Carrie (2013): Book vs Film

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the new remake of Carrie and actually really enjoyed it. But how does it compare to the original Stephen King novel on which it's based?

For me, Stephen King is one of the greatest storytellers of our time. In Carrie, his first published novel, King proved he could not only get into the mindset of a teenage girl but that he could also go to incredibly dark places and weave a story together at a slow pace, leading to one of the most shocking endings ever written.

In the novel, King switches between the running story of Carrie and the reports done after the fact. Carrie's story is a tortured one. Firstly, she gets her first period and thinks she's dying, then she continues to struggle to deal with all the bullies at school. On top of that, she discovers that she has telekinetic powers. There's also her self-harming, religious fanatic mother to contend with!

It's a lot for her young shoulders to take but King moves fluidly between her 'present day' story and reports of what has come before. There are interview transcripts and reports from people who met her over the years like the neighbour who spoke briefly to Carrie when she was a toddler. There is more information on Carrie's life earlier life and more explanation as to what happened to her now absent father. By switching between the two, King paints a picture piece by piece and with every page, the reader better understands who Carrie is and her sheer strength at having managed to get this far! The story is not just hers but also that of her classmates: Sue Snell, who grows a conscience and decides it's time somebody did something nice for Carrie, and Chris who wants quite the opposite.

The book really builds to the now infamous explosive finale and, after the prom scene, has one of the most chilling deaths ever written - a death which has been changed for the purposes of both this film and the earlier 1970s version.

The main difference between book and film is that the film pays no attention to the backstory, choosing to interweave the key points - namely the relationship Carrie has with her mother - into the present without looking at the reports or stories found the book. The focus is very much on the here and now and, with it, the fundamentals of the story remain.

A massive change in this remake is that the story has been brought forward to our present day. The horrific bathroom scene which opens the story is now filmed on mobile phones and put on YouTube, something they obviously couldn't have done when King originally wrote the story. It works, however, and makes the film feel that much more current. The plot still resonates today so it makes sense to bring it up to date.

Chloë Moretz and Julianne Moore are both equally stunning in their respective roles as Carrie and her mother Margaret. The horror of both the psychological and physical damage Margaret inflicts on her daughter remains for the film, including one shocking use of a Bible! More is also made of Margaret's self-harming and the loving way in which Carrie tries to calm her moods. Moretz somehow manages to be both sweet and innocent and completely terrifying and handles the role with a maturity way beyond her years.

Overall, the film manages to remain loyal to the original but be brave enough to break new ground at the same time. The book remains utter perfection: endearing, horrifying and chilling.

Carrie is out in the UK Friday 29th November 2013. The book is available to buy now.

Book - 5/5

Film - 4/5

 

The new adaptation (yes another one!) of Stephen King's Carrie is actually rather good!

I know, shocking. It manages to be faithful to what has come before but be brave enough to be its own film. The cast (namely Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore) are STUNNING and the infamous prom sequence is heart-pounding.

For my full review of the film, check out Filmoria and if you haven't yet read the book - do!

Just don't mess with the girl with telekinetic powers. It's not a good move.

The Ultimate Adaptations Book Bundle Giveaway

THIS COMPETITION HAS NOW CLOSED.

I love a great adaptation. That's no secret. It's largely because I adore both book and films but in the right hands a beloved book can become a great film and appreciated by more fans, just in a different medium.

So it seems only fitting to do a competition which celebrates some fantastic adaptations, with books provided courtesy of Robert Hale Ltd, Scholastic, Hodder, Hesperus, Canongate and Bloomsbury. 

For your chance to win all of the following great books, just send an email over to filmvsbook@gmail.com with your favourite adaptation ever made and why, including 'The Ultimate Adaptations Book Bundle Giveaway' as the subject line and the town where you live in the UK. Don't worry, they don't have to be from the list below!

Head to the Bates Motel to see what happens when a woman on the run from the law meets Norman Bates. Psycho by Robert Bloch became one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most iconic films.

Sparking a resurgence in young adult fiction Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is the second novel in her Hunger Games trilogy which follows Katniss Everdeen as she fights to protect those she loves but somehow manages to put them in even more danger. Dramatic, powerful and gripping from start to finish, the adaptation – which stars Jennifer Lawrence – is out in November.
 

Carrie by Stephen King is one of King’s most beloved books as he follows a high school girl battling with a religious fanatic mother and her own powers of telekinesis. It’s so good, they’ve adapted it more than once!

 

12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup was the film to watch at this year’s London Film Festival and received rave 5* reviews across the board. But it all began with a true story by Solomon Northup back in the 1800s. Read the memoir that started it all.
 

A book that was deemed unadaptable was adapted by Ang Lee thanks to 3D technology and an incredible performance from newcomer Suraj Sharma. Booker prize winning Life of Pi by Yann Martel is one of the most thought-provoking and evocative tales ever written.

As an extra bonus to this great bunch of adaptations, the competition also includes the fantastic The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon. Though the adaptation does not currently exist, Andy Serkis' company have bought the film rights and are working on getting it made!

*A new book has been added to the giveaway, courtesy of the lovely people over at Random House. Enjoy all the glamour and opulence of 1920s New York with F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic tale, The Great Gatsby.*

This competition is available to UK readers only and will close on midnight GMT Friday 1st November.

New Carrie poster arrives

A new poster has arrived for the long-awaited - and, annoyingly, delayed - Carrie adaptation which stars Chloe Moretz and is out later this year.

What do you think? Will it be more like the Stephen King novel? It certainly looks that way from the trailer...

Source: Shortlist

Chloe Moretz, Julianne Moore and Kimberly Peirce Talk 2013's Carrie Adaptation

There are a few adaptations coming up in the near future that have got me more than a little excited recently. I was excited about the film musical adaptation of Les Misérables the second I discovered Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway were going to be in it. I scoffed when I heard David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas was being adapted. It seemed impossible! Then my lovely friend Hillary saw the film at the Toronto International Film Festival and sung its praises so highly I finally started to believe it might actually be more than a little bit brilliant. None have got me quite as excited though as the short trailer for Carrie - based on the fantastically sinister book by Stephen King and starring Chloe Moretz.

At the recent New York Comic Con, stars Moretz and Julianne Moore joined director Kimberly Peirce to discuss this new adaptation - which looks to be closer to the original source text than the 1970s Brian De Palma, thanks to the teaser trailer which swept over a burning town and had the voiceovers of the town's inhabitants.

Peirce said that she adored De Palma's adaptation but clarified: "I took a lot from reading Stephen King's fantastic novel - Carrie's plight, Carrie's mother, and thinking 'My god, this is a fantastic story.' That was always what I went back to." The cast were behind her on this as, Peirce said, they all loved the book.

When discussing the on-screen relationship between mother Margaret (Moore) and daughter Carrie (Moretz), Moore stated that "we were able to push it pretty far" as they felt so comfortable together off screen. What the pair will have made of the rather nasty scenes of abuse and punishment remains to be seen but it certainly seems to have the potential for the same level of darkness found in King's novel.

The panel debate seemed to suggest that the two key elements of the story are going to take centre stage for this film - that of the mother/daughter relationship and Carrie's bullying. Moore said she felt King was ahead of his time for addressing the bullying issue, adding that "one of the great things about Stephen King and this story is [that it] allows us to participate [in] many different ways." Peirce also said added: "I certainly think in some of the scenes there's an awareness of the teacher and the school...There's also a subplot about what one of the characters does in social media."

Those elements aside though, let's not forget that Carrie is - at it's heart - a horror of epic proportions. Those who know and love the story of Carrie White - in either book or film form - will understand why it was entertaining that director Peirce attempted to figure out a rough idea of just how much fake blood had been used during the shoot. Her final answer?  "1000 gallons of fake blood!"

Roll on 2013!

Source: Indiewire

First Teaser Trailer and Poster for Carrie Remake

The first teaser trailer and poster have arrived for the new Carrie remake starring Chloë Grace Moretz. And if the town's burning destruction is anything to go by, this adaptation might just stick a little closer to the original book, written by the master that is Stephen King.

Who's excited?

Source: Yahoo! Movies

The Prince Charles Cinema Horror Movie Marathon

What's better than watching some great horror films in your PJs? Watching them on the big screen... in your PJs. Oh and in a room with 200+ other film fans to keep you company.

Last weekend I did just that at the fantastic Prince Charles Cinema in London's Leicester Square. Ahead of Halloween, they put on a pyjama party with a difference - scary costumes were allowed (actively encouraged really). The film list was as follows: Scream, The Faculty, The Craft, Carrie, Fright Night (original) and The Lost Boys.

So, big sis and I dressed up like schoolgirls from The Craft, packed some snacks (the cinema only had popcorn and we figured something a bit more substantial might be needed if were going to make it till the morning...) and headed into town.

With a packed-house full of vampires, people hiding behind the Scream mask, schoolgirls and a plethora of onesies, we settled in to watch film number one - Scream. Scream had special significance to me and big sis. When the film first hit cinemas back in 1997, I was too young for its 18 certificate. But big sis relished the opportunity to recount the film - almost in its entirety - to me, so I felt like I had been right there with her watching it. Fifteen years, three sequels and a Scary Movie later, the mask no longer had the same terrifying impact it once did. The inherent comedy in the film, though, went down well and there were cheers and applause for the appearance of Henry Winkler AKA The Fonz. With lines like "What are you doing with a cellular phone, son?" from the sheriff and the classic "My mum and dad are gonna be so mad!" at the end, the film that had once terrified audiences across the globe now provided hilarity and a few jumps.

The biggest shock for me came from just how enjoyable The Faculty was. Having seen the film a few years ago - and been more than a little underwhelmed by it - it was the only film on the list that didn't appeal. But with the crowd around me and the surprise realisation of just how many famous faces were actually in the film, it proved to be one of the highlights of the night. Did you remember Usher was in it? Yeah - neither did I. There's also a young Josh Hartnett, the hilarious Jon Stewart, Salma Hayek, Famke Janssen and Terminator 2 himself, Robert Patrick.

Next up was the dark magic of The Craft which proved far darker on second watch than I remembered. It did bring Neve Campbell and Skeet Ulrich back to the screen for the second time of the night though and remembering the fun of the magic the first time round was great fun. It was Fairuza Balk's brilliantly OTT performance that stole the show for this audience though, with lots of laughs and cheers.

Our fourth film of the night finally answered a question I had been unsure of for years - had I actually seen Carrie from beginning to end? Turns out - I hadn't. I could've sworn I had but my stunned expression for the opening scene made it perfectly evident that I had not. I had no memory of all the nudity, all the close-ups, the bizarre romantic score. I only remembered death and destruction and the crazy mother. The film was presented in all its hazy, jumpy, original quality like we were back in the 1970s.

The audience really feels for Carrie, a struggling teen unable to talk to anyone about what is happening to her body or going on in her head - with a crazy religious and abusive mother and no friends. A girl's first period is traumatic enough without thinking you're dying or being told you brought it on yourself for being such a sinner. Poor Carrie. Sissy Spacek is incredible in the role. The ending is spectacular and more theatrical than the calmer, more sinister ending of the book by Stephen King. But I am very excited now to see what the remake is going to be like...

5am and the start of film number five - the original Fright Night. This was another film I hadn't seen, but I had seen the remake so had an idea of the plot. This was wildly different to the remake - not so much in plot, but in style. It is a far more camp, silly tale and utterly ridiculous - but oh so enjoyable on the big screen.

By film number six, I'm afraid I was desperate to head home to my bed so I'll just have to check out Lost Boys some other time.

Thanks to the PCC for a great, fun-filled night and to big sis for lasting as long as you did with a stonking cold!

And remember... don't answer the phone, don't tell the vampire next door he can come in and don't invoke the spirit unless you can handle it...