The Big Picture
- The 2013 adaptation of Carrie directed by Kimberly Peirce brought a modern twist to the story, incorporating social media and portraying the characters in a more sympathetic light.
- Despite receiving mixed reviews, Carrie remains a beloved pop-culture staple, with a new 4K collector’s edition release coming soon.
- The original 1976 adaptation by Brian De Palma is still considered one of the greatest adaptations of Stephen King’s work, with numerous merchandise and a recent 4K box set release keeping the franchise alive.
The original 1976 adaptation of Stephen King‘s Carrie by director Brian De Palma is often remembered fondly as one of the greatest adaptations of the horror author’s vast catalog ever put on screen. Since then, however, directors have had difficulty leaving the story alone with a direct sequel, The Rage: Carrie 2, and a television remake following in its wake. The most recent attempt to bring the White family back to the big screen came in 2013, with the release of Kimberly Peirce‘s take on the novel with a star-studded cast and an angle more focused on tragedy than horror. Now, over ten years after its release, Scream Factory is offering a chance to look back at the re-imagining with a new 4K Ultra HD Collector’s Edition release coming on March 19.
Carrie tells the story of Carrie White, an outcast abused by her religious fanatic mother and bullied relentlessly at school who gets pushed to her breaking point after a cruel prank at prom, unleashing her devastating telekinetic powers. While De Palma stays faithful to King’s original work, Peirce gives it a modern coat of paint, introducing social media to add extra commentary on the horrors of cyberbullying. Both Carrie and her mother are also made out to be more sympathetic than their counterparts in other adaptations. Reportedly, the plan was for Peirce’s re-imagining to be even more faithful to the novel, however, depicting Carrie’s reign of terror through the town in deleted scenes. Although the film ultimately didn’t add much and received middling reviews with a 50% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, some fans were still hopeful to see it restored to Peirce’s exact vision with a director’s cut.
In addition to the slight tweaks that made it into the final cut, Carrie boasts some impressive talents. While few if any could match the powerhouse performances of Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie, Peirce brought in Nimona star Chloë Grace Moretz to play Carrie while Oscar winner Julianne Moore was tapped to portray her mother Margaret. Judy Greer helped round out the cast as the supportive Miss Desjarden, alongside Gabriella Wilde as Sue Snell, Portia Doubleday as Chris Hargensen, Ansel Elgort as Tommy Ross, and Alex Russell as Billy Nolan.
The Story of ‘Carrie’ Remains Forever Relevant
Carrie is a story that remains a pop-culture staple, even if that’s due to the masterful work done by De Palma rather than Peirce’s adaptation. From Cavity Colors collections to Funko Pop! figures, there’s no shaking the tale of the telekinetic outsider and her religious, domineering mother. A new 4K box set for the 1976 film was also just released last year which, with the new release of the 2013 version, ensures that the franchise will continue to be readily available in the homes of collectors for the foreseeable future.
Carrie releases in 4K via Scream Factory on March 19. Extras that will be featured have yet to be announced. Visit the official site to pre-order a copy now in the U.S. and Canada and get an exclusive poster featuring the original theatrical artwork while supplies last. Check out the trailer below.
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