CARRIE (2013)
An earnest but cruel remake that is unacceptable viewing.
Should You Watch It?
You should skip this movie. CARRIE is an earnest production with strong Hollywood talent, but its remake offers nothing really new. Its final scene also lacks the stylish jolt of the 1976 version.
The film does contain moral points worth recognizing. Bullying is rebuked, kindness toward outcasts is depicted, and one teenage girl tries to make amends. But those points are surrounded by cruelty, revenge, excessive violence, confused treatment of Christianity, and a tragic ending with no redemptive outcome.
The practical answer is simple: skip CARRIE and choose something else for your family or your own viewing.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESCarrie White is a shy, sheltered teenager raised by a mentally disturbed, deeply religious mother. After classmates cruelly bully her, one girl tries to make amends by asking her boyfriend to take Carrie to the prom.
Carrie begins to blossom, even as her mother tries to stop her. Carrie also discovers telekinetic powers that allow her to manipulate objects and people. Then her nemesis develops a vicious plan to humiliate Carrie at the prom.
Is It Any Good?
Two stars means CARRIE has some professional strengths but does not justify its existence as a remake. The production is earnest and features top Hollywood talent. The story also includes some positive moral points, especially its rebuke of bullying and depiction of kindness toward outcasts.
But the ending offers nothing really new. More importantly, the final scene lacks the memorable, stylish shock of the original version. With so little added and a less effective conclusion, this remake struggles to explain why it was made.
The Worldview
CARRIE presents a confused and troubling view of Christianity and the Bible. Carrie’s mother is portrayed as a religious fanatic with an aberrant interpretation of Scripture. She forces Carrie into a closet with a statue and picture of Jesus as punishment. The film does give Carrie a moment of correction when she tells her mother, “The LORD is good,” but its overall treatment of strong Christian belief remains belittling.
The film also treats telekinetic power as a natural ability within a strong pagan and occult framework. Bullying is clearly condemned, kindness toward outcasts is valued, and a teenage girl tries to make amends for wrongdoing. Yet revenge, cruelty, and dysfunctional family relationships drive the story toward tragedy rather than reconciliation or redemption.
A biblical view takes wrongdoing seriously while rejecting personal revenge: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God” (Romans 12:19). CARRIE recognizes some real wrongs, but it does not lead those wrongs toward a redemptive answer.
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Strong mixed pagan worldview with an occult theme of telekinesis power but the power is viewed as a natural power, with some moral messages and Christian references, including teenage girl tries to make amends for wrongdoing and teenage protagonist in one scene rebukes her religious mother’s aberrant interpretation of Scripture with a correct view and says, “The LORD is good,” but movie overall has a Romantic, politically correct view of Christianity and the Bible that, at best, is confused, and, at worst, deliberately abhorrent, plus one light reference to homosexual behavior; about 27 obscenities (including six or so “f” words), six strong profanities, 10 light profanities, and an obscene gesture; some very strong and strong violence with blood includes bloody birth scene, girl uses telekinetic powers to slam objects into people and force people to move or stop them from moving, pig’s blood spilled all over girl, boy kills pig with hammer off screen, teenager girl’s relationship with nutty mother goes from bad to worse and mother stabs daughter in back and tries to kill her but daughter uses telekinetic powers to impale and crucify her, people slammed between two objects, car crashes twice and a person’s head slams into windshield, girl’s head penetrates car windshield and she has glass sticking out of her face, girl uses telekinetic powers to crash and explode car, bucket hits boy on head and kills him, and girl gets menstrual blood on her hands and shows it to people and they get it on their clothes; depicted fornication between teenagers, teenage boy makes lesbian reference to two girls lying on bed but nothing happens, and verbal references to “intercourse”; upper male nudity; verbal reference to spiking a punch bowl but teenage boy was just kidding and villainous teenagers may or may not be holding beer bottles in one scene; no smoking or drug references; and, severe bullying but rebuked, mean teenagers set out to humiliate viciously another teenage girl, dysfunctional family relationship, revenge.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Why is bullying wrong even when a crowd treats cruelty as entertainment? How does Scripture call us to treat the vulnerable?
Proverbs 31:8–9 · Ephesians 4:32What is the difference between a correct belief about God and a distorted use of Scripture?
2 Timothy 2:15 · James 3:1Why does Scripture reject personal revenge, even when someone has been seriously wronged?
Romans 12:17–21 · Proverbs 20:22What would genuine repentance and reconciliation require in a broken family relationship?
Colossians 3:12–14 · 2 Corinthians 5:18–20The Final Word
CARRIE has a few positive moral points, but its cruel violence, sexual content, confused treatment of Christianity, and tragic lack of redemption outweigh them. The remake also adds little to the original. Our answer is SKIP IT. For better choices, see.
