Carrie (1976)
Directed by Brian DePalma
Stephen King has written some of the all time greatest horror novels ever, and a lot of his film adaptations have been pretty stellar. No adaptation has been more heralded than Carrie, except maybe the Shining. I have seen this a few times, but I was definitely in the mood to rewatch it.
Carrie is about a socially awkward teen girl that is constantly bullied at her school. Her mother is an overbearing religious wacko that punishes Carrie by making her sit in a small closet for hours on end. Soon Carrie realizes that she has telekenetic powers, and shit hits the fan.
The acting is Carrie is really top notch. Sissy Spacek is great as Carrie, and really brings good dimension and passion to the character. Piper Laurie also does a great job as Carrie’s religious nut mom, she’s equally strange and terrifying. The main bitch in the movie is played by Nancy Allen, and I have to say this may be the best she has ever looked. That short haircut in RoboCop was doing her no favors! She is easy to hate and catty.
The pacing is slow, but the payoff makes it worth it. The end is iconic, to say the least. A popular girl has her boyfriend ask Carrie to the prom, to make her feel better. Carrie accepts and Nacy Allen’s character has a plan to humiliate Carrie without the knowledge of the girl’s boyfriend. Carrie is named Prom Queen and Nancy drops a bucket of nasty pig blood all over her, which causes Carrie to snap. She kills nearly everyone in the gym, including the gym teacher who genuinely cared for Carrie. The finale goes off with a bang and it ends with Carrie going back home and killing her mother. The jump scare ending of Carrie reaching out of the grave is a little tacked on and pointless but effective.
Carrie is a great movie, not just a great horror movie. It is well shot, directed and acted. If you haven’t seen this, you totally should because it is a classic for a reason. Carrie easily gets an A from me.
