The “Ins and Outs” of Carrie
Carrie White is a well-known character in pop culture. Her telekinetic ability and tragic end is a reminder to all that we do not know what is truly going on with a person, especially the people who are victims of bullying. Brian De Palma who directed Carrie 1976 gave viewers a view of Carrie’s life from the outside looking in and in the remake Carrie, 2013, director Kimberly Peirce focuses on making her audience become one with Carrie. In Brian De Palma’s 1976 version of Carrie, he takes the slow approach to introduce the horror elements to the film. In the beginning, we are introduced to innocent Carrie White as she misses a hit while playing volleyball and after being tormented, she take a shower in the gym locker room. As Carrie showers alone, she begins to menstruate for the first time and she thinks that she is dying. While all of the girls tease her, throw tampons and laugh is shocking and scary enough, the bursting light bulbs could easily be missed while the gym teacher protects and comforts Carrie. It is not until the end of the movie that we see Carrie’s wrath. Director De Palma took the slow affect adding suspense to build the audience while Peirce left no suspense at all.
In Carrie 2013’s beginning scene, Director Kimberly Peirce puts the viewers inside the horror of Carrie’s life. We first hear screams and the camera gives us a shot of the door then a view of the inside of the house with shots of different rooms as if we, the viewers, are looking for the woman who is screaming. As the camera lead us up the stairs following a blood trail, we come upon Carrie’s mother Margaret, who is in the bed screaming and believed to be dying. As she prays for guidance through death by what she thinks is cancer, there is blood all around her and the room lit by candlelight giving the scene a vigil effect. With a final scream and then silence with an above medium shot of Mrs. White. We assume that she is dead, but it is in fact the birth of Carrie. Assuming that her faith is being tested, she grabs a pair of scissors and raises them to stab the newborn Carrie, but suddenly stops. It is as though Carrie stopped her with her newborn powers. Both films took different approaches to introduce the horror elements of the films. Assuming that most of the audiences already know the story of Carrie by putting the blood, shock and disgust was a way to let the audience know that this movie was taking an unconventional route in the genre (Nichols 250).
However, the social aspect of each film makes a difference in time. In 1976, bullying was acts of harassment and spreading rumors by word of mouth. No one talked to the victim or he/she were beaten up. Bullying is the major issue in the famous locker room shower stalls scenes and it is modernizes in the 2013 version of Carrie. “Peirce takes full advantage of this zeitgeist, updating the story for the Facebook and YouTube age…” (Michael). Cyberbullying is a huge problem in today’s world. In Peirce’s film, it is (via) social media and text messaging that puts Carrie’s social problems on a different level. As Carrie lays scared and screaming on the shower floor, one student takes out her cell phone and records the incident. Later on, the whole world can view it on YouTube. As the problem continues the facts remain that “severe and continued incidents of bullying have even led to suicide” (Encyclopedia).
There is no doubt each director gave viewers a different view of bullying. Director De Palma gives a wide shot from above as Carrie played a game of volleyball. We see that she is participating in the game with classmates and as the ball comes to her, she fails to hit it. Then while everyone leaves the volleyball court and heads into the locker room, they curse at her. This wide shot lets us see how her peers are treating her. Director Peirce, on the other hand, uses a wide shot from behind Carrie. Chloe Moretz stated in an article in USA Today, “I think (audiences) need to see the true vulnerability of a modern-day Carrie” (Mandell). As viewers, we see what stands before Carrie, medium shot taken from behind her were to put viewers in Carrie’s shoes and feel what Carrie is feeling showing a form of psychological realism (Nichols 43). As a large amount of students who laugh at her when she hits the ball and it hits her teammate in the head, one cannot help feel what it is like to be victimize of bullying.
Consequently, the ultimate act played on Carrie. She attends the senior prom and both films shine a red light on Carrie making her forever tainted by locker room incident. A few students purposely fix the ballots so she and her prom date are elected prom king and queen. As they take the stage to receive their crowns, someone dumps a pail of pig’s blood on them in front of everyone and if that was not enough, the shower stall video plays on a screen right next to the stage. Enraged Carrie loses control of her telekinetic ability and tragically, there are fatalities. At the end of Carrie, 2013 it is expressed, “Carrie had some type of power. She was just like me, like any of you. She had hopes and she had fears and we pushed her and you can only push someone so far before they break” (Dir Peirce). Her act of retaliation expresses that Carrie/victims do not believe that the bullying will ever end and she/they have nothing to lose by getting revenge, however the means. Though both films were from two different eras, made by different directors, they both did an excellent job of conveying the same message.
Works Cited:
Carrie. Dir. Brian De Palma. Perf. Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, John Travolta Sissy Spacek. 1976. Film.
Carrie. Dir. Kimberly Peirce. Perf. Julianne Moore, Gabriella Wilde Chloe Grace Moretez. 2013. Film.
Encyclopedia, Funk & Wagnalls New World. “Bullying.” 2014. Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. Web. 27 June 2015.
Mandell, Andrea. “Modern-day ‘Carrie” still aims to be scary.” 16 10 2013. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 06 2015.
Michael, O’Sillivan. “Back with a vengence.” 17 10 2013. The Washington Post. Web. 27 06 2015.
Nichols, Bill. Engaging Cinema. New York: W. W. Norton & Company Ltd, 2010. Book.
Photos Courtesy of: stephenking.wikia.com
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