Where to watch The Rage: Carrie 2
3 Stars
I never fell under the spell of Brian DePalma’s 1976 shocker, Carrie. Some list it up there with The Exorcist and other seminal artistic horror films from the 1970’s. But I always found the picture to be inferior to its peers and over-directed by its auteur. This 1999 sequel is a cut above the standard teen horror flick of its day. The acting and dramatic elements are handled well even if the story’s plot developments are obvious. The Rage is a surprise because it isn’t an unwatchable cash-in on a name brand and during the nineties that was considered rare.
When her closest friend commits suicide after being manipulated by the popular crowd, quiet and bookish Rachel Lang (Emily Bergl) decides to get back at the guilty parties. Although Rachel falls for sensitive football player Jesse Ryan (Jason London), she remains determined to punish his callous friends for their devious actions.
The Rage: Carrie 2 isn’t really a horror film in terms of gross-out gags or jump scares. It’s more of a revenge fantasy with elements of social commentary, and classism. While the film’s climactic scene doesn’t match the all-out gonzo nature of DePalma’s original it still manages to be effective. This is a film that never struggles to step out of the large shadow of its predecessor and can stand on its own merit as being good entertainment.
Director: Katt Shea
Stars: Emily Bergl, Jason London, Dylan Bruno, J. Smith-Cameron, Amy Irving
I liked very much that this wasn’t a carbon copy of the original. I liked seeing that the lead character wasn’t a total social outcast like Carrie was in the original. The ending does feel like it came out of left field. I don’t believe that Rachel(I forgot her name) had any real reason to kill anyone.