EVERY TEEN THINKS TERRIBLE THOUGHTS… HER’S ARE DEADLY!
A BLOODY ASYLUM SPOILER-FREE RETRO REVIEW
When her closest friend is a victim of a cruel prank after being manipulated by the popular crowd, quiet and bookish Rachel decides to get back at the guilty parties.
As sequels go over the decades there have been entries in countless franchises too numerous to mention in the horror genre, some better than others. Back in the 1990s, with some exceptions, they were on the whole limited to one, two, or possibly a trilogy. Many were sub-par or worse, adding nothing new or unexpected, or just a complete recycling of the first movie.
Having never been tempted to watch THE RAGE: CARRIE 2 until now after coming across a lot of positivity I decided to finally relent and was surprised to discover a buck to the trend. Admittedly it does not reinvent the sequel and has issues in quite a few aspects. Nonetheless, it certainly surpasses expectations.
Brian DePalma’s classic influential adaptation of Stephen King’s first novel CARRIE is an acknowledged horror masterpiece in many quarters. Therefore any sequel or remake is in all honesty going to struggle to match its cinematic mastery. So in many respects comparing THE RAGE: CARRIE 2 to it is extremely unfair.
Unfortunately, sequels do not exist in a bubble, and comparisons are unavoidable. The blame for it being tagged an artistic failure, which it certainly is not entirely, squarely lies with whoever thought it wise to retool THE CURSE, as it was initially known, to an ill-advised, contrived sequel.
Also bringing back Amy Irving as Sue Snell from CARRIE to bolster the connection further baits comparisons. To be fair though, she impresses with what she had to work with, occasionally adding unexpected emotional weight.
Sissy Spacek, who played Carrie in the original, giving it her seal of approval after watching an early cut by allowing footage of her from the original to be used highlights it as exceeding its negative reputation. Yet it has to be acknowledged inclusion of those scenes was another misstep as it further reminds us that CARRIE is a far superior movie.
Nonetheless, for all the hindrances it had to navigate, Katt Shea’s movie is more accomplished than it has any right to be and is one of the stronger King adaptations. As for the most part it is character-driven like his novels. Over the years since its initial release THE RAGE: CARRIE 2 has garnered acclaim amongst some horror fans for the themes and the way they are handled. Which is hard to argue against.
From a solid screenplay by Rafael Moreu, Shea created a film that intelligently explores toxic masculinity and bullying. Evermore relevant subjects. With themes of suicide, and dealing with grief and trauma sensitively depicted.
Many of the characters are little more than one dimensional, but Emily Bergl as Rachel is outstanding. Dealing with a traumatic childhood that sees her growing up with uncaring foster parents, as she along with her best friend Lisa, a standout Mena Suvari, are outsiders at high school. When Lisa comes to realise she is being cruelly pranked and shocking tragedy strikes. A sequence that had me gasping and stunned.
Special mention should also be given to Dylan Bruno as the main prankster who injects character substance into a few scenes depicting peer pressure. But unfortunately, his subplot is not fleshed out as much as it could have been. Similarly too is Jason London’s Jesse who falls for Rachel.
Yes, not unsurprisingly there are many similarities, and as events progress and escalate the narrative becomes more like CARRIE, but not so much that it is detrimental to the whole. Culminating in the expected, but inventive, set-piece final with kills more graphic than the original that inject some emotional weight in amongst the carnage and bloodshed.
In no small part, the subject matter and Bergl’s performance elevate what could have been mediocre to a horror of some substance that eclipses many a modern movie.
Sadly THE RAGE: CARRIE 2 has fallen by the wayside due to being hampered as a needless, shoehorned sequel to a classic. Nevertheless, take that out of the equation, objectively viewing it as simply THE RAGE and a stand-alone film, as I did, and what we are left with is a fairly impressive, somewhat thought-provoking horror movie that deserves more love.
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MR GEEKY 