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

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 school lockeroom shower after gym class, she thinks she’s dying and starts screaming. Her classmates point, laugh and chant “plug it up” as that toss 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 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 get unleashed when she gets emotional.

 
Carrie is the latest film adaptation of Stephen King’s 1974 novel of the same name. I have not read the book, nor seen either the 1976 film or the 2002 TV movie, so I cannot make any comparisons with those. However, based on the audio commentary on this Blu-ray, it sounds like this film tries to be faithful to the original source material while also giving it a more modern feel by taking into account today’s technology and cyber bullying.

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 harming her to get justice, but Carrie’s brand of justice goes a little overboard.

The cast in this film are really great in this film. 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. 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.

Overall, the film has many of the elements of your typical teen horror film, but focuses more on the bulling drama and personal growth and demons of the Carrie character rather than the horror aspects of monster she ultimately becomes. The iconic prom scene is what most people remember from the story of Carrie, and this 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.

The Blu-ray contains two cuts of the film—the original theatrical version as well as another version with an alternate ending. I think I prefer the theatrical ending, but the alternate cut will please fans looking for more of a horror movie-style ending. The disc also contains a lot of bonus material 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.

Overall, I found this to be an entertaining, modern take on the Carrie story with some great performances and amazing visuals.

What’s Included:

Film:

Blu-ray:
• Theatrical Version (1:39:41)
• Theatrical Version with Alternate Ending (1:40:56)
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.35:1
• Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
  English Descriptive Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1 (Theatrical Cut Only)
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

DVD:

• Theatrical Version (1:39:41)
• Widescreen 2.35:1
• Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, English Descriptive Audio 5.1, Spanish Surround Dolby Digital 2.0, French Surround Dolby Digital 2.0
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Digital Copy: (Redemption Deadline 1/14/2017)

• UltraViolet DigitalHD Copy redeemable via Flixster, Google Play or Vudu

Extras (Blu-ray only except for those marked with a *):

• Deleted/Alternate Scenes (10:18)
  A collection of new and extended scenes that were cut from the film. In the optional commentary, director Kimberly Peirce explains why each scene was ultimately left out. Play All or select from “Hail”, “Chris and Tina Kiss”, “Billy’s Wild Ride”, “Carrie Levitates Margaret”, “Drive To Pig Farm”, “Carrie and Tommy Kiss”, “Billy Kisses Chris”, “Margaret Cuts Herself”, and “Tina on Fire”.
• Tina on Fire Stunt Double Dailies (2:18)
  A look at some of the raw footage from the filming of Tina on Fire scene. Includes optional commentary by Director Kimberly Peirce.
• Creating Carrie* (21.07)
  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. Features interviews with director Kimberly Peirce, producer Kevin Misher, and actresses Chloë Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore, Judy Greer, Gabriella Wilde, Portia Doubleday and Julianne Moore.
• The Power Of Telekinesis (4:02)
  The cast and crew discuss their beliefs about telekinesis. Features interviews with producer Kevin Mishner, director Kimberly Peirce, and actors Alex Russell, Ansel Elgort, Portia Doubleday, Gabriella Wilde, and Chloë Grace Moretz.
• Telekinetic Coffee Shop Surprise* (2:39)
  In this fun viral prank video that was used to promote the theatrical release, unsuspecting coffee shop patrons experience the wrath of Carrie.
• Commentary By Director Kimberly Peirce (1:39:41)
  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.
• Theatrical Trailer* (1:56)
• Sneak Peek* (6:05)
  Play All or select from trailers for “The Family”, “Runner Runner”, “Fright Night 2: New Blood”, and “American Horror Story: Asylum“.

Final Thoughts:

I have neither read Stephen King’s original novel nor have I seen any other film adaptations of the story, but I enjoyed this version of Carrie. The film has some strong performances and some amazing visuals. The Blu-ray also contains a lot of nice bonus material. Definitely worth a look for fans of the franchise and new viewers alike.