English
The 1976 and the 2002 movies successfully duplicated some of the horror scenes that are evident in the book, and more. The 2002 movie opens with a scene that Brian DePalma (1976) didn’t include in his movie; the rocks falling on the White home as young Carrie gets angry. A clear difference between DePalma’s movie and Carson’s movie is that Carson tries to copy King’s book excerpts as a break in chapters, by including his own film breaks. However, most of the plot is lost in the remake of the mini-television film as the movie has been modified to attract the interests and needs of twenty-first century television audiences.
According to Ehlers (1981), on careful consideration of the theme and method in the movie and the film, shows that each of them point toward separate goals. The novel is horrific in nature, and in contrast, DePalma’s movie draws upon the history of horror movies dealing with “repression, guilt, and a self-destructive subconscious” (Ehlers). For a major part of the novel, the focus is on Carrie; “the writer Congress wrongly speculates that the plots against Carrie were ‘nebulous’ and ‘bumbling,’” (King), and “while Carrie dies, Sue watches ‘helplessly, hopelessly,” and “to allow Carrie at least the privacy of her dying” (King). In the process of making the novel into a movie, DePalma shifted his efforts from being the writer-to-the–reader perspective to the central characters, says Ehlers (1981). Because of this, the focus shifts from understanding how Carrie and her supernatural powers are transformed into a story, to take on a more individual approach. Therefore, the focus which King gives to Carrie is almost lost or deleted in the movie. It is not about Carrie’s individuality that is in focus, but her attitude toward the outside world. This shift in priorities robs the movie of the hope that he gives Carrie. The film portrays the cruelty of sexual and parapsychic energy that ultimately destroys “the individual, the family, and the imagination surrounding it, thus making the movie into a story of self-destruction (Ehlers).
Carrie (2002 version), directed by David Carson is quite different from the 1976 version of Carrie. This movie is much closer to the novel. Angela Bettis plays the role of Carrie, while Patricia Clarkson plays Carrie’s mother; Margaret White. Kandyse McClure’s role is played by Sue Snell, and David Keith plays the detective, John Mulcahey (Moria.co.nz, 2014). Angela Bettis plays the part of Carrie very well, and the story is a sort of flashback. Carrie (2002) is a TV movie and is much longer, and there are a lot more scenes added to fit the viewer’s time on television. The scenes between Sue Snell and Detective John Mulchaey for example, are additions. The 2002 movie is more subdued and this can be seen in Patricia Clarkson, who plays Carrie’s mother. She is more subdued and less monstrous in her attitude and behaviour toward Carrie. There are less shrieks or cries of anguish, than that heard from Piper Laurie in the 1976 film, Carrie. The average performance of Patricia Clarkson as Carrie’s mother robs the story and the plot of its wickedness. Similarly, Mrs. White’s religious and fanatical expressions are a far cry from the 1976 film, and is less convincing than the make-believe genuine madness of Piper Laurie in the original (Moria.co.nz, 2014).
The 2002 version of the film has Carrie talking about the internet; something unheard of in the 70s, and we see her sitting in front of a computer. While the 1976 film was a little over ninety minutes, the 2002 mini-movie runs close to three hours. The special effects are just too out-of–this-world and Carrie’s post-prom antics that cause widespread damage throughout her home town would be hard for the 1976 movie goers to digest, and as such, is an addition. Finally, in the 2002 film, Carrie survives her mother’s attempt to drown her and is seen heading to Florida with Sue Snell.
Works Cited
Ehlers, L. (1981). Carrie. Book and Film. Literature Film Quarterly, 9(1), p.32. Print.
Moria.co.nz, (2014). Carrie (2002). Stars: Angela Bettis, Patricia Clarkson. Director - David Carson. Stephen King Adaptation/TV Mini-Series Remake. Moria - The Science- Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film Review.. Ex, Web. 11 Nov. 2014
