New ‘Carrie’ Trailer: You Will Know Her Name

Stephen King's 'Carrie' is a near-perfect horror novel; a lean, mean and terrifying journey into the title character's personal hell. The first movie, directed by Brian De Palma and starring Sissy Spacek, is a classic in its own right. That means the new film is immediately standing next to some might stiff competition. This is a character with a genuine legacy. Thankfully, the new trailer is just good enough to get our hopes up.

The story is the same as always: Carrie White (Chloe Moretz) is a teenage outcast, raised by her domineering and ultra-religious mother (Julianne Moore) in a horrifyingly strict household. She's a pariah at school and tormented at home. So, when she discovers that she has powerful telekinetic abilities, the results are more than a little vengeful and more than a little messy.

The trailer hits enough nice notes to be encouraging. Moretz and Moore appear to be turning in fine performances, which is always nice to see in a genre where actors have a habit of phoning things in. The focus on character over mayhem is appropriate considering that all of the most famous (and bloody) stuff from the story is confined to the final act. The trailer does showcase some occasionally dodgy CGI (this is director Kimberly Peirce's first time utilizing this level of effects in her films), but if the film can nail the characters and their motivations, this could be a surprising film. It may be a 40-year old novel, but it's a story that still rings true today.

'Carrie' arrives in theaters on October 18, 2013. Looks like you have some Halloween plans, huh?