Carrie is Perhaps the
Best Film Adaptation of a Stephen King Horror Novel.
Carrie is scary and well made,
and will remain a horror movie classic for generations. More
well-respected now than when it was released in the 70s, this is one
amazing horror movie that will continue to stand the
test of time.
Directed by: Brian De Palma Written by: Stephen King (novel) and Lawrence D.
Cohen (screenplay)
Starring:
Sissy Spacek as Carrie White Piper Laurie as Margaret White Amy Irving as Sue Snell William Katt as Tommy Ross Betty Buckley as Miss Collins
Some stories are destined to remain in the memories
of all
that hear them. Take for example the horror movie Carrie.
The psychotic religious zealot mother, the “dirty
pillows”, the pigs blood, the prom…these are all
elements of Carrie that have been repeatedly
referenced everywhere from within idle conversation to in mega-budget
horror extravaganzas.
The story is of a young girl, shockingly named Carrie (Sissy
Spacek). She is, by all accounts, a loser. She doesn’t bathe
or brush her hair, she has no friends, she is weird as a loon,
she
lives in a creepy and disheveled house and has a wacky religious
freak
of a mother that goes door to door through the neighborhood to preach a
gospel of hell and damnation.
When we get a
glimpse of Carrie’s home life the
source of her dysfunction becomes clear – her crazy mother
(Piper Laurie) viciously reprimands her for everything she does, going
so far as to lock her in a closet with only a candle and a picture of
Jesus and forcing her to pray for hours on end for
forgiveness for her
perceived sins. She is not allowed to go outside of the house other
than to go to school, she is not allowed to date or have friends, and
she certainly is not allowed to question anything that has to do with
her coming maturation into womanhood.
This
last fact is illustrated clearly when, while taking a
shower after gym class, her “cycle” begins. Carrie
has never been told about this phase of female evolution, and thinks
she is bleeding to death. The other girls in gym
class taunt her
mercilessly until she is reduced to a shrieking shell of a person
huddled in the corner of the locker room floor.
One
of the girls in gym class, Sue (Amy Irving) feels sorry
for her and convinces her very popular boyfriend (William Katt) to
invite Carrie to the Senior Prom. He agrees. Unfortunately the resident
“evil girl” Chris (Nancy Allen) cannot allow Carrie
to have any enjoyment at all, and convinces her boyfriend (John
Travolta) to stage a vicious prank that leaves
Carrie drenched in pigs
blood and the entire senior class dead.
You see, Carrie has a secret. She didn’t just pray
while she was locked in the closet, but also worked to develop her
“special power”. That power comes out in the deadly
name of rage, grief and revenge.
This
movie is a timeless and
classic horror masterpiece. The
acting is brilliant and the film-making a flawless example of fine
storytelling. Scary, creepy and sad…and yet somehow
justified. You will feel more compassion for the
villain than for the
victims.
Aside from Brian De
Palma’s incredible work in
interpreting the story and bringing it to the silver screen, the cast
itself is a who’s-who of acting legendry. Sissy Spacek
(Academy award winner), Betty Buckley (Tony Award winner), Amy Irving
(Oscar and Golden globe nominee) and William Katt (Greatest
American
Hero…LOL) all contribute stellar performances to Carrie.
Heck, and John Travolta too? How can you miss!
Carrie
is and will always be one of the
classics of the horror genre. If, by chance, you have missed this one
in lieu of the more recent entries to the genre, do yourself
a favor
and ground yourself in what horror is all about by adding this to your
horror library. Questions
or comments about Carrie? Contact us!
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and has a wacky religious
freak
of a mother that goes door to door through the neighborhood to preach a
gospel of hell and damnation.
This
last fact is illustrated clearly when, while taking a
shower after gym class, her “cycle” begins. Carrie
has never been told about this phase of female evolution, and thinks
she is bleeding to death. The other girls in gym
class taunt her
mercilessly until she is reduced to a shrieking shell of a person
huddled in the corner of the locker room floor.
This
movie is a timeless and
classic horror masterpiece. The
acting is brilliant and the film-making a flawless example of fine
storytelling. Scary, creepy and sad…and yet somehow
justified. You will feel more compassion for the
villain than for the
victims.
