The Rage: Carrie 2 (Katt Shea, 1999, USA)

Following in the wake of Halloween H2O (1998) and the push to bring back stars from part horror franchises, The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999) was not able to bring back Sissy Spacek but instead Amy Irving (Sue Snell). Unfortunately, despite a wide theatrical release in March of 1999, The Rage: Carrie 2 did not resonate with audiences, bombing at the time of release. Time hasn't been particularly kind to the film either - it is a product of its time. For fans of 90s nostalgia, this might be a plus.

The Rage: Carrie 2 centers around Rachel Lang, a girl who was taken away from her mother at age 6 (her mother's recognition of her telekinetic powers was perceived as schizophrenia). Now in high school, Rachel's powers will be prompted by the suicide of a close friend Lisa Parker (Mena Suvari). Lisa commits suicide in mysterious circumstances involving a group of jocks who has the scheme to sleep with as many girls at the school as possible. This aspect of the film was based on a real-life 1993 scandal involving a group of boys in California called the "Spur Posse" who used a points system to keep track of their sexual crimes. 

Dispensing with Rachel's telekinesis throughout much of the film, The Rage: Carrie 2 mostly plays like an extended Lifetime movie. In contrast to the utter outcast played by Sissy Spacek in the original film, Emily Bergl's Rachel is rather not an outcast but instead has a small group of friends. Her final scene of humiliation (its attempt to revive the prom scene in the original Carrie) also hardly holds the weight of the original scene. The Rage: Carrie 2 biggest crime is that it's boring - it is a toothless reboot of a franchise that has some interesting ideas.

5/10