Oct 051978
 
two reels

Self-conscious Sarah (Kay Lenz) and her prom-queenish sister Patty (Morgan Brittany) start college, and concentrate on the only thing important: getting into a sorority.  Patty is accepted as a pledge at the house where all the girls are pretty but bitchy, while Sarah is only wanted by the smart-but-plain house.  Naturally, the bad girls, led by Jennifer (Morgan Fairchild), abuse Sarah, and her sister does little to help.  But they didn’t take into account Sarah’s innate telekinetic powers that come out when she gets angry (“You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry”).  The weird house mother (Shelley Winters) wants Sarah to use her powers for revenge, which, as this is a late seventies TV movie, means things are not going to end up well for anyone.

What kind of college did the filmmakers go to?  Were there schools like this in the ’70s?  Or in the ’50s when the writers went to school?  The college dorm is a single room with bunk beds, and every girl pledges a sorority (hey, who wouldn’t with the entire freshman class in close quarters).  A house mother with no sign of a degree gets to teach a class on “magic” while the psych course has no connection to psychology.  The classroom (the only one shown) is large, but most of the seats are empty.  This gives the few freshmen who show up an opportunity to ask questions that could only pop up in a teleplay written by people who have no idea what Psych 101 is like: “Do you believe that a person could be both good and evil?”  Ummmm.  Is that in the text?  I suppose I shouldn’t count it as odd that all the students are far too old to be in college—that’s normal for film.

So, what’s here once you get past the unlikely campus?  Carrie.  There are changes, but it’s far closer to that high school telekinetic shocker than most remakes are to their “inspirations.”  That doesn’t mean it’s all bad.  Copies can exceed the original, and Carrie is one of the most overrated horror films.  Still, this isn’t a case of the rip-off replacing its predecessor.

For a made-for-TV flick, it looks good, with better than average production values and direction that’s more than workman-like.  I wouldn’t have been surprised to see this at a theater.  The characters are generally well drawn, and while stereotypes abound, they are fleshed out stereotypes.

But the whole thing gets tiring.  I’ve seen enough insecure-nerd-rising-up flicks for a lifetime.  Sarah gets annoying very quickly, which is a problem when we’re supposed to be on her side.  Why do people with superpowers always whine about them?  “Oh no, I’ve harmed the guy who was assaulting my sister; how can I live with that?”  Hey, give me the ability to move things with my mind and you won’t see me crying about it.  “With great power comes great responsibility.”  Yeah.  Right.  Only if you feel the need to dress in spandex.

There are surprisingly few answers given to the many questions brought up over the hour and a half.  Sometimes ambiguity and uncertainly lend an air of suspense and terror.  Sometimes they do nothing but leave gaping holes in the story.  This is an example of the second.  It feels like a half hour was chopped out by the assistant to the associate editor.

Most of the flaws could have been overlooked if the ending had been more satisfying.  Carrie at least knew how to be cathartic.  Not here.  Instead we get a more socially acceptable finale, and what’s more exciting than being socially acceptable.

It was remade in 2006 as The Initiation of Sarah.

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