On the Reboot of "Carrie"

**Mild spoilers ahead if you haven't watched the original**

Although the original Carrie from 1976 is filled with bad fashion, an outdated musical score, and a big heaping load of cheese, I've always able to see past all of that to appreciate the awesome paranormal story weaved by the master of horror. When I heard a remake was in the works, starring Julianne Moore, I was excited, yet skeptical. Knowing it would be directed by Kimberly Peirce, the same woman who directed Boys Don't Cry, I knew it would be pretty dark, and probably a bit original.

I was able to catch the new Carrie on its premiere night. The very first scene was among the most disturbing. We watch as Carrie's mom gives birth all alone, not understanding that in fact she was pregnant and is delivering a child. While this was not in the first Carrie movie, it certainly added a whole new element of horror into the mix. It also gave us a better idea of what a psychopath Margaret White truly is. The mother continues to be the most troubling element of the remake, between her overzealous religious beliefs, abuse of her daughter, and self-abuse.

After the pig's blood was spilled toward the end is where I found myself losing some interest. The way this Carrie walked around with her arms up like a marionette for the last 20 minutes really irritated me, and I wasn't a fan of her "supernatural" telekinetic abilities that allowed her to lift a car in the air, and split a tar road like some kind of earth quake. I did, however, like the final showdown between Carrie and her mother.

The acting was just as spot on as I had hoped. Oscar award winner Julianna Moore did an outstanding job as the mentally disturbed mother, Chloë Grace Moretz was able to pull off being the socially outcast yet hopeful Carrie, Portia Doubleday nailed the part of the hateful bitch Chris, Gabriella Wilde (I'd love to see more of her) was perfect as the beautiful and sympathetic Sue, and Ansel Elgort (of upcoming The Fault in Our Stars fame) pulled at my heart strings as sweet Tommy. Truthfully, I preferred this cast over the original (sorry, Sissy).

Overall, I was drawn into the story even though I already knew it inside and out. The addition of the locker room scene being uploaded to YouTube was the only glaring difference, other than the focus on the mom harming herself. Although I'm not yet convinced I like the remake any more than the original, I had hoped that the updated version would at least appeal to the newer generation so they would appreciate the disturbed mind of Stephen King. But as we were leaving the theatre, a girl ahead of me in her early twenties told her boyfriend, "I liked the original better." Quite honestly, I don't know that a remake was necessary, but at least it made for an entertaining Friday night. And now my daughter knows (1) what can happen when you bully people, (2) at least her mother isn't a raving lunatic, and (3) don't have sex, because that birthing scene was discomforting at best.

Plot Twists, Holes and Messed Up Endings

I'm a total story junkie. I love hearing new tales, whether told in movies or books. While I usually say I like them to be completely unique and surprising, there are times when I get the feeling Hollywood's intentions are to do nothing more than completely shock the hell out of their viewers in any way they can with a really messed up ending. Sometimes it's a good thing, when done with good storytelling. Other times it's like watching a grown man dancing in footed pajamas to an off tune jazz number.

This past week I was able to get in a few movies during mommy/daughty time (daughter's nickname for it), and in the middle of the night when my brain refused to shut down. While I still haven't figured out why I like to scare the crap out of myself, later having to worry about shadows moving in the dark, scary thrillers are my favorite. Therefore I watched Dark Skies (for a third time), 6 Souls, and The Uninvited—all scary movies that each contained some pretty crazy plot twists.

While I really enjoyed the twists for the most part, I was also annoyed by some of the plot holes that came with them. I certainly don't expect each story to be perfect, and as a writer I know how horribly frustrating and infuriating plot holes can be. But when there are reasons to doubt the final outcome of all the events brought together, it just ruins the story. I can't discuss the plot holes of these three flicks in any detail or I would be giving away the twist for those who haven't seen them. But I would love to sit down with the movie's writers and ask if they could explain these holes, or if they were intentional. Do they even know they exist? Maybe they want the viewers to have to sit back and wonder about these things after the movie is finished. Or maybe the producers are so anxious to make a buck that they completely missed these holes all together.

Regardless, each of these movies earned a 4 or 5 star rating from me. Despite their flaws, the stories were intriguing enough to hold my interest, and make me glad I spent the time watching them.

Check out my full reviews for Dark Skies and 6 Souls on one of the other blogs I contribute to.

Why 'The Purge' is Disturbing on So Many Levels

Last week I got the chance to see the creeptastic thriller/horror flick, The Purge. And I can't understand why the reviews coming out for it are so bad. While it's a bit unconventional as far as horror movies go, it was original, and definitely did its job of freaking me out. There were major twists, and the ending was unexpected. The acting was top notch, especially from Rhys Wakefield who played the creepy AF stranger (pictured left).

The concept of a future in which crime (including murder) in the US is legal, however, was so disturbing that I left the movie thinking I hope like hell we're not that stupid as a nation to actually do something like this one day. The thought behind this purge is that it will allow people to rid themselves of hatred and violence, therefore creating a lower crime rate. I've also seen theories that suggest this purge also rids itself of the lower class, as they're too poor to afford a proper security system.

One of the most unsettling things about this flick was the way in which nearly everyone seemed okay with this purge, and even embraced it. The parents explain to their children why it's good for our country the way you would expect them to be explaining where babies came from. The daughter and her boyfriend see the neighbor sharpening a machete and say, "Looks like he's preparing for the the purge." The bitchy neighbor lady stops by with cookies, and says she won't be having a purge party this year as it becomes too much of a hassle. There are broadcasts on the TV in which a woman's voice pleasantly reminds the viewers why the purge is good.

As you can expect, this movie is filled with violence. At one point it reminded me of Helter Skelter and the Charles Manson family. There's a disconcerting scene in which the dad has the mom help to torture a person, and another troubling scene in which you see a parent pushed to their limit when their children are threatened. The family's morals are stretched to the limit, and even broken. This was literally me throughout the entire film:

Yet despite all of this, I enjoyed it. Really, it was just an adult's version of The Hunger Games. Does liking it make me crazy, or just extremely twisted? Has society pushed us so far that it takes extremely disturbing ideas to entertain us? I know this isn't true of everyone, as many people I've talked to said they will not be seeing this movie. But there are still a lot of us out there who really enjoy that kind of thing. And once again, it leaves me concerned for the future generations. What will come next?

Check out my full review of The Purge on Two Chicks and a Blog.