Rage, The - Carrie 2 (1999)
Starring: Emily Bergl, Jason London, Amy Irving, Mena Suvari
Director: Katt Shea
Synopsis: needless and subsequently useless sequel to a great horror classic
Reviewed by: Omar Khan

 

"You're just reminded of why you'd rather be watching Sissy Spacek" Empire.

"an abhorrent monstrosity" Total Film

"vastly inferior sequel" Film Review

 

It was bad enough that Gus Van Sant attempted the near shot-for-shot remake of Psycho, desecrating one of cinema's untouchable masterpieces in the process. Now MGM, evidently convinced there was still money to be squeezed from the horror classics of yesterday, returned to another sacred cow with The Rage: Carrie 2.

Rather than remake Brian De Palma's classic outright, the filmmakers opted for a belated sequel, but the result is scarcely any more inspired.

Rachel Lang is another lonely outsider blessed—or cursed—with telekinetic powers remarkably similar to those possessed by Carrie White. Inevitably, we discover there is a family connection, the screenplay suggesting that Carrie's father left behind rather more than unpleasant memories. Apparently, telekinesis is hereditary, conveniently leaving the door wide open for yet more sequels should the accountants deem them necessary.

Like Carrie before her, Rachel is gradually coaxed out of her shell by classmates who appear to have accepted her into their circle. Predictably, things are not quite what they seem, and events begin to follow a depressingly familiar path towards humiliation, revenge and wholesale carnage.

The problem is not so much that the film borrows from its predecessor—after all, that is almost unavoidable—but that it lacks virtually everything that made Brian De Palma's original so memorable. Gone is the extraordinary visual flair, the gothic atmosphere, the mounting sense of dread and the almost operatic intensity that transformed a simple revenge story into a horror classic.

As a result, The Rage: Carrie 2 never becomes particularly frightening or emotionally involving. It merely goes through the motions.

The chief curiosity is the return of Amy Irving, reprising her role from the original film more than two decades later. Unfortunately, her performance is surprisingly awkward and overplayed, proving far less effective than one might have hoped.

Despite all this, the film is not entirely without entertainment value. Viewed on a quiet afternoon with suitably modest expectations, it passes the time well enough and offers a few enjoyable moments for devotees of supernatural horror.

Ultimately, though, The Rage: Carrie 2 is little more than an unnecessary afterthought to one of horror cinema's genuine classics—watchable enough, perhaps, but shallow, derivative and almost instantly forgettable.