So remember how I posted about the new “Carrie?” There were two things I didn’t realize: 1) Its a SERIES, not a movie. And 2) It’s by the amazing Mike Flanagan who is responsible for other gems from Stephen King such as “Doctor Sleep.”
This makes it a different ballgame.
I ended up binging the whole series last night. It took that familiar story and not only delved deeper into the character development – something time constraints of a movie have a hard time with – but it also attempts to pull in some of the bullying concerns that plague our country today.
Instead of just being a religious zealot, Margaret White is the widow of a doomsday prepper style man making her paranoid in a whole difference sense. She doesn’t doesn’t trust government, technology as well as the mainstream education system. Having to have Carrie attending high school is made more tense as the school comes equipped with metal detectors and active shooter drills. To the sheltered young girl, this really throws her for a loop.
The bully of Chris is given more character development as well, showing her spiral from basic bitch bully into a real threat to society as her own family situation falls apart. It doesn’t give her an excuse but rather shows us how the nature/nurture question really can be hard to answer.
SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT
The thought that there is a coven-like group of people with mental abilities is an interesting take. I know that Flanagan is known for getting the King stamp of approval for most things so I’m curious where this is going to go. The traditional ending of Carrie is given a slight tweak where the protagonist actually LIVES, saved by a friend who has the ability to astral-project. They are seen – ironically – driving off into the sunset.
