--- title: "Carrie" year: 2013 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/carrie-2013" fi1m_score: 52 critics_score: 47 critics_reviews: 24 published: "2026-09-17T00:46:09.082115+00:00" updated: "2026-09-17T00:46:09.656833+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Carrie (2013) Directed by Kimberly Peirce · 1h 41m · MPA R · Drama, Horror **Fi1m score: 52** · Critics 47 from 24 reviews *In a sentence:* Everyone has upgraded to a smartphone except the film > Kimberly Peirce’s remake is tidy, well acted and almost entirely without fear. Julianne Moore is the reason to watch; Chloë Grace Moretz is asked to play a wallflower and cannot help looking like the prettiest girl in school. ## Synopsis Carrie White (Chloë Grace Moretz) is a sheltered teenager in a small town, raised alone by her mother Margaret (Julianne Moore), a seamstress whose religion forbids most things and punishes the rest. When Carrie has her first period in the school showers, the other girls throw tampons at her while Chris Hargensen (Portia Doubleday) films it on her phone and posts the video online. Gym teacher Miss Desjardin (Judy Greer) punishes the class, and Chris is banned from the prom for refusing to take it. Sue Snell (Gabriella Wilde), ashamed of her part in the shower, asks her boyfriend Tommy Ross (Ansel Elgort) to take Carrie instead. At home Carrie is locked in a prayer closet, and begins to discover she can move things without touching them. ## Review Kimberly Peirce’s [*Carrie*](https://film.one/film/carrie) is the second film made from Stephen King’s novel, and it knows the first one well. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa shares the screenplay credit with Lawrence D. Cohen, who wrote Brian De Palma’s 1976 version, and this one follows that film scene for scene. The one plain addition is a camera phone. When Carrie White (Chloë Grace Moretz) has her first period in the school showers and the other girls pelt her with tampons, Chris Hargensen (Portia Doubleday) films it and puts it online. It is a sensible update and, at 101 minutes, most of what the film has to add. The opening is the best thing in it. Margaret White (Julianne Moore) gives birth alone in her bed, certain the pain is a cancer sent to kill her, and picks up the scissors when she sees what it is. We were more frightened by those two minutes than by anything at the prom, and the reason is Moore, who never raises her voice: this is a woman who has been told all her life that her body is a sin and has just had it confirmed. Carol Spier’s production design keeps the White house dim and brown, peeling paper and a crucifix in the closet, and the film is never as good again as when it stays there. Moore carries the picture in every scene she is given. Her Margaret takes in alterations and hurts herself with the tools of the trade, and the film lets us see it as a habit rather than a shock. Some critics have called the performance too much. We would say the opposite: she is the only person here who has decided exactly how frightened to be. Moretz is the problem, and it is not her fault. She works hard, shoulders up, hair hanging, eyes on the floor. But she looks like a pretty girl made up to look plain, every other character treats her as if she were repellent, and the gap distracts throughout. The bigger difficulty is the script. This Carrie finds her power early, reads up on it, and practises in her bedroom until she can lift the bed. By the prom she is in charge of it. We watched her direct the destruction with her hands, like a conductor, and felt not horror but the interest we bring to a well-run stunt. The terror of the story is a girl who cannot control what is happening to her, and the film has quietly removed it. The school is thinly staffed. Judy Greer’s gym teacher Miss Desjardin is the one adult who behaves like one, and she gets the few laughs. Gabriella Wilde’s Sue Snell is decent and blank; Ansel Elgort plays Tommy Ross as so unfailingly nice that the film seems to have forgotten to give him anything else. Doubleday’s Chris has a phone and a grudge; Alex Russell’s Billy Nolan has a car and a sneer. Lee Percy and Nancy Richardson cut their scenes short, which keeps the pace up and stops anybody becoming a person. Steve Yedlin shoots the school in clean, even light and the house in shadow, the right idea, done without conviction. Marco Beltrami’s strings rise where you expect and settle where you expect. Luis Sequeira puts Carrie in a pale pink prom dress that photographs well against what follows, which we will not describe. The prom sequence itself is well made; it is the one stretch where the technical people were plainly allowed to work. De Palma’s film was half in love with its heroine and half afraid of her. Peirce’s is sorry for her from first minute to last, and pity does not drive a horror film far. Most critics landed near where we have, split between those who found it dull and those who found it decent, with hardly anyone who found it frightening. See it if you have never seen the 1976 film and want the story told straight; Moore is worth the evening on her own. If you have, you will spend 101 minutes noting what has been moved and what has been left out, which is a strange way to spend a Saturday night. *Fi1m score 52, published 17 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics find this remake respectable but unnecessary, and nearly all of them measure it against De Palma’s 1976 film and find it wanting. What praise there is gathers around the mother-daughter scenes: Julianne Moore’s quieter, broodier Margaret White is the performance most reviews single out, and several credit Kimberly Peirce with getting further into Carrie’s head than the original did. The one update almost everyone notices is the bullying filmed on phones and put online. The spread is wide. A handful of reviews, including The New York Times and The New Yorker, treat it as a thoughtful contemporary gloss with real feeling for its heroine. The larger negative camp calls it a bloodless, scene-for-scene copy that drains the camp and the scares and adds nothing of its own, with Slant dismissing it as a lifeless public-service announcement. Chloë Grace Moretz divides them most: committed and sympathetic to some, too poised and too capable to pass as a victim for many more. ### Reviews we read (24) - **RogerEbert.com**, Matt Zoller Seitz (70/100, inferred): The remake reimagines the story as a tragic superhero origin tale with more psychological depth and female perspective than the 1976 version. Peirce excels at expressing Carrie’s inner world through her telekinetic powers but falters by not fully committing to nuanced supporting characters. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/carrie-2013) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney (70/100, inferred): The remake is entertaining and well-paced with strong mother-daughter performances from Moretz and Moore, though it can't escape the original's shadow; praises the grounded intensity and vivid acting. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/carrie-film-review-649237/) - **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (70/100, inferred): Peirce’s version is very good as both a viewing experience and a contemporary gloss on De Palma’s classic, with thoughtful twists like social media integration and a sweeter tone amid the cruelty. It treats Carrie’s powers with more practicality and empathy, giving her a denser identity. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/kimberly-peirces-carrie) - **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (70/100, inferred): Peirce delivers a fine, largely faithful remake that updates the story with contemporary fears while playing up religious themes and Carrie’s emerging powers. The film retains terrors rooted in timeless themes of bullying and female dread, though the dread of the female body from the original is somewhat missing. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/18/movies/carrie-returns-with-julianne-moore-and-chloe-grace-moretz.html) - **Variety** (70/100, inferred): Peirce’s remake is an intermittently effective retelling that eschews De Palma’s wit for a somber approach, succeeding due to committed performances from Moretz and Moore in a subtler mother-daughter dynamic. It doesn’t surpass the original but offers a straight-faced update suited to modern bullying concerns. [Read](https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/carrie-review-1200734450/) - **Radio Times**, Alan Jones (3/5): This pale imitation is more a homage to De Palma's 1976 film than a return to the novel's basics and lacks the original's captivating poignancy. Performances are fine but not iconic, and showing Carrie in control of her powers makes the story less emotionally engaging. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ghmpei/carrie/) - **Time Out**, Cath Clarke (3/5): As remakes go it is not as lame as it could be, with Peirce getting deeper into the characters' psychology than De Palma, but it lacks the original's spooks and shocks. Moretz is talented but not suited to the victim role, and the film only grabs attention in the final 20 minutes. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/carrie-1) - **Total Film**, Jamie Graham (60/100, inferred): The critic calls it one of the more solid 1970s horror remakes but finds it lacks the verve, potency, romance and heartache of the original. Some updates like the social media element work, while others like the coda and lack of scares do not. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/carrie-2013-review/) - **The AV Club**, A.A. Dowd (C-): The remake is a bloodless, scene-for-scene copy that drains the camp and horror of the original, making it worse when it deviates; criticizes the diluted revenge and over-the-top mother performance. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/carrie-1798178357) - **Empire**, Mark Dinning (45/100, inferred): The critic finds the film efficient and effective with topical relevance to bullying but criticizes it for rushing through the buildup and failing to match the emotional depth or indelible quality of De Palma's version. It does not add much to the legacy. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/carrie-2-review/) - **The Telegraph** (45/100, inferred): The remake is haunted by the original De Palma film and earlier performances; Moretz is miscast as Carrie and Moore's performance is unexciting compared to the original. It is a C+ retelling that is interesting in some changes but disappointing overall. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10481525/Carrie-review.html) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (40/100, inferred): The remake is efficient but only tentatively updated and strangely pointless, similar to De Palma's original but not as good, with the final moments messed up. The sole innovation is the addition of mobile phone footage of the bullying uploaded to the web. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/nov/28/carrie-review) - **Evening Standard** (30/100, inferred): The critic mocks Moretz's miscasting and distracting dyed hair while praising Moore's complex performance as the mother and noting some amusing elements in the post-prom scenes. Overall the tone is dismissive of the project despite acknowledging its modern social media angle. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/carrie-film-review-8972046.html) - **Screen Daily** (30/100, inferred): The remake is passable only as recast entertainment for those unfamiliar with the original but fails to explore the depths of adolescent isolation. Moretz's performance lacks the emotional hopelessness needed, though the technical achievement in the bloody finale stands out as the film's high point. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/carrie/5062629.article) - **Vulture**, David Edelstein (30/100, inferred): On its own the film is flat and uninspired, compromised by mindless teen-movie humanism; atrocious compared to the original, lacking new perspective from the director. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2013/10/movie-review-carrie.html) - **Film Comment**, Max Nelson (20/100, inferred): The critic finds the remake sexless, airless and joyless compared to De Palma's original, praising strong performances from Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore but complaining that it drains the erotic tension while ramping up the violence in a cold, voyeuristic way. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/review-carrie-2013-remake/) - **Slant Magazine**, Eric Henderson (10/100, inferred): This dire remake is a lifeless PSA that misses the tragedy of the story; the word-for-word script fails the performers and turns the material into cheap sympathy-building instead of horror. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/carrie-2013/) - **Digital Spy**, Stella Papamichael (3/5): The critic notes the remake is low on invention and often bows to De Palma but says it works as a formula copy for new viewers, praising Moore's broodier mother and the sophisticated edge over typical slashers while wishing for more psychological depth. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a529840/carrie-review-chlo-grace-moretz-brings-claret-to-your-popcorn/) - **HeyUGuys**, Stefan Pape (3/5): The critic finds it not scary but a relatable high school drama with effective contemporary elements like social media; praises Moore's performance and Peirce's approach for a new audience, but criticizes Moretz's casting as too endearing. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/carrie-review/) - **Eye for Film**, David Graham (40/100, inferred): The review calls it a boring, after-school TV movie-like remake that's not scary enough, miscast with Moretz, but notes some effective subtle new ideas and balanced character portrayals; concludes it's not needed but somewhat worth watching for younger audiences. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/carrie-2013-film-review-by-david-graham) - **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (D): The critic finds the remake scattershot, with underdeveloped characters and themes that fail to meaningfully distinguish it from the original. Peirce's focus on spectacle over emotional depth leaves the tragic elements of Carrie's story unexplored. [Read](https://collider.com/carrie-remake-review/) - **The Playlist**, The Playlist Staff (D): The critic sees potential in Peirce's thematic approach but finds the execution a near disaster, lacking the camp and emotional depth of the original, with tonal inconsistencies and a simplistic revenge tale; praises Moretz's performance somewhat but criticizes overall lack of imagination. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/review-carrie-starring-chloe-grace-moretz-julianne-moore-20131017/) - **The Wrap**, Alonso Duralde (35/100, inferred): The remake is unnecessary and adds nothing new to the story or characters, feeling like a footnote to the superior 1976 original. It is too faithful to the source without infusing any distinctive directorial insight from Peirce. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/carrie-review-stephen-king-remake-commits-sin-irrelevance/) - **Den of Geek**, Nick Allen (1.5/5): The critic calls it another misbegotten horror remake that follows De Palma's version too closely with little diversion, praising Julianne Moore and Judy Greer but faulting Chloë Grace Moretz's performance and the lack of ballsy attitude or innovation. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/carrie-review/) ## Details - **Director:** Kimberly Peirce - **Director:** Kimberly Peirce - **Screenplay:** Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Lawrence D. Cohen - **Novel:** Stephen King - **Cinematography:** Steve Yedlin - **Editor:** Lee Percy, Nancy Richardson - **Music:** Marco Beltrami - **Production design:** Carol Spier - **Costume design:** Luis Sequeira - **Producer:** Kevin Misher - **Cast:** Chloë Grace Moretz as Carrie White; Julianne Moore as Margaret White; Gabriella Wilde as Sue Snell; Ansel Elgort as Tommy Ross; Alex Russell as Billy Nolan; Judy Greer as Miss Desjardin; Portia Doubleday as Chris Hargensen; Zoë Belkin as Tina Blake - **Runtime:** 1h 41m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 18 October 2013 - **Genres:** Drama, Horror - **Budget:** $30 million - **Box office:** $85 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxwPUSWRaJo ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: streaming - AMC+: streaming - Apple TV: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: add-on - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-17.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Carrie* (1976), Fi1m 86: De Palma’s version, which is frightened of its heroine in the way this one is not. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/carrie.md) - *Let the Right One In* (2008), Fi1m 88: A bullied child, a snowbound Swedish estate, and a horror film that is also tender. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/let-the-right-one-in.md) - *Ginger Snaps* (2000): Canadian sisters, a first period, and a werewolf; the metaphor is not subtle and does not need to be. - *Raw* (2016): A French veterinary student discovers appetites her family never mentioned; not for the squeamish. - *Heathers* (1989): The high school as a killing floor, played for laughs that still land. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/heathers.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/carrie-2013