Major confession. My absolute favorite writer is Stephen King. Not F. Scott Fitzgerald. Not James Joyce. Not even Ernest Hemingway.
Ever since my guitar teacher placed The Shining in my hands when I was about 12, I have been obsessed with the author. And I know exactly why. Unlike other science fiction or horror writers, King describes a world that is very mundane. He paints a picture of small towns where people live and work and laugh and fight. He writes about Sunday supper and Coca-Cola and high school proms and baseball. Then, when your guard is let down by the familiar, he lets the monsters come in -- right through the front door of your two-bedroom colonial.
Lately, King has been in the spotlight. His new book, Doctor Sleep, a sequel to The Shining was just released. A typically King-esque mega tome (the man gives you bang for your buck), the hefty book clocks in at 528 pages. I've gone through half since I bought it -- in paper not electronically -- over the weekend. And, Carrie is getting the remake treatment. The 1976 movie, which originally starred a young Sissy Spacek, John Travolta, and an altogether frightening Piper Laurie as the religious zealot mother of a shy teen with telekinetic powers, is being reworked for a new generation of fright fans.
Although I usually loathe remakes, Carrie is especially topical these days since it's essentially the story of a lonely outcast who gets mercilessly bullied by her schoolmates. Since there is no "It Gets Better" campaign, Carrie is sucked in to a particularly cruel and malicious prank that turns very bad for all involved. There's a life lesson to be had in Carrie and it's "be careful who you screw around with."
The new Carrie is scheduled to be released October 18 -- just in time for Halloween. I'd much rather it be released in time for prom season, personally. While I haven't seen the entire remake yet, previews have Carrie investigating her powers and finding out that she's not alone in being "special." The movie seems to be focusing on this, using hashtag #FlexLikeCarrie for their promotional tweets.
To prove that there are a lot of telekinetic people out there, they set up and filmed an elaborate stunt in a New York City coffee shop. It takes the restaurant freakout to new levels. Watch as innocent caffeine addicts react to what happens when someone spills coffee on Carrie's laptop. The new life lesson to be learned? "Be careful whose Apple you screw around with." Oh, and watch for the Giorgio Rapicavoli lookalike at 1:14:00.
Here's a preview of the new movie. No spilled coffee, but lots of spilled blood.
Follow Laine Doss on Twitter @LaineDoss and Facebook.
Follow Short Order on Facebook, on Twitter @Short_Order, and Instagram @ShortOrder.
