New Carrie vs Old Carrie - Which is better?

I finally had a chance to watch the remake of the classic Stephen King movie, 'Carrie.' I've always loved the original. So I was really interested to see if I thought the remake measured up!

'Carrie,' starring Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie has always been one of my favorite horror flicks. It taps into so many levels of angst that we all dealt with as teenagers; parents who don't understand us, peer pressure, and gym class. We can't forget about gym class. Oh, how I dreaded it!

For anyone who hasn't seen either movie (is there anyone like that?), it tells the story of Carrie White, outcast at school, and daughter of a crazy religious fanatic who thinks she's the devil personified. Carrie is much more special than anyone realizes, however, as she can move things with her mind. And when she gets angry, watch out!

Sissy Spacek plays Carrie in the original move, while Chloe Grace Moretz takes on the role in the remake. Now, I will admit, I'm not much of a Sissy Spacek fan, although I loved her in 'Tuck Everlasting,' so I wasn't surprised when I preferred the way the character was played by Moretz. She's a horror-movie veteran, having starred in another of my favorite horror movies, 'Let Me In.' Moretz just seemed to give Carrie more of a coming-of-age feel, like a girl who's finding her inner strength.

That being said, I have to say I preferred Piper Laurie in the role of Carrie's mother. While I'm a big fan of Julianne Moore, she just didn't reach the level of scary-crazy that Laurie did so well. Which works, I guess. I'd be a lot more timid (like Spacek's character) if Laurie were MY mom!

Gabriella Irving plays Sue Snell, a character originally played by Amy Irving. And Ansel Elgort plays her boyfriend Tommy Ross, who was originally played by William Katt. There is absolutely no comparison here. Irving and Katt were much more convincing in the roles and brought true regret and sweetness to the movie. And I missed John Travolta as bad boy Billy Nolan.

While the new version of Carrie brings the story into the present, using social media as an added dimension to poor Carrie's torture, it still felt like it was lacking, for me. The ending was nowhere near as powerful, in my opinion, and that kicker at the end, (if you've seen the original, you KNOW what I mean!) was a huge disappointment.

All in all, I'm glad I watched the new 'Carrie,' but when I want to revisit the White house, I'll be reaching for the original!