Strange and Fantastic Tales of the 20th Century is a look back at the weirdest, most memorable, and most off center movies of the 20th century. From head turning horror to oddball science fiction, this column examines the films that will leave a lasting impression for centuries to come.
Stories of mean girls and outcasts are pretty typical of the teen and horror genre. Stephen King’s 1974 novel Carrie, about a telekinetic adolescent, featured the ultimate outcast. Carrie White is a young girl who is shunned by her mother and classmates for various reasons. Carrie’s mother is afraid of her daughter’s super powers, while her classmates are just jerks because she’s quiet and different.
The Rage: Carrie 2 from 1999 picks up in a somewhat more enlightened time where social outcasts shop at Hot Topic and hang around in small circles instead of complete isolation. Carrie’s younger half -sister Rachel roams the halls of high school clad in black and oblivious to her relationship with Carrie. This week’s strange and fantastic tale The Rage posits that telekinesis is genetic and can make tattoos spread throughout your body.
Rachel Lang (Emily Bergl) has been in foster care ever since her mom had a breakdown and slapped her across the face with a paintbrush. Rachel is guarded and only hangs out with her best friend Lisa (Mena Suvari). Rachel is stunned when her best friend confesses she lost her virginity. However, Rachel is left with questions because Lisa jumps from the bell tower at lunch. One of the main plots of the film shows popular guys going hard on 90’s objectification of women. The men discuss how they keep score of the women they sleep with. Different girls are worth different points and this is perfectly acceptable as ska music plays in the background.
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Rachel then becomes the object of affection for one popular guy in particular, Jesse, (played by quintessential 90’s everyman Jason London). Jesse is not like his friends. He’s poetic and sincere and seems to really have empathy for Rachel who lost her best friend. Which is pretty nice because honestly, Rachel doesn’t seem too affected by her loss. Her guidance counselor on the other hand is very concerned. Amy Irving reprises her role as Sue Snell, prom night survivor and now school counselor. Sue Snell suspects Rachel is telekinetic and wants to help before things get out of hand.
The overall story of Carrie and its sequel tell a horror tale. However, the horror does not really kick into high gear until the end. Both the original and the sequel quell the traditional horror elements with the terror of adolescence. Both tell a coming of age story in their respective time periods. The Rage feels like a mashup of 10 Things I Hate About You and She’s All That. This can hurt the film, but it is speaking to a generation that loved the formulas presented in those films. The Rage: Carrie 2 serves as a product of its time, but it’s lacking the brutality of the original.
That being said, The Rage does bring attention to more common horrors experienced by teens in their daily lives. Imagine if the “plug it up” scene in the original Carrie was caught on camera and displayed in public? How much more traumatized would Carrie be? But also, how much more enraged? Slap on some fishnets and invite your social pariah best friend and watch The Rage: Carrie 2.
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