"Carrie," the 1976 film directed by Brian De Palma and based on the best-selling Stephen King novel, created horror-movie conventions that are copied to this day.
"The Rage: Carrie 2" merely swipes from the original and a slew of more recent teen horror flicks, such as "Scream." In short, it's a bloody bore.
The film begins 23 years later in the same suburban town where "Carrie" was set. There's a new telekinetic (having the ability to move objects with the mind) girl named Rachel in school. Like Carrie, she's a misfit. The movie uses blood as a motif.
It is here that the similarities end. In an apparent attempt to be topical, the bad events of this movie are triggered by a Spur Posse-like cabal of jocks who make a game out of keeping score of the many girls they sleep with.
The rage of the movie's title is set off by the fact that Rachel feels she and her best friend have been victims of these boys, even after one of them genuinely falls for her.
This change of focus to tension between the sexes destroys one of the most shocking elements of "Carrie."
The original featured an almost all-female cast (besides William Katt and a very young John Travolta, in a small role), and explored the very real power for both beauty and evil among teenage girls. They didn't need to be menaced by men; they were terrifying all by themselves, from their vicious taunts at the opening of the film to their dousing Carrie with pig's blood at the fateful prom.
"The Rage" isn't totally worthless — it could, like the original, turn out to be the debut of several talented young actors. First-time film actor Emily Bergl imbues the main character, Rachel, with as much complexity as the script allows.
But the new movie is, overall, a prime example of studios trying and failing to find a known franchise to turn into a contemporary hit. Perhaps it's a sign of the times, or the absence of De Palma and King. This film was directed by Katt Shea ("Poison Ivy"), and written directly for the screen by "Hackers" scribe Rafael Moreu.
De Palma and King have both had a hand in some very bad movies. But "Carrie" combined a fascinating character study with a relentless, almost obsessive directorial style.
"The Rage," by contrast, is an R-rated "Beverly Hills 90210" meets "The X-Files," a compilation of referential scenes that rely on the use of gory special effects for shock value.
Give us a pig's blood shower any day.