88 Films, out now

Can another socially awkward girl with telekinetic powers be saved before she unleashes mayhem?

Well, obviously the answer is effectively no, since we’d have no third act to this incredibly belated sequel to Brian de Palma’s Carrie. There have been a number of other follow-ups to de Palma’s original – a TV remake (a failed pilot) in 2002 and a 2013 remake with Chloe Grace Moretz. There’s also a stage musical version – and of them all, the musical is probably the best!

Based on a real life incident from 1993, this 1999 release is an oddity. It acts as a sequel to the original, but it plays far more for the most part to the Heathers audience than those looking for more of Carrie White’s disturbed actions, at least until the end, when all hell breaks loose (and, total lack of surprise, there’s a coda that tries to scare). It’s still got quite a bit to say about white boys’ privilege and a culture that recent news stories have shown us still sadly exists.

The movie’s origins were as a standalone film, not connected to the Stephen King story at all, and if you remove the forced-in references (a lot of reused footage and voiceovers from the first movie), then it would probably stand up a lot better than in the shadow of such a great earlier film. 88 Films have ported across the special features from the US release a few years back, giving us two commentaries, and the director’s comments are very revealing on aspects of the film’s genesis. There’s also an alternate ending; I’d suggest not be eating or drinking anything when you watch this, as you may choke on the…er… questionable CGI on show!

Verdict: Looking and sounding a lot better than the DVD release, this new version is entertaining enough (and has some interesting deaths!) but would have been better without the forced links to a classic. 7/10

Paul Simpson