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Parents' Guide to

Carrie (2013)

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Bloody horror remake focuses heavily on bullying, revenge.

Movie R 2013 100 minutes
Carrie (2013) Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 11 parent reviews

Greyz_anat0my
Greyz_anat0my Adult
August 18, 2021
age 18+

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Rapgodrapgod
Rapgodrapgod Adult
October 21, 2019
age 17+

;)

See all 11 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Director Kimberly Peirce's modernization of Carrie, Stephen King's iconic high school horror novel, is a pretty faithful to the book. In small Chamberlain, Maine, formerly home-schooled misfit Carrie White (Chloe Grace Moretz) attempts to keep to herself until the unfortunate day when she gets her first period in the girls' locker room. Instead of quietly helping her, the girls in her gym class play a cruel trick on her, and even record her frightened reaction for school-wide consumption. Feeling remorseful, popular girl Sue Snell (Gabriella Wilde), convinces her lacrosse star boyfriend Danny (Ansel Elgort) to ask Carrie to prom. But Carrie's abusive zealot of a mother (Julianne Moore) wants her to decline the invitation and repent for "becoming a woman." Meanwhile, Carrie starts to recognize that she has telekinetic powers, and a sadistic mean girl plans to once again publicly humiliate the social outcast.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (11 ):
Kids say (75 ):

It's hard to argue in favor of a remake, especially one of a movie that's considered a classic in its genre. Most of the time, nothing good will come of it, but Peirce does a decent if not novel job at updating De Palma's signature '70s teen horror flick. Much is the same -- the oppressively religious mother, the cruelty of teenage girls, the well-meaning P.E. teacher (played this time by character actress Judy Greer) -- just as King described it. If anything, thanks to today's obsession with social media, the bullying is even more pronounced and disturbing and widespread.

Peirce doesn't shy away from the power of burgeoning adolescent sexuality, but then again, it's not like De Palma glossed over it either. A feminist filmmaker, she makes sure this Carrie isn't just a startled victim to her own powers; Moretz' protagonist owns her abilities, delights in them. When she's enacting her bloody vengeance, Carrie is often half smiling. The performances are good (Moore manages to portray Margaret White as more frightened than crazy), and the story still resonates, but the greater question remains, why remake Carrie when the original is considered so definitive? At least this new version will make Facebook-age teens think about the figurative if not literal horrors of high school humiliation and bullying.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how the movie can be considered a cautionary tale to high-school bullying. Is the sort of bullying depicted in the movie realistic, or is it over the top? Does the school handle the bullying incident appropriately?

  • How is coming of age and sexuality portrayed in the movie? Who in the movie has a healthy attitude toward adolescent sexuality? What are Mrs. White's thoughts on sexuality?

  • Does seeing the movie make you interested in reading Stephen King's book? Those who've read the book: Do you consider this version a faithful adaptation? How does it compare to the Brian de Palma version?

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