Carrie (1976) Vs. Carrie (2013)

• March 16th, 2015

I re-watched the original Carrie from 1976, which was directed by Brian DePalma, a director that I have tremendous respect for. I have tremendous respect for this movie too, but I find the 2013 version to be a deeper, more satisfying film. It’s a woman’s movie about women’s issues, directed by a woman. The 2013 version is directed by Kimberly Peirce and addresses and emphasizes themes and issues that were overlooked by the men who were involved in the making of the original.

Both movies cover the same territory. It’s the same plot, same lines of dialogue, and the same characters, but there are some subtle (and not so subtle), but important differences.

For example, the remake is a lot less sexualized and sensualized. The original movie, from its opening scene of naked, teenage girls, frolicking in slow motion, to DePalma’s closeup of Carrie’s “dirty pillows” on the night of the Prom, to Margaret White’s orgasmic death scene, none of the scenes are approached from the puerile perspective of the original, and in some cases are excised altogether. The scene of Carrie getting her first period is suitably horrifying in the original, but also heavily sexualized, as it is filmed in slow motion, with closeups of Carrie rubbing between her legs.