October is usually a big month for new scary movies. However, the only significant picture now in theaters that fits this genre is the remake of “Carrie.” This horror adaptation has many things that sets it apart from the previous version in good and bad ways.

“Carrie” is the story of a teenage girl, Carrie White (Chloe Grace Moretz), who has an intense Christian mother, Margaret White (Julianne Moore), and struggles through the woes of high school after being humiliated in the gym locker room. But for Carrie, the journey through adolescence turns bloody as she discovers her telekinetic powers and uses them to exact revenge against the ones who harm her the most.

The new adaption, starring Moretz, Moore and Gabriella Wilde is wonderful in many ways. Recent horror movies generally seem a bit more realistic as makeup and effects get better with new technology. This always makes supernatural stories better, making the violent scenes far more realistic than Brian De Palma’s take.

Another aspect that is excellent in the new version is age appropriate-looking actors. Moretz herself is just 16 years old, and her co-stars do not look out of place attending a high school prom. Having stars look the part they are meant to be playing is often rare in all genres of high school set tales.

However, overall “Carrie” did not seem as creepy and chilling as the 1970s interpretation, even if it stuck closer to the plot of Stephen King’s book. As Carrie, Sissy Spacek instilled an unnerving feeling whenever she would look at someone or used her telekinetic powers. In the modern retelling, Moretz almost seems too aggressive to be truly creepy.

One moment that really made it rather ridiculous was when a character was slammed through the windshield of the car. For those few seconds the scene play out in slow motion with strange sound effects. It created laughter among the audience rather than a moment of death and defeat.

The flick is good for those who have not seen the frightening original. Purists, however, will probably not get on board with what director Kimberly Peirce has done with King’s classic antihero.

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Photo courtesy of Michael Gibson/Screen Gems/MCT