrie (32:44)
In this brand new interview, author Joseph Maddrey (Adapting Stephen King) provides insights into King’s original novella, its evolution, the various film adaptations of Carrie, the challenges of remaking an iconic movie, modernizing things for the 2013 version, some of the other differences between the two films, and more. The audio of the interview plays over film clips.
Alternate Ending (2:30)
In this alternate CODA for the film, Sue has a nightmare about giving birth. Includes optional commentary introduction by Director Kimberly Peirce. While the previous Blu-ray release included the option to watch the film with this alternate ending in place, here it is presented separately.
Deleted/Alternate Scenes (10:51)
A collection of 9 deleted/extended scenes that were cut from the film. In the optional commentary, director Kimberly Peirce explains why each scene was ultimately left out. Scenes play back-to-back with chapter stops: “Hail”, “Chris and Tina Kiss”, “Billy’s Wild Ride”, “Carrie Levitates Margaret”, “Drive to Pig Farm”, “Carrie and Tommy Kiss”, “Billy Kisses Chris after ‘Jailtime'”, “Margaret Cuts Herself”, and “Tina on Fire”.
Creating Carrie (20:52)
The cast and creators talk about modernizing Stephen King’s book and casting the film, as well as a look at “blood dump” screen tests and how the special/visual FX were done. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Kimberly Peirce, producer Kevin Misher, and stars Chloë Grace Moretz (“Carrie White”), Julianne Moore (“Margaret White”), Judy Greer (“Ms. Desjardin”), Gabriella Wilde (“Sue Snell”) & Portia Doubleday (“Chris Hargensen”).
The Power Of Telekinesis (3:47)
The cast and crew discuss their beliefs about telekinesis. Features interviews with producer Kevin Mishner, director Kimberly Peirce, and actors Alex Russell (“Billy Nolan”), Ansel Elgort (“Tommy Ross”), Portia Doubleday, Gabriella Wilde, and Chloë Grace Moretz.
Tina on Fire Stunt Double Dailies (2:07)
A look at some of the raw daily footage from the filming of Tina on Fire scene. Includes commentary by Director Kimberly Peirce.
Telekinetic Coffee Shop Surprise (2:20)
In this fun viral prank video that was used to promote the theatrical release, unsuspecting coffee shop patrons experience the wrath of Carrie.
Theatrical Trailer (2:30)
Commentary With Director Kimberly Peirce (1:39:43)
Director Kimberly Peirce provides an interesting behind-the-scenes commentary throughout the film. She discusses her thoughts and choices in creating this new adaptation of the classic novel. She discusses the modernization of the story, casting the film, the effects and more.

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Recommended

The 2013 version of Carrie is a pretty solid remake that pays homage to the 1976 classic while also modernizing the story a little. It features some great lead performances and amazing visuals. Scream Factory’s 4K release offers a slight upgrade from the previous Blu-ray release as well as a pair of new interviews. I don’t know that it’s necessarily worth the expensive double-dip if you already own the previous Blu-ray, except for those who are die-hard fans of the film.