Carrie: An Unexpectedly Impressive Take on a Classic Horror Story

     Revamped special effects and quality acting make 2013’s Carrie a good scare that may be worth putting skepticism aside for.

     This latest adaptation of the Stephen King novel stars Chloe Grace Moretz, 16-year-old actress well-known from 2010’s Kick-Ass, as Carrie White, a teen outcast tormented by her telekinetic abilities and overprotected by her radically religious mother Margaret White, played by Julianne Moore, who starred in The English Teacher in August of this year.

     The constant bullying, isolation and fear provoke Carrie to unleash her fury on a climatic prom night.

     Carrie’s telekinesis causes mass destruction, making all of Sissy Spacek’s telekinetic experiments in the original 1976 version combined look as disastrous as a feather falling on the floor.

     Moretz is believable in her portrayal of Carrie. The doe-eyed beauty convincingly depicts a frightened girl bewildered by her supernatural abilities.

     Moore gives a compelling performance as Carrie’s self-destructive and deranged mother with a quiet-yet-haunting demeanor.

     Use of current popular technology is seen often. While it does not take away from the character’s interactions, it is strange to see considering such technology was inconceivable when the book was written. As it turns out, Carrie does not fare well under bullying in the digital age.

     The movie has a drawn out and arguably over-dramatized take on the infamous prom scene as Carrie’s powers reached questionable – and nearly laughable – extremes. Although her Jekyll-and-Hyde transformation was creepy, her transformation into the town's teenage Godzilla was a little ridiculous.

     The original is an irreplaceable classic that remains the best, but the new version is not a flop.