By Brian De Palma’s 1976 horror extravaganza Carrie, adapted from Stephen King’s first novel, is one of the most iconic and over-the-top horror films of the Seventies, which is really saying something. Unfortunately, Hollywood continues to be unable to leave any great movie alone and having already failed miserably to replicate De Palma’s success with a 1999 sequel, a new adaptation is planned that will be more faithful to King’s original work and now has a writer in the form of Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. Yes, the man who penned the critically lascerated Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. This can only end well.
Normally, I’d be all in favour of staying true to the author’s word when it comes to adapting a book for the screen, even if it has been done before. But in this case, the excess that De Palma brought in was what made his movie so brilliant and a new version, released under the same name, will only ever seem a less interesting work by trying to stay more grounded. Carrie isn’t exactly Casablanca in terms of films that should never be touched, but it has such a strong identity and remains such a favourite among horror fans that this just seems another misjudged attempt by a creatively-dry industry to cash in on a popular title. Good luck with that, Roberto.
[via Empire]