‘I always wanted to be one of the shiny, happy people….’
It’s strange to think of Carrie as a franchise that features four entries. While the original is a horror classic, it’s almost as if this sequel and the other two remakes don’t exist. Released in 1999, The Rage: Carrie 2 attempts to capitalise on the huge success of teen horror movies released in the wake of Scream. The problem, as with many of the films from this era, is that the writers simply don’t have the chops of Kevin Williamson…
Taking place many years after the original, we are introduced to Rachel Lang (Emily Bergl), a high school outcast with telekinetic powers. When Rachel’s best friend Lisa (Mena Suvari) commits suicide after being rejected by one of the many awful jock characters that appear in this movie, Rachel’s powers begin to rise to the surface. Jason London appears as the sensitive counterpoint to his idiotic friends – the kind of kid that understands the true meaning of Romeo and Juliet. Finch from American Pie pops up from time to time. Regrettably, Amy Irving even reprises the role of Sue Snell from the first movie.
The problem here is that none of the characters are particularly likeable or interesting. And yes, I am including the protagonist in that. The other issue is that while this is obviously a more modern update, The Rage still feels like a bland retread of the original. The plot is identical. We even have occasional flashbacks to the source material as a startling reminder of how badly this sequel measures up compared to De Palma’s classic.
The film’s lack of quality is perhaps no surprise given that original director Robert Mandel dropped out weeks into filming and was replaced at short notice by schlocky horror director Katt Shea. Indeed, given that context, it’s a surprise that this movie isn’t worse. That being said, Carrie 2 was a box office bomb and a critical failure. It’s had something of a renaissance in recent years as a campy curio, but make no mistake – this is a bad movie.