If “Carrie” had gone the route of other horror franchises and spawned a slew of cranked-out sequels, “The Rage: Carrie 2″ (1999) would probably stand as one of the least-bad ones. But since it’s the only sequel, it’s not treated so kindly.
A cooler Carrie
The glossy 1990s look and feel gives “The Rage” a different vibe from the arty 1976 original. Yet writer Rafael Moreu and director Katt Shea regularly remind us this is a lesser film by flashing back to scenes from “Carrie.”
We mainly see Carrie doing her telekinetic thing, like Rachel (Emily Bergl) does here. Rachel’s circumstances can’t compete for tragedy, though. Sure, she is a foster teen, but her mom (J. Smith-Cameron) is still alive and not as dangerous as Carrie’s religious-freak mother. She’s generically cuckoo. Rachel’s foster parents only appreciate her for the $300 monthly stipend, but they don’t hassle her too much.
“The Rage: Carrie 2” (1999)
Director: Katt Shea
Writers: Rafael Moreu; Stephen King (characters)
Stars: Emily Bergl, Jason London, Dylan Bruno
Bergl – who I otherwise know as Francie on “Gilmore Girls” and Tess on “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” – has a cute pancake face and is easy to hang out with for 100 minutes. Rachel’s romance with Jason London’s Jesse is simple and sweet. They meet-cute over Rachel’s injured beagle Walter.
Slotting into roles
If the flashbacks had reminded us of other students in “Carrie,” “The Rage” would crumble further. The original film is packed with realistic kids who are unsure of themselves.
When I think about characters in “The Rage,” I’m surprised that Zachery Ty Bryan’s Eric strikes me as the most genuine. Eric wants to be secure among his group of bullies and will leave innocent people in the dust to do so.
The scene where he seeks reassurance from alpha male Mark (Dylan Bruno) about the “worthless” status of Lisa (Mena Suvari) – whom Eric screwed and dumped – provides insight. Eric is a scumbag, but by desperate choice, and that briefly makes him fascinating.
Lisa, Rachel’s best friend, then commits suicide. The Lisa-Eric stuff is off screen, so I try to picture Eric tricking Lisa into thinking he’s genuine, and I can’t do it without accepting that Lisa must be really dumb. I wanted to know more about her, just to plumb the depths of her dumbness.
Specific enemies
Whereas “Carrie” made a “villain” out of the whole situation of high school, “The Rage” creates specific enemies for Rachel. But beyond Eric, they are clichés like Mark and alpha female Tracy (Charlotte Ayanna), who is spurned by Jesse once he notices a co-ed who isn’t full of crap.
Or they are underdeveloped like Monica (Rachel Blanchard), who falsely befriends Rachel in order to ensure her attendance at the party where the bad boys will play the climactic practical joke. Blanchard, who resembles Alicia Silverstone, tries to shape Monica into a dark answer to Cher from “Clueless.” It’s intriguing in the brief time we see it.
Two other cast members are worthy of note. “American Pie’s” Eddie Kaye Thomas plays Rachel’s friend, a goofy but decent dude. And Amy Irving provides the link to the 1976 film as Sue Snell, now a guidance counselor who is unambiguously on Rachel’s side.
These two allies have little enough screen time so that when Rachel complains that she “has no one,” I almost bought it because I had forgotten about them.
Jesse is likewise clearly on Rachel’s side. When Rachel accuses him of tricking her, she comes off as dumber than we’ve seen her so far. The film goes back to the “mean boys, dumb girls” dichotomy of Eric-and-Lisa. But I can’t buy it, because I’ve seen Rachel be a good judge of people.
Killer party, dude
In fact, since “Carrie 2” doesn’t lock in on why Rachel is an “outcast,” I vaguely assumed it’s because she prefers being around good people – and there aren’t many at Bates High School.
As for the final-act showdown that some people might’ve bought their ticket for, it’s superficially cool. A vine tattoo grows along Rachel’s face and arms, so that’s neat.
But if she’s the one sane person at the school (which is why Jesse likes her), shouldn’t she just leave the party? The knowledge that she can kill them with a thought should be enough for Rachel, who has far more self-confidence than Carrie.
“The Rage” doesn’t earn me taking it seriously. I found this sequel endurable thanks to Bergl and a 1999 vibe I have a soft spot for (although I liked it more in 1999).
This cast could’ve handled deeper explorations of parent-child separations, outsider-ness and bullying at the turn of the century. “The Rage: Carrie 2” doesn’t want to go there. Despite its title, it’s a mild effort.
On Fridays, RFMC reviews a Stephen King book, adaptation or related work. Click here to visit our Stephen King Zone.