and explain why this was needed. Not a total waste of one's time, perhaps, but pretty darn close. I won't take up even more of your time here by re-hashing the whole works for you, I'm sure you know the score by now. Personally, the thing I missed most in this bland re-make was Piper Laurie. Yes, I like Patricia Clarkson, and I'm sure she did the best she could with the direction and script she was given. The fault here lies with the writers' failure to include the lewd sexual undertones that were a part of Margaret White's mania in the original film. We are given no clue in this "update" as to why Margaret is a Bible-thumping nutcase. All the background of how she became pregnant with Carrie, her "rape" by Carrie's boozy, horny father - that's all deleted. Go back and look at the '76 version, check out the scene where Margaret is crucified by Carrie's telekinetically-driven knives. Listen to Margaret's screams of orgasmic ecstasy as each wound is inflicted. Study her beatific smile as she dies in the same pose as the one traditionally used to portray Jesus on the cross. Now that's camp for you!! Not a single trace of that is present here - too bad.