THE RAGE: CARRIE 2
D: Katt Shea ( 1999); Emily Bergl, Jason London, Amy Irving, Mena Suvari, Zachery Ty Bryan, John Doe.
It’s hard to understand why a Carrie sequel got off the ground, but here it is. Actually, the lead character is Rachel (Bergl) who has powers similar to the telekinetic Carrie of the first film. Just like her predecessor, she too is alienated from the entire student body. Luckily, she’s not living with a religious fanatic mother. Instead, she hangs out with a cute basset hound named Walter and a white-trash adoptive father (Doe). Things really start to boil her blood when her pal (Suvari) commits suicide after being spurned by a jock lover (Bryan). Rachel’s soon the target of loutish footballers when she threatens to spill the beans about her friend’s death. But not all teen athletes are complete cretins. Quarterback Jesse (London) teaches the vulnerable mindmelder about the pleasures of young love. Of course, it’s not long before she’s subject to humiliation at the hands of classmates, and that’s when things get very gory. CDs decapitate kids, severed heads fly, and glasses explode in people’s eyes. It’s all brutal stuff, but the worst scene is when Walter gets run over (don’t worry, he lives). The film is actually like a cross between the original Carrie and American Pie. In fact, the fatal showdown between Rachel and her antagonists takes place at a boozy house party instead of the prom. Look for Irving as the link between the two films. She reprises her role as Sue Snell, but in this film, she has become a concerned guidance counselor trying to help the confused Rachel. In the end, a very bad teen horror effort that might appeal to true horror hounds.
This article appears in January 12 • 2001.