Stephen King's Iconic Novel "Carrie" Unleashes Power in Big Screen

Carrie was Stephen King’s first bestseller and the book that launched his career. This horror story about a young misunderstood student, living under the spell of her over-protective mother, that discovers she has telekinesis powers and puts them to use when bullied at school made a huge impact when first published in 1974. Four decades later, writer/director Kimberly Peirce has adapted King’s story to contemporary times, with Chloe Moretz in the leading role of “Carrie.”

This story was first adapted on the screen by Brian De Palma in 1976, and now Peirce has decided to retell it with the blessing of both the author and De Palma.

The issues Stephen King was dealing with in the novel feel timeless, as producer Kevin Misher explains: “I think if you look at the original book that was written in the 70’s you can see that it’s a very classic tale about kids feeling disenfranchised, with the science fiction horror metaphor of one girl’s experience. She represents what many kids go through at high school during puberty. So, this seemed to be a movie that could speak to a contemporary audience and to the nostalgics that grew up loving the book and the original film -appealing to a very large group of people. And it may also have a lot to say, because the way movies discourse on contemporary issues today seems to me to be through genre. For instance, many people talked about how `The Dark Knight Rises' was about civil unrest.”

In Peirce’s words: “I wanted to bring the audience as deeply as possible inside Carrie’s journey - inside her intense longing and effort to be a normal teenager amidst the mockery of her peers; inside her discovery and use of these amazing powers; inside her strange and deep bond with her religious and protective mother, Margaret; and inside the fatal conflicts that arise as Carrie ventures into the world to become a woman.”

“What really hit me were the characters,” follows up Peirce. “Margaret and Carrie’s profound mother/daughter relationship is the heart and soul of the movie as Margaret tries to prevent her daughter from growing up and using her powers. From there you widen out to include all the other characters that help to push Carrie to her ultimate end. I wanted to make an emotional, modern and very fun version of this story.”

Carrie’s powers also can be seen a gift and a curse -a duality always present in Moretz’s performance, as the young actress explains: “The telekinesis aspect of the movie could have been this weird element that nobody understood, or this beautiful element that added a new dimension to the film – which is what Kim did! She took this element and made it so beautiful that when you watch Carrie use it, you can't help but to want those powers! She is not only becoming a woman and realizing who she is, but also becoming stronger every day and learning how to utilize this newfound power. There are some really awesome shots of her discovering what she's capable of and how much strength she really has.”

Kimberly Peirce is delighted with Chloe’s performance as Carrie: “She is amazing! Obviously any director is going to say that about their main actor, but what is unique about her is that she is a wonderful performer that has beautifully been able to play a really precocious adult aged-up girl. She is on the verge of blossoming, and this is the story of a girl who blossoms. So, we also had youth on our side.”

Opening across the Philippines in October 16, “Carrie” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

Chloe Moretz Gets Back at Her Tormentors in "Carrie"

As with any indelible horror story, the characters in Columbia Pictures' “Carrie” are three-dimensional. That meant casting “Carrie” gave the filmmakers the opportunity to balance the supernatural elements of the movie with performances grounded in humanity. When it came to casting the title role, one of the more turbulent teenagers in the history of pop culture, that decision in particular was crucial – which is why everyone was excited at the prospect of talented leading lady Chloë Grace Moretz embodying suthor Stephen King’s creation.

The filmmakers admired Moretz’s abilities and offered her the role based on her auditions and striking body of work. “Chloë is very much ahead of her time and Carrie is very much behind the time, so the nexus of those two realities made for a very, very unique Carrie,” says producer Kevin Misher.

And yet, unlike Sissy Spacek, who was in her late 20s when she took on the role in the 1976 original feature, Moretz is a bonafide teenager, which allowed her to readily identify with the world Carrie is maneuvering. “I’ve gone through a lot of different stuff,” says Moretz. “I’m actually living it and I remember it all, and I’m here in it while portraying her, so it was really close to home. That’s why it’s so beautiful for me to do it. I felt an attraction to the role.” Casting an age appropriate teenager was also an instinct in contemporizing the movie; audiences today may not accept a Carrie that is, in real life, 26 or over.

Director Kimberly Peirce says it couldn’t have been more helpful having Moretz going through some of the same experiences Carrie did. “When I talked to Chloë, she was being asked out to the prom, literally at the same time that we were shooting our movie,” says Peirce. “Chloe, a confident and successful young actress with a loving family, is naturally very far from our character Carrie White, an underprivileged girl who is mocked at school and repressed at home. We worked to help Chloe understand and inhabit the more difficult sides of life. We were lucky that Chloe was just starting to go through many of the experiences that Carrie was going through. That youthful innocence and sweetness, and the beginning of her teenage rebellion, forms the spine of Carrie’s character. I am very proud of Chloë’s transformation. You’re going to see Chloë grow up before your eyes on screen.”

Moretz is a big fan of King’s novel, which she calls “beautifully written,” so it was imperative in her mind to make it as emotional as possible. “It is probably the most vulnerable I’ve ever been as an actor,” says Moretz. “So in some ways, it’s kind of terrifying for it to come out, but at the same time, it’ll be kind of an awakening for me because I’ve never been able to show that level of my personal emotions on screen before.”

Peirce has nothing but praise for her leading lady’s work ethic, too: “Chloë’s phenomenal! Not only is she a real pro who knows her craft, she’s a really hard worker. Chloë had a lot of work to do on the ‘wire’ [a harness in which the actor is hoisted above ground] when she’s levitating. Typically, an actor on a wire can stay in character about half as long as usual because it’s so physically exhausting, but Chloë stayed up there, in the harness and acted it perfectly.” She adds, “The other thing about Chloë is that the camera loves her. She has an inherent charisma and energy on screen. And she knows the lens, knows where to look, and knows how to hold herself, because she knows what the camera is seeing. When I give Chloë a direction, she knows what I want, and she nails it take after take after take.”

Now showing across the Philippines, “Carrie” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

CARRIE Review

Reviewing CARRIE starring Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore from Columbia Pictures.

The Carrie remake is just as scary and grossly amusing as the first one with Sissy Spacek. Moretz did justice to Sissy Spacek's classic role of teenage telekinetic. Not only that Moretz and the movie itself brings some modern sensibilities to the classic Stephen King story.

So what's to like about this one. For starters (and I'm still raving about this till now) Julianne Moore's performance here in this film is up there. The proper term for the film was "epistolary horror" and boy did Moore's acting as deeply religious Margaret White bring about the term. Not only that, the physicality and visuals that Moore conveyed was pretty hardcore here. In fact there was a scene in the film where I really thought I was watching Guillermo Del Toro's "Mama" rather than a Carrie remake.

Chloe Grace Moretz was good as the troubled teener Carrie. I said good not great because there were moments wherein she just didn't really convince me that she was troubled at all borderline 'lazy acting' is what I'd say. but she still shines bright (like a diamond) when the scene requires anger, shyness or sadness. She's grown leaps and bounds since her days as Hit-Girl. Still not too convincing particularly in those slow, 'romantic' moments.

Carrie: a little too late for the 'Red Wedding'

The visuals for "Carrie" was neat. This film was good in my opinion because it didn't use shock value or too much gore. Gore level here is actually minimal except if you count the pig blood and seeing levitating things stabbing crazy women.

The beauty of this remake lies in the underlying message. Bullying is bad. It destroys people's lives. It's a sort of beautifully tragic reminder to what society is doing to people who appear weak. I guess that's one of the great things about having a female director at the helm of a movie about sexuality, feminism and teenagers.

San Ka Galing lalake ka?

There's a couple of plot points I'd like to point out but that'd be flogging a dead horse. After all it's been decades since the first Carrie and this new version is a clear indication that they lifted everything from the first movie adaptation. Not changing anything also worked for this remake mainly because it avoids some no-no's like the thread about Carrie being a product of marital rape (which was in the original King story).

VERDICT: -B

Special thanks to Columbia Pictures Philippines. CARRIE is now showing in all Cinemas nationwide.

CARRIE” DIRECTOR TALKS ABOUT REMAKING CLASSIC HORROR TALE

From director Kimbery Peirce (TV's “The L Word”) comes Columbia Pictures' new thriller “Carrie” based on the Stephen King novel and starring Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore.

“Carrie” is a reimagining of the classic horror tale about Carrie White (Moretz), a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother, Margaret (Moore). The teenaged girl unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom.

The filmmaker talks about the eagerly anticipated remake in the following interview.

Question. What was your reaction when you first heard about the opportunity of shooting a new version of “Carrie”?

Kimberly Peirce. I loved [Brian] De Palma’s version of the movie. So, out of respect for a friend and a fellow director who had made a classic with this material I called him and expressed my interest in doing a contemporary version. And he said, “You’ve got to do it!”

Q. What appealed to you about this story that made you want to direct it?

Peirce. When I re-read King’s amazing book I was hit by the sheer fun and power of the story and his storytelling and the delight he takes with all his characters. I wanted to bring the audience as deeply as possible inside Carrie’s journey - inside her intense longing and effort to be a normal teenager amidst the mockery of her peers; inside her discovery and use of these amazing powers; inside her strange and deep bond with her religious and protective mother, Margaret; and inside the fatal conflicts that arise as Carrie ventures into the world to become a woman.

Q. How do you see Carrie?

Pierce. I see her as someone who is poor, self-sheltered, innocent and desperately curious about the world.

Q. Why did you choose Chloe Moretz for the main role of Carrie in this new film?

Peirce. There are many kids that try to be actors every year, but Chloe is someone who has been consistently cast in movies and done good work. And she has great screen presence! So, that’s where we started with her…

Q. And what has she been like to work with?

Peirce. Chloe Moretz is amazing! Obviously any director is going to say that about their main actor, but what is unique about her is that she is a wonderful performer that has beautifully been able to play a really precocious adult aged-up girl. She is on the verge of blossoming, and this is the story of a girl who blossoms. So, we also had youth on our side.

Q. What is her relationship with her mother Margaret like in your eyes?

Peirce. Margaret and Carrie’s profound mother/daughter relationship is the heart and soul of the movie as Margaret tries to prevent her daughter from growing up and using her powers. From there you widen out to include all the other characters that help to push Carrie to her ultimate end. I wanted to make an emotional, modern and very fun version of this story.

Q. How did you encourage Chloe to go through that transformation?

Peirce. By telling her that she had to have a teenage rebellion. That got her interested… And, in acting terms, she did it!

Q. And what can you say of Julianne Moore, who plays Carrie’s mother?

Peirce. Julianne is a dream to work with! She has experience and great command of her craft. And she also has fantastic instincts, a wild side, and a willingness to go over the edge where you want and need her to go to bring the character to life. As a writer/director you write material, you imagine how it will be performed and, if you’re lucky, you get an actor of Julianne’s caliber and talent who takes it to a whole new place which is deeper, more real and more specific than you imagined. She is mesmerizing and the soul of this movie with Chloe.

Q. Do you believe that being a woman helped you identify even better with Carrie and her story?

Peirce. I like to think that men and women can direct the same movies; but certainly, as a director, you draw from your own experience. I have a mother, and there are some mother/daughter issues that are mind-blowing in this movie. And I can also identify with being a teenage girl that had a rebellion! So, you grab what you can from your experience but also leap forward to tell your story.

Q. Was it a big undertaking to tell a story that has so many fans from its past incarnations?

Peirce. I didn’t initially see the connection between my work and a horror remake, but when I re-read the book it hit me on such a personal and deep level. Like my other films this one is a protagonist-driven story, yet it is also a rich ensemble piece. Carrie draws a number of vibrant characters that both aid and obstruct her into her journey. And, as she comes into conflict with each of them, their fates collide into a wonderfully emotional and physically violent climax. What thrilled me about doing Carrie was being able to continue this kind of work and amplify it using genre, fantasy, and Visual FX into a new and thrilling landscape.

Q. Did you embrace the opportunity to work with visual effects in this film then?

Peirce. It’s exciting as a filmmaker to be able to play with newer and bigger tools, but the key for me is to remain constantly grounded in story and character. I hope you’re madly in love with and engaged by Carrie, her mother, the other characters and the story, furthered by the effects.

Q. How did you shoot the famous scene where they dump blood on Carrie during her prom?

Peirce. Usually you cover action sequences with multiple cameras because you typically get only one or two chances with it. We needed the blood dump to be as impactful, terrifying and fun as possible. So, we did months of research and development, tested dozens of blood dumps, and found every possible problem. A straightforward bucket pour misses the target; but, using a chute, which guarantees a direct hit, it causes the human head to act like an umbrella, sending liquid flying off. Thin blood falls off; thick blood is gross and gooey; too little blood runs out; too much is an avalanche. We went from 3 to 4 to 5 gallons, settled on 5 feet above, chose a 45-degree cascading pour, and set the viscosity and thickness to get the right look. And still we had no guarantees it would work when Chloe was under the rig. We were literally all holding our breath, and then it worked! People have asked me how much blood we used in making the movie… I would guess about 1000 gallons!

(Opening across the Philippines in Oct. 16, 2013, “Carrie” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.)

New Trailer for Carrie Remake is Already Up and Scaring

Columbia Pictures has just revealed the second trailer of its upcoming suspense-thriller, “Carrie” which you can watch here at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs_zQ93F7XY.

“Carrie” is a reimagining of the classic horror tale about Carrie White (Chloe Grace Moretz), a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother (Julianne Moore). The teenaged girl unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom.

FIRST-LOOK: TEASER TRAILER OF “CARRIE”

"Carrie” is a reimagining of the classic horror tale about Carrie White (Chloe Grace Moretz), a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother (Julianne Moore). The teenaged girl unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom.

The film also stars Judy Greer, Portia Doubleday, Alex Russell, Gabriella Wilde and Ansel Elgort.