Saturday, March 11, 2017

Episode 36: The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)


“The Devil’s in you!”

By pure happenstance, I Googled daylight savings for 2017 and came to find that we spring forward on March 12th. Since 1999, I’ve associated the date as the day The Rage: Carrie 2 was released to theaters. The sequel to Brian DePalma’s 1976 masterpiece wasn’t a financial or critical success, and I’m sure MGM, as well as Stephen King, would prefer to forget its existence. But it’s a film I’ve always loved and one I spent several weeks of my senior year looking forward to.


I recorded a commentary track back in January, but hadn’t planned on posting it for several months. I’d spent the past week preparing Popcorn, the 1991 Jill Schoelen comedy/slasher, which was originally meant to be episode 36. However, with this being the 18th anniversary of Carrie 2’s original theatrical release, I thought I’d switch some things around.


As so many movies nowadays (especially those which fall under the “horror” umbrella), The Rage: Carrie 2 just sort of came and went. It wasn’t focused on months after its initial release, or held dear by many splatter fanatics. It certainly didn’t do anything to propel the career of star Emily Bergl, who I was positive would be Hollywood’s next “it” girl thanks to her winning and authentic portrayal of Rachel Lang, the troubled outcast with telekenetic powers.


I found it interesting that Shout! Factory decided to release The Rage along with the 2002 made-for-TV remake of Carrie (another movie that I loved and everyone else hated) as a Blu ray double-feature. It’s certainly a great way to re-introduce a pair of flicks no one seemed to like the first time around in hopes of attracting a new audience. Whether this was a conscious decision on their part, I can’t be sure. Nevertheless, this version, which runs 1:44:53, was the one I used for the commentary, so feel free to watch along, should the mood strike you.


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