Get your tampons ready because today we’re reviewing Scream Factory’s Carrie Double Feature. Filled with more fire and menstruation than a burning sorority house and more crucifix’s then a church this double feature will have you warning everyone you know that they’re gonna be laughed at. Let’s watch!
Show of hands, who remembers The Rage: Carrie 2? Okay, so only the kids of the 90’s. How about the Made For TV adaptation of Carrie? No one? Okay then, you’re in luck… sorta. Scream Factory have brought both of these carrie adaptations onto the same disc.
When I first received the package in the mail I thought it was Brian De Palma’s adaptation, so I was a little disappointed when I realized it was the made-for-tv movie starring Angela Bettis. It’s unfair to compare 1976’s Carrie to this TV movie. De Palma’s original is a masterpiece and even 30 years later remains one of the better King adaptations. Before I talk about the things working against this version I’ll focus on what it does right.
Angela Bettis is a great Carrie. It’s basically impossible to outdo Sissy Spacek’s career-defining performance but she steps up to the challenge and creates an equally (but very different) Carietta White. Also quick shout-out to Katharine Isabelle, not because she has anything important to do, but I’m always excited to see Isabelle in anything.
It was also written by Bryan Fuller who is the television genius behind cult shows like Pushing Daisies, Dead Like Me and Hannibal. As far as adaptations of novels go this does an applaudable job. The book’s “retro-active story-telling” style is presented in a series of interview segments between Detective Mulchaey (David Keith) with a handful of survivors.
The issue is the direction. Despite my absolute love of David Carson’s previous mini-series The 10th Kingdom this film just feels sloppy and rushed. The camera moves too chaotically in sequences, the performances feel like first (and only) takes and the camera stock seems off. I wouldn’t be shocked if this was one of the earliest TV movies made with a digital cameras. It has that early 2000’s digital film look.
It’s weird because this movie isn’t good, but it’s not offensively bad either. It’s just disappointing. On paper you have a bunch of people I like remaking a book that I like and it just doesn’t work. However I’d still say it’s worth watching because the whole movie feels like an experiment that didn’t work. I have to give the filmmakers credit for trying to do something new with a very well known and respected property.
Now while this was my second time watching the Carrie TV-Movie this was the first time I watched The Rage: Carrie 2 even though I specifically remember seeing the trailers on TV and the posters all over my local mall.
Everyone warned me that The Rage: Carrie 2 was a terrible movie. Now I’m not saying it’s NOT a terrible movie, but what I am saying is that with how low they made my expectations I ended up really enjoying this movie.
Right off the bat I’m loving the fact that in the first 10 minutes we have two cast members of American Pie (Mena Suvari & Eddie Kaye Thomas), Jason London and a soundtrack featuring Far Behind by The Hippos.
Now don’t get me wrong, this film is pretty terrible. The dialogue, the plot, the acting and the direction are all just slightly off. But I enjoyed it.
The Rage: Carrie 2 is written by the man who penned the masterpiece known as Hackers and directed by the woman behind Poison Ivy… so you kinda know what you’re in for from the start. However going into this movie with nothing behind a memory of the trailer and everyone’s word that it was complete garbage left me pretty surprised that I was entertained.
The film has all the 90’s cliches. Diners, convos about Sharon Manson, asshole jocks keeping score of girls they’ve slept with, prank phone calls, huge party sequence, Brad from Home Improvement… the list goes on. It’s goofy as all hell but done in such a serious tone.
The film does this weird thing where every time Rachel (on yea… there’s no Carrie in this movie) uses her powers it cuts to black and white. It’s doesn’t achieve anything and is more distracting than anything.
There’s a bunch of logic leaps throughout, the movie is super slow in the middle and it basically plays out as a weird high school version of Romeo & Juliet (with Juliet having the ability to murder with her mind) but I honestly enjoyed it.
The slow-burn is really worth it for the final massacre at the party. It’s really is a collection of great practical effects, some cringe deaths and solid gore. If it was a little shorter and had better direction I think The Rage: Carrie 2 would actually be a pretty well liked cult film from the 90’s. No Bullshit.
The Blu-ray comes with a bunch of special features including commentary tracks for both features. Pick up your copy from Scream Factory today!
Matt Kelly is the host of the Saint Mort Show Podcast and co-host of the Reddit Horror Club. He also runs the Every Damn DVD blog. Watching both of these movies back to back reminded Matt of the time he was pelted with Tampons cheer him up by getting him something off his Amazon Wishlist to watch.