Senior year can be an exciting and confusing time for a teenage girl — especially if she is immensely sheltered by her religious mother and harbors certain powers that can’t be contained or controlled. This tragic and horrific story of Carrie, a timid and abused high school girl with telekinetic powers, has remained prominent in the minds of horror fanatics and film lovers since the novel’s publication in 1974 and original film’s release in 1976.

Now, the film has been reimagined and given a new look, feel and sound. “Carrie,” directed by Kimberly Peirce, stars Chloë Grace Moretz as the innocent but powerful teenager and Julianne Moore as Carrie’s deranged, religiously driven mother.

It’s safe to say the image of Sissy Spacek’s bulging eyes against her pale white face, smeared with blood, may forever be seared into the memory of anyone who saw the original film. With this in mind, Moretz’s expression, muddled with surprise, fear and satisfaction while she graphically performs the film’s well-known climax is much like an artist seeing his masterpiece come together for the first time. This iteration of the horror classic may well be the defining image of Carrie for a new generation.

Most notably, Peirce’s awareness of the way social media plays a role in the lives of modern teenagers is a pleasant and truthful update to the original film. But other than these changes, this “Carrie” remake, for the most part, stays true to the original while adding its own modern twist, and uses some of the same lines.

The new cast manage to bring a new edge and feel to the story. Moretz and Moore have the perfectly twisted chemistry to create the tone. It’s hard to say which of the two has a more wretched scream or disturbed look, but both actresses have their moments of supreme creepiness.

Anyone who saw “Let Me In” knows that Moretz can do horror, and despite being young in age and career, she more than proved her chops as the film’s lead. The R rating alone should be enough to warn audiences that this film will hold its own against the original — no opportunity for bloodshed is spared. The infamous prom scene, in some moments, almost feels like a scene from a “Final Destination” movie, with trampled bodies and bloodied faces.

With terrific cinematography, clever directing and terrifyingly beautiful performances by the two leads, this film has the right to hold pride in being called the new “Carrie.” Peirce does not weaken the image of the original, but rather places itself on the timeline as a clever and smart reimagining of the classic horror tale.

Alexa Pantoja is a contributing writer. Email her at [email protected].