“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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