Based on the best-selling Stephen King novel, Carrie "catches the mind, shakes it and refuses to let it go" (Time)! Starring Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie (in Oscar?(r)-nominated* performances), John Travolta and Amy Irving, this ultimate revenge fantasy is "absolutely spellbinding" (Roger Ebert), "outrageously witty" (Los Angeles Times) and one of the all-time great horror classics! At the center of the terror is Carrie (Spacek), a tortured high-school misfit with no confidence, no friends...and no idea about the extent of her secret powers of telekinesis. But when her psychotic mother and sadistic classmates finally go too far, the once-shy teen becomes an unrestrained, vengeance-seeking powerhouse who, with the help of her 'special gift,' causes all hell to break loose in a famed cinematic frenzy of blood, fire and brimstone!
This terrifying adaptation of Stephen King's bestselling horror novel was directed by shock maestro Brian De Palma for maximum, no-holds-barred effect. Sissy Spacek stars as Carrie White, the beleaguered daughter of a religious kook (Piper Laurie) and a social outcast tormented by her cruel, insensitive classmates. When her rage turns into telekinetic powers, however, school's out in every sense of the word. De Palma's horrific climax in a school gym lingers forever in the memory, though the film is also built upon Spacek's remarkable performance and Piper Laurie's outlandishly creepy one. John Travolta has a small part as a thug, De Palma's future wife, Nancy Allen, is his girlfriend, and Amy Irving makes her screen debut as one of the girls giving Carrie a hard time. --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews:
Intense Psychological Horror Film As one reviewer said, the 70s were the second Golden Age of film. Slow-moving at times, you were supposed to absorb the atmosphere and develop real empathy for the characters. Rambo and its successors ruined all that; nowadays, even intelligent films (such as 12 Monkeys) have a fight scene or a car-chase scene every few minutes, which adds nothing to development of characters.
Carrie is a film in that 70s tradition; the middle 1hr, in particular, is slow-moving, but vital. You feel real empathy for Carrie--what a pitiful, tortured soul she was.
Near the end of the movie, the horrible bullying she suffered comes to a head. The bullying really is painful to watch, but, boy, does it make you feel good when they get their comeuppance! You wanna say, Go, Carrie Go! Get 'em, girl!
None of the reviewers mentioned the cinematography of the prom sequence. I think this scene is a masterpiece, especially as Carrie gets angry; split-scene, revolving scene, nightmarish, ghostly memories haunt her--then she goes into a real rampage. It's a masterpiece.
This is a rare movie that gets better with each viewing. The first time I saw the movie, I was a little disapponted; I'm not sure why. The second time I realized it was a near-masterpiece. One of the other reviewers has had the same experience, apparently.
Great Movie Great Movie only thing i didn't like was the Format has it listed as widescreen and it's not it's full screen...........more info
Still my fav. King adaptation to date!! "Carrie" from the mid 1970's remains among the very best in horror cinema even today! The atmosphere holds a solid chill in my bones from start to finish. The performances by the two leads Sissy and Piper are Oscar worthy! The rest of the cast fall right in order with perfection. The films finale in the gym and to the closing credits is shot with brilliance by the superb Brian DePalma. "Carrie" "may" be the best Stephen King adaptation ever.. it differs from the book in ways but, it still holds true to the just of the novel enough for me. Both the movie and the book stand on their own.. you can watch the movie and be surprised by things that arent in the book and vice versa. Of course with all book to movie films, there is always things from the book that do not make it to the motion picture. This film is a true tale of revenge and, deserves to be hailed as the masterpiece it is!
Other good King adaptations: "Stand by me", "The Shawshank Redemption", "Misery", "Dolores Claiborne", "The Green Mile", "Pet Sematary", "The Shining". ...more info
Must Have Horror Classic Carrie belongs in the collection of every horror fan. Sissy Spacek is perfect in this role. Piper Laurie is great as her psychotic mother. Director Brian DePalma does Stephen King's story proud. This is a coming-of-age thriller for everyone, even those who generally don't partake of the genre. ...more info
Carrie is a Classic; A Movie that Cannot Be ReMade-EVER. I saw this movie when i was young and i saw it again last night on TV(because of the Halloween movie marathon) that always goes on each year and this movie is it. Carrie, i'd say must be the best horror picture of the 1970's or of the 20th century. The story develops well, the flute music is beautiful, and the ending is very shocking and it will scare you. For those new people who are new to Horror i will simply tell you, get this, you can't go wrong. Oh yes, Carrie dies in the end, the whole house that she lives in collapses and it crushes her dead mom as well as herself. Carrie is a timeless film, it is a movie that cannot be remade. I have to admit, I am A Christian and it does place Christianity in a weird light but i have to admit that even in our Religion just like in any other religion you have bitter people who are willing to use Religion as a tool, and simply smash people with it. It should not be the case-Christianity is about Love, about accepting Jesus Christ, about doing good works for people, and just being a nice person. Sometimes i wonder what Stephen King thinks because his dreams for this movie are strange. He places mysticism as something good and bashes Christianity, and i really think that is wrong. But any way the young Sissy Spacek looks attractive. She is a doll. ...more info
Carrie still the best after even 30 years This review wont tell the story!
This is Sissy at her best - with a supporting cast you can only dream of.
Much more than a horror film, you will watch this movie many times.
Added value: Very interesting interviews with the actors on this DVD, about 25 years after the movie....more info
Stephen King Classic I am sure you all know the storyline already-when I bought this I didnt have a DVD player, but I do now so I am looking for this on DVD. ...more info
still chilling after 30 years This movie came out 30 or so years ago but it is still just as chilling in many ways. Consider Carrie's tragic life, the mean girl bullies at her high school, her rude English teacher, her religious fanatic of a mother. This would be enough to destroy anyone. Carrie, however, possesses telekinetic powers which eventually enable her to wreak the ultimate revenge on those who tormented and humiliated her. She even ends up killing her own mother and causing their house to collapse on them, killing both.
Sissy Spacek has always been an outstanding actress, and this is only one example of how good she is. You have to feel for Carrie; she has so much against her. Piper Laurie is over-the-top-wonderful as Margaret White, who finds no joy in her religion but plenty of ways to condemn others, even her own daughter, whom she refers to as a witch because of her powers. PJ Soles, Nancy Allen, and John Travolta are deliciously nasty as those who wish harm towards Carrie; while Amy Irving plays a teen who feel bad about picking on Carrie and tries to make it up to her. William Katt sweetly plays Tommy, a kindly boy who agrees to take Carrie to the ill-fated prom at Sue's request. Betty Buckley is unforgettable, too, as gym teacher Miss Collins, who tries to help Carrie with her self-image but ends up killed along with everyone else when Carrie goes into a trance during her final rage.
Steven King's novel depicting the trials of a bullied girl blossoming into womanhood while being victimized by a deranged mother is a masterpiece.
At school, the misfit Carrie White is friendless. Her feminine beauty is invisible to her classmates, who view only her inability to meet the standards of adolescent society. At home, the harassment tears her soul apart. Her mother is a deluded, man-hating and sexually repressed sociopath who unleashes her repressed sexuality by sadistically inflicting punishment on her blossoming daughter in the name of "Jesus."
When Carrie, ignorant of the facts of life, experiences the onset of her period at school, the scene is set for the perfect storm in horror movie history. Carrie believes that she is dying. Her classmates, like the pack of animals that they are, sense blood and go on the attack. At home, it becomes yet another means for the sadist to humiliate her prey. The school is ultimately clueless as to how to address the issue, thereby providing the perfect battlefield for the Armageddon to come.
Carrie is emotionally powerful horror film, an outstanding metaphor for the trauma of adolescent change, and no other film matches it's perfection. ...more info
I'm a special little girl with EVIL POWERS!!!!!!!! Carrie is a good horror movie based on the book by Stephen king and it contains some tense and one horrifyingly scary scene. The movie isn't that scary but it's a lot scarrirer than most horror movies. Sissy Spacek gives a great performance as a very unique girl named Carrie who has psychic powers. She isn't popular and is always mocked by people but always keeps her powers under restraint. Her mother is very creepy and is a complete nutcase that locks her in the closet at times. Well, you know what's going to happen, something's going to drive Carrie absolutely nuts. And you won't believe what she does. I don't want to give away anything but believe the mom is freaky. John Travolta gives a good performance as one of the popualr kids in school. I recommend to be aware at the end of the movie or else you might jump off the couch like I did.(It's not over until the credits, believe me)...more info
One of the best horror movies of all time!
Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) is just your everyday social misfit in high school as she has been taunted and tormented by some students as she feels like an outcast. She discovers that she has telekinetic powers, Carrie also has a psychotic religious mother (Piper Laurie) and one night at the prom she goes berserk with her powers after a cruel prank goes bad.
Co-starring William Katt, John Travolta, Nancy Allen and Amy Irving this movie is one of the greatest cinematic horror masterpieces of all time. Brian DePalma was a great choice in directing this classic supernatural shocker and it is faithful to Stephen King's classic novel, the performances are excellent especially the cute Ms. Spacek as Carrie and the music score is quite memorable in this movie even the prom sequence that made this a classic.
This special edition DVD has excellent picture and sound quality with fine extras like theatrical trailer, two documentaries by Brian DePalma called "Visualizing Carrie" and "Acting Carrie" with the stars of the film, A bio on Stephen King, a featurette on the broadway musical of "Carrie" and a animated photo gallery.
Also recommended: "Scanners", "Akira", "The Shining", "Firestarter", "The Fury", "Making Contact (a.k.a. Joey)", "Sleepaway Camp", "Audrey Rose", "The Exorcist", "A Nightmare on Elm Street", "Halloween", "Scream", "Tourist Trap", "Patrick", "Ginger Snaps", "May", "The Pit", "The Rage: Carrie 2", "The Dead Zone (1983)", "Porky's", "Friday The 13th part 7: The New Blood", "X-Men Trilogy", "Suspect Zero", "The Gift" and "The Omen (1976)".
...more info
Classic horror filmmaking Carrie has everything you could possibly want in a horror film. Good characters, a good plot, good acting, and some very unsettling violence to top everything off. Anyone who knows horror knows the ending of Carrie, but unless you have seen it for yourself (in the context of viewing the whole film) you will never know the intensity, brutality, and shock value of the prom sequence. Brian De Palma put his name on the map with this movie, and rightfully so.
Most know the basic plot of Carrie: troubled teen is made fun of at school, abused physically and mentally at home by a psychotically religious mother, and the trouble teen just happens to be able to practice telekinesis. Not a good combination. The film moves along at an awesome pace, as De Palma lets the viewer get sucked in almost the exact way that Carrie is getting sucked in, just to have it all come crashing down in the gut-wrenching finale.
This film belongs on the top of most horror aficionado's all-time best list, and it is definitely one of Brian De Palma's best films. ...more info
Carrie dvd I love this movie, and I got it within a few days of ordering it. It was brand new, awesome special edition version....more info
DePalma's Demented Date For The Prom! Right on the heels of "Obsession" (1975), DePalma directed the film adaptation of Stephen King's first novel, "Carrie" (1976), the story of the girl with telekinetic powers who is the underdog in her high school, and has a very horrific date to the prom that goes horribly awry. Produced by Paul Monash and scripted by Lawrence D. Cohen.
Well, to begin with, it's neat, knowing how DePalma works, loving to tell stories in complicated ways, using flashbacks, weaving back and forth, and nonlinear fashion, that he would choose to use a very straight forward approach with this film, when the source novel itself was written in a back and forth, nonlinear fashion, with lots of flashbacks.
The film opens with an awesome crane tracking shot showing high school girls outside playing volleyball, and the camera slowly moving in on one particular girl as you hear voices in the background saying "Hit it to Carrie, she'll miss it, hit it to Carrie", and they do, and she misses the ball. Then as they are all passing by her to shower, they tease and taunt her some more, calling her vile names.
Cut to the shower room, now the film is moving in glorious slow motion, in a very erotic way during what could be concidered a very erotic scene: A girl, naked, showering, feeling her naked body with her hands as she soaps herself down, making her way down between her legs, where her hands linger for a while. Then we see blood slowly pouring down her legs from her vagina...Carrie White (Sissy Spacek in an Oscar nominated role) is having her first menstrual cycle at the age of 17. Well, every girl in the gym shower room starts hollering "Plug it up! Plug it up!" as they start throwing tampons at her. The scene has now turned viciously ugly in the blink of an eye. Miss White (Betty Buckley), the gym teacher immediately tends to Carrie, even having to slap her trying to calm her down, and a light bulb busts.?.?.
In the principal's office, Miss White is explaining to the principle how nasty the girls were because Carrie was having her 1st period at such an age, and did not know what was happening to her, matter of fact she thought that she was bleeding to death. The principle, Mr. Morton (Stefan Gierasch) calls Carrie into the office to excuse her from school for the afternoon, and as he speaks to her, he keeps calling her Cassie, and as we see Carrie getting upset, a huge marble ashtray begins to warble on the principle's desk, then go flipping through the air when she declares her name is Carrie.!.
As she is walking home, a young kid on his bicycle (Cameron DePalma, Brian's nephew) goes out of his way to ride by her calling out "Creepy Carrie! Creepy Carrie!" just as his bike flips into the air, throwing him off of it.?.?.
Carrie is utterly mystified by these occurances.
She arrives home where she lives with her crazy, deranged, religious fanatic mother, Margeret White (Piper laurie, who DePalma got to come out of retirement for this role, and she was nominated for an Oscar, too, for her performance in this). Margeret blames Carrie for the incident at school (for having her menstrual cycle), and locks her in a closet to pray for forgiveness for her sins. As the film progresses, we learn that the closet and Carrie are no strangers to one another, and that Margeret White is utterly insane. And, for reasons well understood, Carrie doesn't want to be like her mother, she wants to be normal and have people like her, something each and everyone of us can relate to; a very Human condition.
Back at school, Miss Collins punnishes the girls in Carrie's gym class by putting them in detention, HER detention, and punnishment for not showing up is 3 days suspension from school and refusal of sales of prom tickets, hitting them where it really hurts. The key members in this little scenario are Chris Hargenson (Nancy Allen, who would go on to star in 3 other DePalma films, "Home Movies", "Dressed To Kill", and "Blow Out", and then onto a few B-rate films, like the "Robocop" films, and "Strange Invaders"), a snobby b**ch who lives to make Carrie's life miserable, her two friends, Norma Watson (P.J. Soles, "Halloween", "Rock -N- Roll High School") and Helen (Edie McClurg, "Planes, Trains, & Automobiles), who all end up in Chris' scheme to sabotage the prom after Chris gets kicked out of detention and refused her prom tickets. And, there's sympathetic Sue Snell (Amy Irving (DePalma's "The Fury", "Traffic"), who feels sorry for Carrie, so she ends up asking her jock boyfriend Tommy Ross (William Katt, "House", tv's "Greatest American Hero") to take Carrie to the prom. Meanwhile, Chris is convincing her thuggish, sick/twisted/psychotic high school drop out boy friend Billy Nolan (John Travolta in his first film) to help get even with Carrie White (she blames Carrie for not being able to attend the prom). It involves pig blood and rigging the prom's King and Queen votes so that Tommy Ross and Carrie White will win.
The prom sequence has gone down in movie history as one of the greatest scenes ever in horror film and/or drama (and/or satire), for this film is all three genres.
In the meantime, Carrie starts noticing her 'power', like breaking a mirror in her bedroom just by thinking about it in anger, then placing it back together without even touching it, well, like she did with the lightbulb and the boy on the bicycle earlier in the film. We also get to learn a lot more about her demented home life with her scary deranged mother, who when learns of Carrie going to the prom starts hissing "They're all gonna laugh at you! They're all gonna laugh at you!" in almost a prophetic way. Carrie, again, has to use her 'power', which she now knows is telekinesis because she has done a lot of reading up on the subject, mentally holding her mother down as she leaves for her date to the prom...Her date with destiny.?.?.?.
DePalma's pacing during this long drawn out set piece is awesome! The way he puts Tommy and Carrie in a spinning cycle dancing to symbolize the exuberation of how Carrie is feeling will leave you breathless. They are voted King and Queen of the prom. Meanwhile, Sue Snell has snuck to the prom to see how things are going, and she is the only person to see the rope leading up to the bucket right over the stage where the King and Queen of the prom will stand, done in a great crane tracking shot in slow motion (with an awesome score by Pino Donnaggio throughout the entire film, especially here), but she gets thrown out of the auditorium by Miss Collins before she can warn anyone about what she has seen. Meanwhile, Billy and Chris are below a set of steps that lead to the stage, arguing and carrying on like nothing is out of the ordinary.
As soon as the doors close on Sue Snell, the bucket of blood falls, and then the rest is movie history! Let's just say that all H*ll breaks loose, and only Carrie leaves alive from a burning auditorium of screaming students, something that is VERY haunting...The screams as she is walking out, and the doors close by themselves behind her. DePalma's use of split screen during Carrie's revenge sequence is utterly amazing!
After going home, bathing off the blood, and thinking she is being consoled by her mother, her mother (literally) stabs her in the back.
The 'crucifixion' of Margeret White is something that has to be seen to be believed! An awesome spetacle to rival anything ever done in horror!!
And, she ends up modeled just like the plaster Jesus in the 'praying closet' that Carrie grabs her dead mother and hides in as the house burns down, killing them both.
Cut to Sue Snell, where we see her in bed, sleeping, tossing and turning a bit, then her mom (Priscilla Pointer, Amy Irving's real-life mom) on the phone talking about how the doctors said Sue would be alright in due time.
Then, cut to the most famous scene in the film next to the prom sequence: Sue Snell is walking up to where Carrie's house used to be with flowers in her hands, and she leans down to place the flowers beside a for sale sign with 'Carrie White Burns In H*ll' spray painted over it in red, and a hand comes out of the ground and grabs Sue by the arm and starts tugging.
The best part of the film, in my opinion, is the next scene, which is the end of the film, in which Sue wakes up all frantic and screaming, with her mom consoling her, and Sue is continuosly screaming as the camera, in another great crane tracking shot, starts bacing away, up toward the ceiling as mother tries to console daughter, saying "It'll be alright, Sue, it will be alright, Sue!" (the backward crane shot mirroring the opening crane shot, and the message that it will be a LONG time before Sue Snell forgets this whole nightmare).
One of the (if not the) best psychological, telekinetic, sinister, horrorfying, satiric tragedies ever filmed.
HIGHLY recommended! Happy Halloween!! ;-)...more info
Horror Classic from a Great Decade for Horror The 1970's were something of a Golden Age for horror films. In contrast to much of what has passed for horror since then, we got some well written, well acted, and intelligent films. These included The Exorcist, The Omen, Jaws, Alien, and of course Carrie. Film-makers at this time seemed to understand what Horror was supposed to do. Good horror is not about high body counts or non-stop action. It is about provoking in the audience an internal, visceral response of unease and fear. Carrie is a fine example of this kind of film making. It is a modern Gothic tale which has the structure of a Shakespearean Tragedy. It shows suburban high school society as a thin veneer overlying something primitive, tribal, even savage. This is particularly evident in the scene where the other girls attack Carrie in the locker room, pelting her with feminine hygiene products. In one of the Special Feature interviews, Nancy Allen states that filming this scene was one of the most disturbing events of her life. Why? Because during it she felt exhilarated, pumped up on adrenaline, and actually felt hatred for the person being attacked. This interview supports the thesis of the film: there is something primitive in all of us.
The film is full of images which have become iconic in horror, Carrie at the Prom, her mother's creepy, masochistic death scene, and of course the conclusion, so often imitated in later, lesser films. Brilliantly directed by Brian DePalma, with wondeful performances by Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie as her deranged mother, Carrie is a must-see for all fans of Horror. ...more info
Don't Mess With Carrie...... Again, leave it to Stephen King to give us another great story. Sissy Spacek gives a wonderful performance as Carrie..... a girl with supernatural powers. Coming from an abusive home with a very strict mother, we feel sorry for Carrie. Especially on prom night when her fellow classmates, known to pick at her constantly, play a prank on her unleashing a rage in Carrie and her supernatural powers. Those who have treated her badly end up paying for being so mean to her. Good acting and good suspense. Will always be one of those movies that no one will forget....more info
sissy spacek and piper laurie earn oscar nods for de palma's version of stephen king's first novel the fact that sissy spacek and piper laurie both got oscar nods for a horror movie(horror movies aren't oscar bound very much) tells you something about this movie,de palma's best (best horror movie anyway). his "style"(long tracking shots,split screens,slow motion action,and over the top gore)is very much out there for all to see,but the acting of spacek(as a mouse of a girl ,beat down in every way possible by her crazy religous mother(piper laurie in her best supporting acttress role,the last word in "controling mother"). their scenes together put this tale of esp and getting even with those who wrong you,into a level never reached by most movies(horror movies anyway). the prom is one of the classic of the gore hound school of horror and i dare you not to jump at the ending of this shocker....more info
Great This movie was really scary when I was younger. Not so much now. Some parts of the movie still made me jump a little. Other than that it's still a good movie. ...more info
Don't abuse on the patient of a kind character! This chilling tale established for Sissy Spacek her great lap to fame. I watched her in Badlands after this movie. And it was extremely easy to predict for her the future triumphs at that moment.
Who can forget -searching and scrutinizing inside personal memories- about the jokes, funny situations and sometimes great doses of black humor in our fellow classmates?
In this opportunity we find a seriously mental wounded teenager, by the fanatic harassment of a frustrated mother who found relief in the exacerbating practice of the Catholic Religion, castrating her daughter and pretending become of her an extension of her will, suppressing the NATURAL wishes and illusions of the youth.
On the other hand, we have her classmates, who ignoring her hellish familiar background, are continuously mocking at her.
Particularly pathetic is the sequence when she experiences her first menstruation, that submerges immediately in her particular and horrid hell.
She possesses a weird gift, better known as Telekinesis, that will be in last instance her mortiferous weapon in the code of the film.
This film established for the great audiences the name of Brian De Palma and the platform of two raising stars: John Travolta and the beauty Nancy Allen (the future De Palma's wife).
A great acknowledgement for Piper Laurie for her towering performance.
A classic film with remarkable special effects that rides between the terror and thriller.
One of the greatest horror movies Stephen King's "Carrie" is one of the greatest horror movies made and a truly scary film that has numerous heart-pounding moments. Sissy Spacek gives one of her best performances and Piper Laurie also does a tremendous job as Carrie's mother. John Travolta fans will enjoy seeing him in an early role as a tough bad boy who's partly responsible for setting the film's action in motion. This adaptation is one of the best movie versions based on a Stephen King film. In fact, it may be THE best....more info
Great Movie Great Movie only thing i didn't like was the Format has it listed as widescreen and it's not it's full screen...........more info
Good Movie, Good DVD Package I first saw this movie at the theatre when it first came out. I was in highschool at the time. This film seemed to have a profound effect on teenagers at the time, about bullying and what it means to be different, and how we treat others. It was also entertaining, despite it's differences from King's novel which I also highly reccomend. Both Alfred Hitchcock and DePalma have a similar way of story telling--but DePalma does have his own unique style. Like Hitchcock, DePalma knows how to deliver a wonderful scene without the use of dialogue--and make it so that the audience knows exactly what's happening--now that is neat. "Carrie" is the perfect subject for this type of film treatment, just as "Marnie" was for Hitchcock. On the DVD commentary, DePlama is self- critical of his use of split screen for the prom sequence--but I thought it was pretty cool and original. There were things that DePalma wanted to do in this film but couldn't, due to studio pressures. The commentary on the DVD is interesting. Wonderful acting all around. The only liability is the idiotic dialogue between Billy and Chris (Argh! Even at 17, I thought it was painful to listen to) and also Chris and Billy don't appear that they are mean enough (or intelligent enough) to be capable of doing what they eventually did. What's missing is the fleshing out of Chris's character, that she suffers from the lack of attention from her rich parents who only bale her out when she gets into trouble rather than helping her and that she, too, is uncared for--which would have explained why she was the way she was. Instead, here she is a bimbo and Billy is a moron. But hey, DePalma only had something like 90 minutes here to turn King's novel into his own vision, so something had to go. But this did not prevent me from enoying the film. Being before the use of computer generated imagery, the special effects were staged--and very effective (I truly miss that in today's movies). ...more info
"Carrie" Item shipped right away with no problems!!! Thanks AMAZON!!! Great special edition!!!...more info
You can't just look at this as a horror movie anymore This is one of my favorite films. If you've never seen it how lucky you are to still have it ahead of you! If you haven't seen it for years, and remember it as just a dumb teen horror movie, you have the pleasure of discovering how well made and acted it is.
I was one of those who just thought this was a dumb teen horror movie, and was thus surprised when it was the first film we studied in one of my college film courses. Learning how deftly layered and brilliantly directed this movie is was in large part my first awakening to how interesting and well-done horror and other dismissed genres can be.
Although this film was considered horror when it came out, now, more than 20 years later, I think you have to look at it as more of a macabre tragic drama, because certainly no one will be scared by it. Many on the IMDb complain that "nothing happens" in the first hour, which I blame on its continuing place in the "horror" genre. Unfortunately, those people are missing all of the character development and thematic content that makes the ending so moving to those who have followed it.
The film is unflinching in its portrayal of female jealousy and sublimated sexual rage. The appearance of Carrie's powers coincides with her first period, i.e. the onset of sexual maturity. The following events are all about sexual attraction and jealousy, following Carrie's emergence as a woman, the dynamics of the other girls at school and their sexual/romantic intrigues, and the White family's bizarre sexual mores. The drama with the girls at school is all about dates and sex and going to the prom. Carrie's sympathetic gym teacher tries to get her to wear makeup and pay more attention to her hair. Meanwhile, Carrie's mother equates her menstruation with acceptance of sin, and later refers to her breasts as "dirty pillows." Once you start to look at it this way, you'll be surprised at the number of incidents and bits of dialogue that relate to this theme, and how carefully focused the entire screenplay is.
Sissy Spacek's performance really is multi-layered and heartbreaking, and gets better the more you get into the film. The early scenes at the prom, when you see her trying her best to get out of her shell, and how scared she is of being hurt, are all the more tragic knowing what is going to happen to her a few minutes later. When she is announced as Prom Queen, you see from the look on her face that she has finally come to believe that she has been accepted and liked. That the image of her walking silently through the burning school still remains so iconic and startlingly creepy is testament to her performance and this film's power.
The other amazing thing is DePalma's direction. The sequence beginning with the announcement of Carrie as Prom Queen is a masterpiece of building tension -- notice the music and editing as the sequence gathers speed, culminating with the spilling of the blood. You will also notice that this entire sequence is dialogue-free. It is so tight, audacious and over-the-top that you have to admire it. I know DePalma later expressed regret over the split screen effect, but I remember how effective it was when I first saw the film -- it left me feeling like so much is happening at once that you couldn't possibly take it all in. It's really overwhelming and distancing at the same time -- as opposed to most horror films that try to bring viewers INTO the terror.
The mere fact that this movie is still around almost 25 years later is a testament to its brilliance. It is much more respected now than when it first came out-- in part I think because the "horror" label worked against it. Look at the horror aspects the way they should be -- as a metaphor-- and you'll start to get into it. The closer you look the better it becomes. ...more info
Eve Was Weak! Stephen King's first big hit comes to the big screen, and thirty years later it has morphed into something else. Stephen King created Carrie thanks to a few happenstances. He was working for a laundry service when one day they were in a women's locker room, and he saw the dispense of feminine hygiene products. He asked someone what it was, a coworker told him. He had just read an article about telekinisis, and that night he went home and wrote the first scene of Carrie, when she gets her period in the shower and it awakens the power within her. He threw it away, but a few days later he came home to find his wife, Tabitha, had dug it out of the trash. When she asked if he had writen this, he said it was just an idea he'd had but didn't like it. Per her insistance, he went on to write more. Tabitha told him "No this is good, you've got something here." Tabitha helped him, as it was a story about girl stuff. He based Carrie on the two ugliest girls he knew growing up, and her mother around a devoutly religious woman he worked with who he always wondered what her home life was like. It was submitted and published, and Stephen King had his first big hit. And, the rest is history.
Carrie is the story of a squelched, nervous outcast. It takes place in the most horrifying of places, high school. Pushed around, teased relentlessly, and made to feel the butt of every joke, Carrie is trapped between the laughter of her peers and the heavy handed world of her mother's religious beliefs. She's odd, afraid, nervous. Then, one day, when the late bloomer reaches maturity right in the middle of the gym locker room shower and made a fool of by the other girls, the power is awakened within her. Suddenly she has the power to think and effect people. When that mean boy down the street harasses her on his bike, she throws him an angry glare and he falls off his bike. When in the second half, one of the girls from the locker room, Sue Snell, feels guilty about her behavior, she does something completely out of character for a "popular girl". SHe not only feels guilty, but asks her boyfriend to take Carrie to the prom to make up for it. Her boyfriend Tommy, the handsome, equally popular all American nice guy agrees, and they go to the prom. Carrie, in the one and only time she ever had a real date, looked pretty as a picture, and is even voted queen, is subjected to the ultimate humiliation when the queen bee and her legion of thugs dump pig blood on her. Carrie uses her telekinetic powers to take out her revenge, and burns down the town, killing hundreds in her path.
Why is this such a great story? Because it speaks to each and every one of us on some level. Rebelling against the old world parent, lashing out at teachers who were too meddlesome or ignorant. Transforming from an ugly ducking into a swan, and the handsome prince comes riding in a white horse to take us to his enchanted kingdom (in this case, the prom). Having hope that you can break out of your social mold, that you too can be everything you secretly wanted to be. And when the final insult comes, the one that breaks you, the one that you can't just turn the other cheek this time, you can kill them all with your secret power that you always wished you had.
This was a long time ago, and it shows. Political correctness has overtaken us (the bullying aspect that might have lead Carrie to mow everyone down with an assult riffle if she didn't have the power), fashion has changed, etc. And the shrillness of the acting, corny, antiquated special effects make it just as campy rather than a serious drama / horror now (thanks mostly to Mrs. White played hilariously by Piper Laurie). And yet, add the element of the fanatic mother who is really REALLY crazy (and happened to put all her crazy energies into Christianity rather than the bottle, self mutilation, or promiscuity) yet somehow right all along about people really gives us something to think about in the end. A timeless classic....more info
De Palma's Standout Creation of King's Carrie The only flaw of this Brian Depalma vehicle is...dare I say this...the story? Yup, telekinetic devil child? It's certainly not boring but I almost can't possibly grant it a five star rating. I'm going to anyway. King's first novel is not his best, but it is still very good. I will assert that the film is actually better and Carrie is one of the best adaptations of a King novel ever made into a film. My hats off to Depalma for creating one of the scariest films of all time in the process. I'm a huge horror fan, so Carrie has quite a few things to take into account for your own tastes. It's a bit dated and requires some imagination from the viewer...I'm probably preaching the quire here anyway.
Most people my age have only seen the edited television version which is on about three or four times every Halloween. The made for television remake was a horrorshow in a different way because it came close to ruining the credibility of its original. Depalma holds back his amazing technical abilities intentionally and builds this tale of revenge and justice up for one of the most climatic sequences ever made. "They're all gonna laugh at you" rings in Carrie's ears after a bucket of pig's blood is dropped on her head...the music goes from extremely happy and glorious to tense and terrifying, the lighting goes from normal to blood red like Carries now blood soaked appearance. We go from feeling sorry for her to feeling sorry for the kids who we thought for one minute might deserve what's coming to them in a few moments. What follows is quite possible the most brilliantly filmed horror sequence ever. Split screening and panning from Sissy Spacek's amazingly tense eyes and face to her victims soon to be lifeless bodies. Then the fire comes in and we realize that these kids have unknowingly unleashed hell on earth. The film keeps going down a very dark road and doesn't disappoint.
Anyway, it's one of the greatest horror films of all time and is totally unforgettable. In the long run its films that you remember fully that stay intact as classics and Carrie is certainly one of them.
...more info
CARRIE ROCKS! I think this was Sissy Spacek's best movie of them all and showing Spacek at her best with interesting telekenetic powers and showing us what it's like for a lot of typical teenagers that get picked on in high school as well as going through the typical teenage peer pressures and growing pains that most adolescents go through, which assured a lot of us that we're not alone in that department, not to mention "CARRIE" had some very cute chicks in it too, including Nancy Allen as the sadistic popular bad girl(Christine Hargenson).
CARRIE also starts out deliciously nasty kind of like a sexy erotic porn type skin flick of a movie with female nudity with lots of T&A since it starts out with an astonishing intriguing nude scene in the girls lockerroom in slow motion with Carrie's classmates running around as naked as the day they were born using beautiful music scoring by Pino Donaggio showing us what a typical high school girls gym looks like in real life when girls are freshening up after their PE period is up when gals change clothes and take showers, especially in full frontal nudity just like it is for a boys lockerroom in real life, which therefore gave us an opportunity for guys to see what a girls lockerroom looks like in real life, since we guys unfortunately cant do so in actuality.
In addition, I think the girls lockerroom scene at the beginning of this movie was also both Nancy Allen's best nude scene and Sissy Spacek's best nude scene ever throughout all the movies Allen and Spacek have ever done throughout their entire acting career, especially when they showed Carrie's nude scene in the shower showing us everything but Sissy Spacek's coochie and when they showed Nancy Allen in full frontal nudity showing us Nancy Allen's coochie and tatas along with half the other gals shown in total nudity in the girls lockerroom, including PJ Soles(Norma).
As a matter of fact, the lockerroom scene at the beginning of this movie was my favorite scene throughout this entire film, especially since I really enjoyed seeing Sissy Spacek, Nancy Allen, and P.J. Soles naked like many other people did, which I'm sure was another reason that made this movie CARRIE so popular in the 70's and why so many people still like to watch the movie from time to time to this very day, except you cant enjoy it nearly as much if you watch this movie on cable TV or in syndication, since this movie contains too many scenes that are too gory and/or too sexy.
I also like the way the PE teacher Ms. Collins(Betty Buckley) stood up for Carrie and how she handled all the girls in Carrie's PE class after bullying Carrie with the crappy stunt they pulled on Carrie when she panics after she wipes blood from her coochie and realizes that she started her period for the very first time and being clueless to what a period really was.
I especially liked the way the PE Teacher handled Carrie's sleazy low-life classmate Christine Hargenson(Nancy Allen), since Hargenson ended up getting what she deserved from Miss Collins, especially after the vicious incident that the atrocious Hargenson instigated on Carrie with the bombarding of the tampons in the lockeroom and when Ms. Collins turns the tables on malicious Hargenson when she ends up slapping obnoxious Hargenson and nearly knocking her on her duff out on the football field after the relentless Hargenson pulls a hasty stunt on Miss Collins by talking back to her and trying to get the rest of her PE classmates to unionize against the coach, except the sadistic Hargenson's idea ends up failing and she ends up getting banned from the prom.
One of the things that I found baffling in this movie that I found kind of corny was Hargensons pal(Norma)never took her hat off in the movie with the exception of Norma's nude scene in the girls lockerroom showers in full frontal nudity, which I also found intriguing, since PJ Soles also came out in the original "HALLOWEEN" two years later playing the devirginized sassy high school cheerleeder(Lynda) who also ends up dying in the 1978 flick of HALLOWEEN as well, which also did a cool sex scene in that movie with partial nudity showing PJ's hooters, except P.J. Soles wasn't as annoying or as snotty in John Carpenters "HALLOWEEN" as she was in CARRIE.
In fact, P.J. Soles sexy nude scene in the girls lockerroom at the beginning of the movie CARRIE is initially what helped PJ Soles to get the role for Lynda in John Carpenter's "HALLOWEEN", since P.J. Soles impressive nude scene in CARRIE had potentially inspired John Carpenter to consider P.J. Soles for a teenage role in HALLOWEEN and chances are Nancy Allen's intriguing nude scene in full frontal nudity in CARRIE had inspired director(Brian DePalma) for her sexy nude scene in the shower in DRESSED TO KILL a few years later.
I also found it to be a shame that Carrie even ended up killing Ms. Collins(Betty Buckley) towards the end of the movie when Carrie ends up killing most of the prom attendants at her high school when she uses her powers to blow up the whole gymnasium after the stuck up Hargenson and her sleazy low-life boyfriend Billy Nolan(John Travolta) pull a nasty stunt on Carrie by dumping pigs blood on her after getting elected prom queen with her prom date Tommy Ross(William Katt) to ruin and embarrass the hell out of Carrie at the prom, in order to avenge Carrie, especially after snotty Hargenson ends up getting restricted from the the prom by Miss. Collins.
I also enjoyed watching the bonus features on this DVD behind the making of CARRIE describing how they did the destruction scene in the gym when Carrie set it on fire killing just about everyone who attended the prom and how they actually used cornsyrup and red paint and food coloring for the pigs blood that the malicious Christine Hargenson(Nancy Allen)dumped on Carrie at the prom and that Nancy Allen and Bryan De Palma were an item at the time in real life when they made the movie CARRIE and DRESSED TO KILL, not to mention CARRIE & DRESSED TO KILL were probably DePalma's 2 greatest movies ever made and directed by him of all times.
The bonus features on this CARRIE DVD also have a lot of the co-stars like Sissy Spacek, Nancy Allen, Betty Buckley, Amy Irving, and Piper Laurie along with director(Brian De Palma) telling us about their experience while making and filming the movie CARRIE like how Nancy Allen and Betty Buckley had to keep rehearsing the slapping scene out on the football field about 30 times till they got it right, in order to make it convincing for audiences, plus director(Brian De Palma) explained how how tough it was for all the lady co-stars in this movie who did a nude scene in the girls lockerroom at the beginning of the movie, since it created a lot of tension for them, which even contributed to some of those lady co-stars balking out and crying in the process since it made them feel uncomfortable having to waltz around naked in front of the camera in real life while filming this movie, especially since most of them were shown in full frontal nudity showing their pubic hair from their snatch on top of that.
Nancy Allen also added on that bonus feature behind the scenes on the movie CARRIE by explaining how she ended up enjoying that nude scene in the girls lockerroom afterwhile since it actually ended up working out beautifully in a way since that nude scene made Nancy Allen and all the other female co-stars in that movie bond together wonderfully since it helped her(Nancy Allen) along with all her other lady co-stars in this movie,including Sissy Spacek and PJ Soles overcome their fear and tension of being totally naked in front of the camera while filming this movie during that lockerroom scene at the beginning of CARRIE along with the fact that movies rarely start out with an intriguing nude scene, especially in full frontal nudity, which was another thing that kind of made the movie CARRIE quite genuine.
Therefore, Nancy Allen didn't mind being naked afterwhile just like some of the other female co-stars in that lockerroom scene didn't mind so much being nude either.
Sissy Spacek added on that bonus feature special by explaining how it was for her when she did her nude scene in the girls lockerroom showers by losing herself in the moment and induldge by trying to not think about herself being naked.
In addition to that De Palma added in the bonus feature special that a lot of the lady co-stars and extras in this movie were great troopers at doing the nude scene in the girls gym at the beginning of this movie, especially the gals who were shown in full frontal nudity, but that in actuality they had filmed Sissy Spaceks nude scene in the girls lockerroom showers before they had actually filmed Carrie's classmates/Sissy Spacek's co-stars in the nude in order to give Sissy Spaceks co-stars a lot more self-confidence to be naked during the girls gym scene at the beginning of the movie in order to convince all the female co-stars in this movie that if Sissy Spacek could do a nude scene in the girls lockerroom showers without any qualms that the rest of the female co-stars can do a nude scene in the girls lockerroom too.
Therefore, De Palma and all the film editors had spliced the nude scenes with Sissy Spacek and the nude scenes of the rest of her female co-stars in the girls gym to make it look like all of Carrie's classmates had showered at the end of their P.E. class before Carrie White took her shower alone, but De Palma and the film experts had revised the scenes when they spliced them by revising and rearranging the sequences of each scene in the order they wanted them shown in order to give the rest of the female co-stars enough confidence to do that remarkable nude scene in the girls lockerroom in full frontal nudity at the beginning of the movie.
Additionally, P.J. Soles had explained in that bonus feature how she was originally scheduled to only be on the set for only a few days, but De Palma had decided to keep her on longer and to do more scenes and that De Palma got the idea for PJ Soles to wear her cap in every scene when he met P.J. Soles for the very first time when she came to audition for the part of Norma Watson since P.J. Soles was already wearing a cap in real life and felt it was catchy.
Therefore, De Palma had PJ Soles in every scene she did in the movie with the exception of her nude in the girls lockerroom showers at the beginning of this flick when P.J. Soles is shown in full frontal nudity.
It was also interesting seeing William Katt before his GREATEST AMERICAN HERO days and John Travolta in this movie during his WELCOME BACK KOTTER days and before he became famous and popular as well as before doing the movie SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER.
It's just too bad that they didn't end up picking Jamie-Lee Curtis to be a co-star in this movie too, because I think Jamie-Lee Curtis would've been awesome in this movie, kind of like she was in PROM NIGHT, HALLOWEEN, and THE FOG, not to mention PROM NIGHT was a tad similar to CARRIE. ...more info
wow what a face carrie..es el horror hecho..mujer.....con una expresion unica en la que inspira....todo tipo de sentimientos....sissy spacey..interpreta en mi opinion uno de sus mejores papeles..como la atormentada carrie... ..con un jhon travolta joven...esta pelicula..no deja de sorprenderme....es tan entretenida.. y tiene un toque de horror unico....lsa secuelas que hicieron..se quedaron muy cortas....
Though a fairly competant horror film, Carrie tones down the scale of Stephen King's horrific vision to its own detriment; additionally, Piper Laurie's hystrionics are more laughable than scary....more info
Always a guinea pig, never a guinea. Carrie starts off like a skin flick with a bunch of girls in a locker room running around in slow motion with complete full frontal nudity. One good thing about this is at least women weren't ashamed to have pub/ic hair back then.
De Palma loves his sex and nudity. This isn't the first movie that opens up inappropriately (Dressed to Kill).
Sissy Spacek gives a very sympathetic performance as the telekinetic outsider who just wishes to be normal and liked; not to mention really loved by her deranged mother. Piper Laurie gives a great performance playing a very extreme religious fundamentalist. And no idiots, her portrayal is not accurate of Christianity or conservatism, and anyone who would say so is saying more about their mental disorder than about religion.
There are several instances of comic relief, including the girl who wears a red baseball cap everywhere: I wonder why she wasn't the one picked on. And the principal who continues to call Carrie Cassie despite being told ad nauseam what her real name is. And my favorite: the negotiation on the steps between the prom committee chair and the devious dude who wants to help corrupt the prom king/queen voting.
The movie as a whole is good, but not great. De Palma's directing style is too shoddy and crude for it to be great.
The DVD includes interesting details about the differences between film and book; and some documentaries about filming.
BRILLIANT! Sissy Spacek was absolutely BRILLIANT in this role. Piper Laurie was amazing! This is a great movie, and they all deserved what they got for making Carrie's life a living hell! A true classic!...more info
Great Film- A Review By Mary Sanders I read the novel Carrie when I was twelve. Then saw this film. Let me just say the director of this film did a more than fantastic job. The acting was phenominal too.
This movie is about an abused sixteen-year-old girl named Carrie White, and finds out she has amazing telekinetic powers. I will not speak of it much, for I will give the story away.
Despite how terrifying, gruesome, and heartbreaking this film is- it is a rather beautiful film in its own way. How it is made, I mean. Try it, for those of you out there who enjoy horror films. ...more info
"Plug it up, plug it up!" Carrie has to be the best horror/revenge film of all time. Sissy Spacek is oh so cool and creepy as Carrie White. Carrie discovers she has a special gift - she can move things with her mind. This film also stars a young Amy Irving, Nancy Allen, P.J. Soles and John Travolta. Piper Laurie received a best supporting actress nomination and boy I am glad she is not my mother, yikes! A horrible practical joke is played on Carrie at her Senoir prom and well Carrie finally gets sweet and long over-due revenge on her classmates and teachers. The ending is so scary, so don't take your eyes away for a split second. Based upon Stephen King's novel of the same name. So don't forget to check out Carrie, she is waiting for you....more info
Good screen adaptation of a Stephen King story Be careful whom you pick on especially after puberty.
Carrie White(Sissy Spacek) comes from a very oppressive environment. Her mother Margaret White (Piper Laurie) is a zealot and does not stand for any nasty doings. Carrie is not the most popular girl in school. Let's face it she is the butt of many practical jokes.
The time comes when puberty hit her hard. And Stephen King says that is the time when any latent supernatural tendencies creep out. Sure enough Carrie finds that she can telekinesis. She even gets help from her PE teacher.
Are things going to work out better for Carrie?
Where did she get such a gift?
Do you suppose she will be invited to the Prom by Tommy (William Katt)?
What ever you do, do not make a grave mistake.
This is a well crafted story with fine actors. This theme will play out again and again in future horror movies where the person getting picked on gets their revenge at a price.
Carrie (1976) Director: Brian De Palma
Cast: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, William Katt, Betty Buckley, Nancy Allen, John Travolta, P.J. Soles, Priscilla Pointer.
Running Time: 98 minutes
Rated R for violence, some gore, and language.
Nowadays, we have literal truck loads of books on how to deal with our tormented teenage daughters. We all know in this day and age that teenage girls are wicked bullies and the damage inflicted by their relentless bullying is often irreparable. But you don't need those books. Most of us who have watched the film "Carrie" already know the devastating effect that merciless torment can have upon us. That's why we watched the film; to see those bullies get what they deserve and to cheer Carrie on every step of the way. Carrie White (Sissy Spacek in a brilliant performance) is an abused teenager with a void where her self-esteem should be. Her mother (played by the over-the-top Piper Laurie) is a whacko religious nut who likes to violently throw Carrie around for imagined sins and lock her in the closet for days on end. Her schoolmates are spoiled rotten Clique Queens (played by Betty Buckley, Nancy Allen, P.J. Soles), who enjoy attacking anyone less popular than they are, for no reason at all other than that it amuses them. Carrie becomes their main target when her period, incredibly late, finally arrives one day in the locker room shower. Carrie, who has never been sexually educated and is under the impression that she is bleeding to death, freaks out and of course, her classmates find this terribly amusing.
With her the onset of her menstrual cycle, her dormant powers of telekinesis suddenly wake and cannot be controlled anymore than her newly awakened raging hormones can be. Unfortunately, no one is aware of this. As Carrie dares to stand up to her mother and begins to break out of her shell, her cruel and sadistic classmates have a plan to keep her in her place forever. Too bad they don't know how dangerous all that suppressed anger can be. Carrie gets her revenge on them all and the climax of the film is a bloody, fiery apocalypse as Carrie unleashes her pent up anger along with her powers and literally lets them run their ferocious course. "Carrie" is not so much a horror film as it is a psychological one. The human mind is capable of horrors that no movie camera or special effects crew can reproduce, and the abused psyche is a monster that no one wants to see unleashed.
"Carrie" is a melding of two great artists, in this case, Stephen King, who wrote the novel and Brian De Palma, who directed the film. This is a tense, exciting thriller that is also a sturdy character study. It's hard to make a film that can accomplish both, but De Palma does it. King's novel mostly dealt with a telekinetic girl who is cruelly treated by her classmates. De Palma and screenwriter Lawrence Cohen follow the novel fairly closely, with the exception of the ending, which is a great deal more sensationalistic and better (King himself liked the finale and the film, as stated in his exceptional study of the horror genre "Danse Macabre") As is the case in most De Palma films, the technical credits are superb. The cinematography (by Mario Tosi)is extremely effective; colors and shadows have never been shot more effectively in a De Palma film since. The film score is by Pino Donaggio, and it marks the first collaboration between Donaggio and De Palma. (Bernard Herrmann died shortly after "Obsession" was completed) Donaggio is among the most underrated and overlooked composers of his time. His scores for "Dressed to Kill", "Blow Out" and "Body Double" are all exceptional and all deserved Oscars. "Carrie" is no less brilliant, as it accomplishes what all great scores are supposed to do: enhance the film without giving anything away. Paul Hirsch's editing is also extremely effective as it was in "Sisters", "Obsession", "Blow Out" and "Raising Cain". But it is the performances that make "Carrie" stand out. Carrie is played by Sissy Spacek in a performance of such power and strength that she received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress (the first actress ever to be nominated for a horror film; the second would be Sigourney Weaver for "Aliens"). She manages to hit all the right notes. A lesser actress would have veered toward melodrama. Spacek plays the role more realistically and the film is much more effective that way. "Carrie" is not for those who just want to see people sliced up or prefer fast-paced horror as it is presented as a heart-breaking drama with a horrifying twist. "Carrie" is very well directed, with a superb screenplay from Larry Cohen and featuring two of the greatest performances in horror....more info
It's neither scary nor suspenseful at all. It's neither scary nor suspenseful at all. The acting is stiff. The movie is boring. There are only 2 scenes with good special effects. The last one is where the truck was wrapped around a pole. The whole film looks more like a TV show.
So far, my only favorite movie adapted from Stephen King's novel is The Mist (2008)...more info
GREAT CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE SPACEK IS PERFECT This is such a strange movie as you wouldn't know it was a horror film until very late in the movie. When it gets there it will scare the you know what out of you! Most have seen this film,but for those of you who haven't, I don't want to tell too much. Truly a classic and one of Kings stories get a grade A movie treatment. Spacek should get a lot of credit as it is her at the prom in a trance like state that takes this movie to another level, she is magnificent. The DVD has a great transfer with some excellent bonus features....more info
A Reassessment of "Carrie" and an Apology
Greetings. A year ago I wrote a review about this film in which I condemned it. I was wrong. The fact of the matter is that this film is a masterpiece. This film draws you in and makes you sympathize with Carrie. She is treated as an outcast and subjected to unspeakable acts of hatred by her peers. When I watched the film, I lost all sense of objectivity so much so that when she was humiliated at the prom I became angry with the movie itself. I forgot that the ability of a movie to draw the audience in, to make it sympathize with the characters, is the mark of a great horror movie. That is why some of the Universal monsters from the 30's and 40's, Frankenstein and the Wolf Man, are considered classics. You feel remorse for these characters because they are outcasts, forever cursed, and unable to controll their violent natures. And so it is with Carrie White: a shy, angry victim of horrible abuse who eventually gets pushed too far. I apologize to the filmmakers for my earlier ignorance.
Moreover, this film is more important now than ever before. We all remember those terrible killings at Columbine High School. To anyone who wonders why such a thing could happen, I suggest you watch this movie. We'll never know for certain what prompted those kids to storm into that school with guns and kill with no remorse and no mercy. But "Carrie" presents us with some possible answers. I think that underneath all of the horror in this film there is a positive message: we need to treat one another with love and dignity. I am an avid "Star Trek" fan. I believe that we can bring about that kind of productive, positive future--if we learn the lessons from "Carrie".
P.S.
Dear Ms. Spacek,
I once read somewhere that you were not very proud of your role in this film. You should feel very proud!! It took a great deal of courage for you to accept this role, in my opinion. Violence in our schools is a horrible problem. Your film brings that problem out into the limelight. That is the first critical step in solving a problem: exposing it. I think that it should be required viewing for all high school students. By talking about it with their teachers and parents, maybe we wouldn't have anymore Columbines. You're a terrific actress as are all of the other actors and actresses in the film.
If You Haven't Seen The Movie And You Don't Want To Know What Happens Then Don't Read This Carrie is considered a horror movie. Well, personally, I didn't find it all that scary and I'm only twelve. From the beginning scene in the shower room (they're so mean!)until the crowning of the prom King and Queen, you keep wondering (or at least i did) what is going to set Carrie off, because all of these people are really mean to her, including her mother, and she still doesn't do anything really bad with her power of telekinesis. The dumping of the pig's blood kind of creeped me out. I mean, that's just wrong. The only parts that I found creepy were Carrie's eyes during the evil part of the gym scene, and the part where all the knives fly into her mother. The very end would have made me jump a foot if I hadn't seen that part once before on T.V. The acting was amazing, particularly by Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie. This is a very good, suspenseful movie. ...more info
Creepy This is a really scary, creepy and well-directed, and acted movie. Normally, most horror movies aren't so good. To find a good horror movie is pretty rare. But to find a horror movie which won big awards like oscar or academy awards, or even get nominated for such, is almost impossible. This movie opposed those odds. It got nominated for 2 Oscars, though it didn't win, it won 2 other awards and another 3 other award nominations(according to the imdb site of this movie).
To me, though, that's not a suprise at all. The movie was extremely well made, and especially well acted. Sissy did a great performance. And so did her crazy ma. And as well as the rest of the cast. Beautiful.
The story is simple:
It's about a misfit, outcast, loner, weirdo, shy, paranoid girl, named Carrie, who is always bossed around and picked on and teased and hated on by everyone. The teachers, the principals, her cruel classmates, even her mother for crying out loud. But then again, her mother is an obsessed christian, who can be heard repetetively quoted out psalms and lines from the bible, and can be seen all the time in a black robe and carrying a wooden cross. Anyways, Carrie one day discovers that she has telekeniss powers, that she can move things with her mind. And so she gets revenge on all the people who have done wrong in her life. It's a scary and creepy movie, which really questions your thoughts and actions toward being cruel to anyone else like Carrie. A reccomend watch if you want an entertaining, scary, and "sexual" movie(though that's only in like one scene, but i tell u it got the milk gushing out of me non-stop!)
Amounting at 1 hour and 38 minutes, it's a fast-paced, scary, creepy, suspenseful, bloody, horror/thriller movie, which is based on Stephen King's first novel, and directed by Brian De Palma, the director of Scarface. ...more info
***One of the BEST***HORROR***Films of ALL TIME! The CARRIE (SPECIAL EDITION) DVD is fantastic. Not only do you get a remastered version of Brian De Palma's masterpiece of horror, "Carrie," but you get some good extras!
The 1976 film was De Palma's adaptation of Stephen King's first novel, Carrie. And was executed perfectly! From casting to the sublime use of split screen to the use of sound to the soundtrack itself, CARRIE is a horror tour de force that keeps audiences in the grip of fear.
If you haven't seen the movie or read the book it's about a shy and timid high school girl who has the power to move objects with her mind. She's picked on by the other girls, and her mother is a religious fanatic who beats her and makes her pray in a closet. Anyway, Carrie is the butt of jokes and one student feels sorry for her and gets Carrie a date to the prom. But a couple of students want to play a nasty trick on her and Carrie unleashes her rage on the entire student body!
I remember seeing the movie poster everywhere during the 70s, when I was a kid, and being absolutely horrified at the image of actress Sissy Spacek covered in blood. The stark whiteness of her skin and the red blood made a contrast that spooked the hell out of me. And she's the perfect actress to play the role. If ever there was perfect casting this was it. And so was Nancy Allen, as the popular mean girl in school; Amy Irving, as the sympathetic student; William Katt, as Irving's boyfriend and Carrie's date. Piper Laurie was brilliant as Carrie's demented mother and John Travolta was cute as Allen's bad-boy boyfriend.
Anyway, the DVD comes with an insert booklet that provides trivia info on the filming, casting and behind-the-scenes of "Carrie." Also, the DVD has:
***ACTING CARRIE--Documentary with Spacek, Irving, Allen, Katt and Buckley among others (43-minutes)
***VISUALIZING CARRIE--Documentary with Brian De Palma explaining the film and special effects of "Carrie" with footage and still from the filming (40-minutes)
***CARRIE THE MUSICAL--Featurette about the musical (yes a musical!) based on the movie with Betty Buckley (6-minutes)
***PHOTO GALLERY--Pics from the film (6-minutes)
***STEPHEN KING & THE EVOLUTION OF CARRIE--Text that you can read on the screen about the creation of "Carrie" from idea to book to movie
***ORIGINAL TRAILER
And the DVD menu design is great too! I LOVE this movie. Not only does it work as a scary film, but it's like an onion that has many layers to it. The more you watch it the more you start uncovering things that you missed the first time around. BRILLIANT! I would love to see this on the BIG screen!...more info
A Must See Classic! in contrary with some said, this is not a suspense/horror movie. it's not even a thriller. It's a very good teenage movie with excellent directing and brilliant actings and except some strong nudity scenes, there is no problem for persons over 13 to watch it and I think these thays children learn worse tricks in school! this movie really makes sense and after watching it, most of people would not say something negative about it. the DVD release is very good too and special edition dvd is full of really good special features! buying this dvd may not be a good recommandation for everyone cause this is a one time movie and after first time you may have no eager to watch it again. but I strongly suggest everyone rent it at least and watch it once. this is one of that famous rather classic movies that you must see!...more info
Good Adaptation Of Stephen King's 1st Novel Brian De Palma's Carrie is a pretty good horror movie. Based on Stephen King's novel, the movie centers on a young, outcast teenager (Sissy Spacek) trying to fit in among her high school classmates, which is difficult given her extremely religious mother (Piper Laurie).
The movie is full of great images--I'm pretty sure you know how the story is going to end. But the real treat is how engaging the story is. I think a lot of this is due to Sissy Spacek's performance (which was nominated for an Oscar). She makes Carrie sympathetic, honest, and goodhearted (in the book, she was sometimes hard to relate to due to her hidden cruel nature).
The DVD includes several special features--the best is the documentaries that focus on how the film was made and the great cast was assembled (including John Travolta, Nancy Allen, and Amy Irving). It's interesting to know that De Palma staged his screen tests with another director who was casting another movie (the director was George Lucas, and the movie was Star Wars). The weirdest special feature is the pointless discussion of the short-lived, hated broadway musical that was based on the movie....more info
"Creepy Carrie, Creepy Carrie................." I remember the year 1976 seeing commericals for this film. Let me rephrase that, the first commerical showed no scenes but blantly said this film is so terrifying we cannot show one scene. Marketing at it's best, caught my attention and I was only 10. Then the split photo poster comes out with Sissy before and after the blood dumping, scared the sh#t out of me. I knew some how I was sneaking into this film. I succeded. I was not dissapointed. With my reviews I don't go into details over plot and storyline, if you are here, good chance you have seen it. Spaceck's performance is wonderfull, well worthy of her oscar nomination, likewise of Piper Lauries nomination. Very unheard of for a horror film, that is how good this film is. Depalma,(director),is a genius at his no cut 3 min. long camera shots, split screen, and use of music. The suspence up to the blood dumping, personally the best I have ever seen, we know what happens but yet we are screaming, when?...when? The climax is literally arm grabbing and copied by numerous films. Film looks great on dvd and Travoltas performance is no different from his Welcome Back Kotter show. He grows...in Sat. Night fever. Buy this classic, word of warning, full frontal nudity in the beginning, wow, hygene sure has changed, thank God, lol, Carrie rocks....more info
CLASSIC HORROR TRAGEDY!!!!! Only a few movies really horrified me as a child: Dawn Of The Dead, The Shining, Phantasm, and Carrie. I despise The Shining because I read the book in junior high and saw that Kubrick, although brilliant, had butchered a book that was really too involved to put on celluloid. Carrie remains the only King novel-to-film that stands alone in itself as a horror classic, although the book is just as disturbing.
Carrie scared me as a five year old (I STILL remember the trailer!), then petrified me when my mom bought the novel, because the cover at the time was Sissy Spacek covered in blood...mom had to trash the book...sorry, Ma! Then I watched the movie with my sister when I was about eight....and well, I have probably seen it a HUNDRED times after that!!!! Never get tired of it! (Along with Phantasm and D.O.T.D.)
I'm not going to rehash the story....I just would like the younger horror fans to delve into the world of truly masterfully-crafted horror cinema made by the likes of DePalma, Romero, Cronenberg....I know I forgot someone, but DePalma outdid himself with this. The cinematography is fantastic, the morbidity, the expressions of horror; not blood n guts, but the horror of human beings' cruelty to one another...SHINES! Best adaptation of King's interpretation of small-town evil come to claim its own in an unassuming form.
Carrie is REQUIRED VIEWING for anyone who claims to be a horror fan...and I consider myself an old hand. If you haven't seen it, or The (original) Omen, you gotta zip the lip: ya know diddly.
The main thing about this movie that stays with me is that as I got older, I really believed the actors in their roles: they were all exemplary. Sissy Spacek was so tragic as the pathetic Carrie White, her mother and tormentors, played beautifully by Piper Laurie, John Travolta, to name the more familiar faces, were so REAL. The movie now isn't horror to me, but sad. The all-powerful ENDING, which everyone mentions here, still spooks me to this day...still tough to watch.
Now if THAT doesn't make a classic, you tell me!...more info
A Masterpiece!! Still one of the greatest horror films of all time! I remember seeing this movie as a little girl and it scaring me just as much as it did today. The picture quality of this DVD is wonderful and it's definately a timelessly horrifying and somewhat sad story. If you are a horror fanatic then you MUST own this film. Also, lots of bonus material from the actors and director Brian De Palma on the making of "Carrie". Worth your money!...more info
Slow dancing with the devil... Stephen King is known as the `king' of horror, and `Carrie' is the story that made him famous. In fact, it was after the massive reception that `Carrie' received as a mass market paperback novel that King was able to quit his day job; literally. The film adaptation also received major critical buzz and reception, nabbing Oscar nominations for Spacek and co-star Laurie as well as a few other awards (Spacek won the NSFC award for her performance). All the praise and admiration is deserved, definitely, for `Carrie' is one of Kings grandest stories, and Brian De Palma delivers masterfully with his big screen adaptation, capturing the very essence of King with each frightfully delicious frame.
The film, and the novel, tell a story as old as time; that of a young outcast pushed too far by too many people. Kind of like the `pre-columbine' school angst story, this film places young Carrie White in the hot seat. Carrie is a social outcast, shunned by her peers, teased by the other schoolgirls and sheltered by her religious fanatic mother. On top of that Carrie has just recently realized that she can move things with her mind.
After a school teasing goes too far Carrie finds herself being asked to the prom by popular kid Tommy. His girlfriend Sue asked him to escort Carrie to prom since she felt bad about the way the other girls were treating her. Little does Sue or Tommy know but a few of the other kids are planning something tragically dastardly for prom night, but they will soon wish they had not crossed that line.
Brian De Palma truly utilizes his surroundings in order to create a horrific film, one that is chilling and disturbing and utterly mesmerizing. The film sounds like a horror movie, it looks like a horror movie; it nearly smells like a horror movie. Every fixture, every article of clothing, every shriek of the musical score; everything breathes horror into each passing frame. Add to that some brilliantly crafted performances that understand and embellish the whole idea behind the film and you have a superbly orchestrated horror film.
Sissy Spacek is otherworldly as Carrie. I'm reminded of Geena Davis in `The Fly', for Spacek just looks alienesque as Carrie. Her eyes seem to bulge right out of her skull; her skin seems to grab tightly to her bones; her voice seems to barely escape her lips. Spacek captures the supernatural elements of her character masterfully, creating something much richer than a mere tortured youth. She understands that, while her character is supposed to represent the entertain struggles of modern-day adolescence, she is also supposed to also capture something unnatural within her character, and she does that magically. Piper Laurie also manages to come alive in every frame as Carrie's insanely fanatic mother Margaret. A true stab in the heart of religion, King created a character straight out of our nightmares, a mother whose idealistic values are far beyond those a rational parent.
The rest of the supporting players all do their best to elevate the film, Travolta falling behind a tad (but he's rarely impressive). De Palma, Specek and Laurie are truly the most deserving of praise for this film lies on their very sturdy shoulders.
As far as horror movies go, `Carrie' is top notch. De Palma's camera work is astonishtingly good, reaching into every corner and dragging out the chills and surprisingly emotional validity. It is not very often that a film in this genre is able to tackle the subjects of abuse, acceptance, vengeance and religion with such poise and passion. This is a good film; period. The fact that it is a horror film is merely a bonus...more info
"Carrie" marked Brian De Palma's breakthrough..., It is a classic offbeat horror-melodrama merging harmoniously the family Gothic extravaganza, supernatural power, and a woman's movie of a peculiar kind... It remains the cinema's best adaptation of a Stephen King novel...
The film initiated De Palma's inclination for surprise diverts between playful imagination and reality, as in the opening, which swifts from a soft-core porn fantasia of girls taking a shower in the locker room to the fact of Carrie's menstruation for the first time--the first sign of "otherness" that will reserve her as an horrifying monster from her small-minded colleagues...
All the oppression that Carrie undergoes both at home (with a bible beating maniacal mother played by scary Piper Laurie who develops twisted bizarre ideas) and at school to suppress tension which takes the shape of super telekinetic power, the ability to move objects with the strength of her mind... We observe with ambivalence as Carrie's insatiable revenge jumps the line into uncontrolled mass murders ever filmed...
Sissy Spacek is amazing as the mocked, helpless girl pushed over the edge... Her face and body twist like a living special effect to unleash her pent up rage, as well as her character's alarming progress from painfully shy high-school teenager to Angel of Vengeance...
"They're All Going to Laugh At You!" Based on Stephen King's first novel, "Carrie" delivers on all levels. De Palma assembled a stellar cast to create the simple story of a small town high school girl blessed (and cursed) with telekentic powers. We immediately sense that Carrie is a sheltered, naive girl by the famous opening scene. Released in 1976, the opening scene also reminds viewers that girl's groom themselves quite differently today than they did 30 years ago.
While Spacek is terrific as the troubled teen, it's Piper Laurie who gives the biggest chills as her fanatical mother. "Dirty Pillows!" she bellows. Mama was apparently dumped by her husband, and has turned to the Bible to assuage her misery. The only problem is, she tries to take her daughter along for the ride. If Mama can't have any fun, neither can her sinful daughter. Of course, Carrie just wants to be accepted by her peers. She's not pretty, and is unbearably shy, so it's no surprise that she's shocked to be asked to the prom by "the most popular boy in school," Tommy Ross (played by William Katt--The Greatest American Hero).
What happens at the prom (back when prom's were held in gymnasiums and not banquet halls), is the stuff of legend. Like Carrie, you'll never forget the prank, and we can only cheer on the little psycho as she systematically exacts her revenge. John Travolta (fresh from his stint as one of the sweathogs on "Welcome Back Kotter"), makes a cameo in his first theatrical feature. Amy Irving plays the guilty teen who tries to help Carrie, and ultimately provides viewers with a shocking ending that really grabs you. "Carrie" will no doubt continue to thrill a new generation. Of course, they've already tried to remake this for television, once again trying to improve upon the wheel for a bit of pocket change. Skip the television remake, especially if you want to hear the echoing words of Carrie's mother in your head, "They're all going to laugh at you!"...more info
Rest In Peace,Carrie White "Carrie" is...without a doubt THE best horror film ever made!!! Well,next to "Dressed To Kill" & "The Shining",of coarse. Sorry all you naysayers of The Shining,but it is a directors right,when they take a book and turn it into a movie,to figure out what they want to include and what they want to leave out. Well,enough of that,kiddies,let us get down to business.The second scene,after the opening scene of a volleyball game,is a slow motion scene of the girls leaving the shower,some of them are naked,like the very lovely Nancy Allen (whom I have had a crush on since I was ten!!) while the other girls are in various states of putting their clothes back on.Oh,yea...Amy Irving is also a longtime crush. The piano and strings that are played during this scene are just lovely.Pino Donaggio sure composes interesting music. (The music that he did for 'Dressed To Kill' just gives me chills!!) The split-screen technique during Carrie's "Rampage From Hell" towards the end of the film was used to perfect effect.Nice to see what kind of carnage is going on while at the same time we see Carrie trying to figure out where to direct her telekinetic rage next!! I love Brian DePalma's use of split-screen.DePalma,if your reading this,you are a true master of the horror genre!!! Some of the most terrifying scenes,i think are,When Sue Snell,in her dream leans over to put flowers on the lot where carrie's house used to stand and then Carrie's hand comes out through the rocks. That scene just creeped me out when I was a kid and it still creeps me out today.More creepy scenes are Carrie,with all of that pigs blood dribbling down. Talk about a truly terrifying vision from hell!! Carrie's mom,coming at her with knife in hand,the close up of the very creepy-looking Jesus-on-a-crusifix,and of coarse Carrie's mom waiting for her behind the door when Carrie goes upstairs....And that about wraps it up. Oh,yea,one other thing,with all of the interviews with some of the cast included in the extras,why didn't John Travota do an interview?? Sort of odd. Oh,well Ira Coos Bay,Oregon...more info
"to the devil with false modesty!" that's right.This movie is a cult classic. It was made back when Stephen King used to write entertaining horror books and when Brian de Palma was making interesting movies.
Oh the glory of the 70's! How can you not fall in love with Sissy Spacek's performance as an abused teen girl with telekinetic powers? To all of us who hated school, Carrie became our personal hero. She sure gives them a lesson in the end, and boy I still jump sometimes when i watch the last scene of the movie.That bloody hand coming from hell after Sue...a true masterpiece: fantastic acting, highly stylish flick....more info
2.5 stars out of 4 The Bottom Line:
Though a fairly competant horror film, Carrie tones down the scale of Stephen King's horrific vision to its own detriment; additionally, Piper Laurie's hystrionics are more laughable than scary....more info
CARRIE - I Think She Got Carrie(d) Away CARRIE was an excellent and very popular horror film of 1976 which earned four or five stars in my book. This DVD is a good clear transfer and has several very good documentaries on the making of the film, casting, and special effects. It is a must buy for all Steven King fans who wish to own one of his most well done and successful story transfers to the screen.
At the risk of taking the film plot too seriously I offer the following comments: I had never read the book and was very surprised when Carrie reacted as violently as she did to that dirty trick. Up until the ending she was portrayed as such a sympathetic and mild character that she really surprised me at the end of the story. She thoughtlessly did away with the innocent as well as the guilty and I couldn't help but notice that her telekinetic powers gave her no insights into the behavior of those around her. She never even looked down or offered a helping hand to her well meaning date Tommy, and allowed him to burn along with all the other well intentioned characters that attended her prom and were not in on that dirty joke in any way.
I guess this gave the screen writers license to subject her and her poor demented mother to the most horrible final fate when they were creamated in that spectacular house fire and collapsed into the Earth. I have been told that back in the days of the early Universal horror movies if a character was guilty of "murder" they absolutely had to die at the end of the film. Carrie certainly paid the ultimate price for her violent revenge. Of course, if Carrie had done something less spectacular it wouldn't have been much of a horror story.
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carrie wasn't scary the only good thing about the movie is the last 5 minutes
try the Shining (1980)...more info
"They are all gonna laugh at you!!!" This is an old movie but a good horror movie for young and old fans. Stephen King is a master mind when it comes to character development and his characters are captured perfectly by the young Sissy Spacek, John Travolta and the many cast of characters in this movie. You can not help but feel sorry for Carrie (Spacek) while you fear her as she struggles with the trails and tribulations of today's teen geek while dealing with a whack out mother/ Bible Thumper (no offense tended to all of us religious folks) at home. After watching this movie, you will have a few choice words for the mother of Carrie in which can not be put in this review. In fact, you feel for Carrie as the real villian of the movie is Mom. The acting is great from all angles to the bullies, the teachers, Carrie, and of course Mom. My favorite line in the movie is "The are all gonna laugh at you!" from the hysterical Mom. A must watch for all horror fans and Stephen King fans alike!...more info
Another Hard-Core Classic!!! This movie is very creepy. A teenaged girl named Carrie White is always being picked on and made fun by the sexy teenaged girls. (Her psycho God-crazed mom doesn't help.) The girls even threw towels at her while she was crying and having her period. When the gym teacher; Miss Collins sees this happening, she forbids them to go to the prom. Sue Snell, who was throwing towels felt bad and told her boyfriend, Tommy Ross to take Carrie to the prom. Chris Hargensen, one of the girls who hates Carrie plans a terrible revenge that involves pig's blood and asks her boyfriend Billy Nolan to help her. Prom night; Carrie and Tommy are having a wonderful time and (for some reason) win prom King and Queen. After they celebrate, the blood is dropped on Carrie, and the bucket drops on Tommy's head and kills him. Soon, everybody laughs. What Chris and Billy didn't know was that Carrie had telekinesis and uses her powers to kill just about everyone in the gym. Later, Carrie's mom tries to kill her, but Carrie kills her mom and their house falls in and kills Carrie also. The very end with Sue putting the flowers on Carrie's grave and a bloody hand pops up is awesome. Hell, the whole movie is awesome. I would love to take Carrie to the prom. If you love horror, revenge, and proms, you'll love CARRIE!!!...more info
One of the greatest "horror" movies ever made Unknown director Brian DePalma made a low budget horror movie based on a book by unknown writer Stephen King starring an unknown Sissy Spacek...and the rest is history.Enduring a horrible life at home with a religious nut for a mom and failing to fit in at school Carrie White has everything going against her until unexpectandly she gets an invite for the prom.But then things take a turn for the worse and Carrie's telekinetic powers are released.Spacek's vulnerable performance is perfect and Carrie is one of the best directed horror movies ever.Without giant special effects Brian DePalma crafts some great cinematic sequences like the agonizing slo-mo buildup to the prom diaster all the more painful to watch because you know Carrie's one true moment of joy will suddenly be cut short and will lead to tragedy.Unlike some classic horror films Carrie still stands the test of time because the themes are timeless.We all know what it's like to not fit in and at times wish we can teach those that are bad to us a lesson .The slick T.V. remake is nowhere as good as the orginal,this is the only version to have....more info
Amazingly thrilling and moving horror film Other than Delores Claiborne, I still think Carrie is the best adaptation of a Steven King novel. The diary format of the book is shelved for straight narrative and it is beautifully told and brilliantly cast. Spacek and Laurie deservedly received Oscar nominations, Allen, Travolta. Irving and Soles are perfect for their parts. Very gorey and frightening at times, it's still heartbreaking and moving at others. This is one of DePalma's best achievements and even at its age, it's timeless. One of the best horror flix ever....more info
A classic horror movie that you should add to your collection! Carrie is one of those movies that makes your stomach squirm without the use of over dramatized gore or special effects. There is a creepy atmosphere throughout the movie ...maybe its the music, maybe its Sissy Spacek, or maybe its the fact that Carrie can do things with her mind that we have all dreamed of.
This movie is a must for your horror collection.
Stephen John Beccia
author of The Treelanders...more info
A Benchmark Film I recently watched an episode of my favorite TV show, "Medium," that paid homage to "Carrie" by having Aerial become prom queen of her middle school & having the bucket of blood rain down on her head. Channel surfing, "Carrie" was also re-running on cable; so we rented the movie to see the entire film.
In retrospect, I am struck by how much talk was at the last Oscars about how Martin Scorcese hadn't won an Oscar prior to his deserved recognition for "The Departed." Quite frankly, Brian DePalma has never even been NOMINATED for an Oscar. With recent good films like "Black Dahlia" & "Femme Fetale" and classics like "The Untouchables," "Scarface," "Blow Out," & "Dressed to Kill," perhaps people should start talking about this other under-recognized director. In his 1976 film "Carrie," he builds the tension and mounts the rather simple story until its amazing climax at the prom with the house collapse at the end. While this genre is rarely recognized critically, this is an example of one that was VERY well done.
Based on Stephen King's first novel, this film is also memorable for being the first in a long line of cinema projects based on his work.
The film is also memorable because it really placed Sissy Spacek's career before the public. She had gotten good notices for the film "Badlands" with Martin Sheen as a serial killer three years earlier. But "Carrie" paved the way for her Oscar-winning performance as Loretta Lynn in "Coal Miner's Daughter," her Oscar nominations for "Crimes of the Heart" & "The River" as well as her Oscar nomination and Golden Globe win for "In the Bedroom." As Carrie, Spacek makes us totally believe how a young girl raised by this mother would be the shy retiring flower that we see. The opening sequence where she has her first period and the girls cruelly make fun of her is hard to watch, but totally believable.
Piper Laurie as her mother Margaret White entrances us as the tremendously unbalanced religious fanatic. The scene where she blames Carrie for having her period and that it is evidence that she has sinned is so hard to watch. Laurie was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for this film. Along with a Best Actress nomination for "The Hustler" with Paul Newman in 1961 & a supporting nomination for "Children of a Lesser God" in 1986, "Carrie" represents the middle of her three nominations. The final scene where she tries to sacrifice her daughter and Carrie telekinetically flings the kitchen knives across to kill her mother whose head tilts in a crucifixion-like pose takes your breath away.
The film is also memorable for Betty Buckley's first film as the gym teacher Miss Collins. Buckley had been a star of many Broadway musicals when she made this, her first feature that would be followed by "Tender Mercies." Nancy Allen plays the young socialite Chris Hargenson who hatches the plan to humiliate Carrie. Allen would later marry director DePalma. The film is also memorable because this marks the feature debut of Amy Irving. As Sue Snell, her real-life mother Priscilla Pointer plays her character's mother in the film. Pointer would later be a regular on the "Dallas" TV series.
The film is also memorable as John Travolta's second feature after a small part in another horror film "The Devil's Rain." Travolta followed this 1976 film with a string of hits from 1977 "Saturday Night Fever," 1978 "Grease" and 1980 "Urban Cowboy." In 1981, Travolta re-teamed with Brian DePalma from what has always been one of my favorite suspense films, "Blow Out." Travolta later resurrected his career with Oscar nominated performances in "Pulp Fiction" (1994) & "Get Shorty" (1995), which also won him a Golden Globe award. As Billy Nolan, Travolta is a happy-go-lucky guy who Nancy Allen leads around by his nose (or should we say pants). The scene where he kills the pig to get its blood is freaky.
William Katt played the blond curled Tommy Ross who takes Carrie to the prom. The son of Barbara Hale, known for playing Della Street on "Perry Mason," in which Katt would later star, does a good job as the handsome athlete whose poem Carrie calls "beautiful."
"Carrie" came together very well with excellent cinematography and editing. It is a classic in the horror genre, from which a TV remake has been done. It remains a benchmark film. The DVD package gives good added information and perspectives about the film. Enjoy!
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Hardly even makes sense Maybe I didn't really get this film for what it's supposed to be, but if you watch this movie expecting to see a horror film you'll come off somewhat disappointed. I'm sure it's another one of those movies that's much better as a book because as a movie it's just plain weird. It doesn't really make any sense, it just starts off with a bullied nerdy girl who then gets asked to the prom out of pity. You get about 3/4s of the way thru the movie wondering when the horror theme actually starts, almost as if it's a regular teen movie that they couldn't figure out how to end. Anyway a horrible prank is played on her at the prom with a bucket of pigs blood, she gets angry and burns the whole place down with everyone in it using her mind powers. She then goes home to her nutcase mother who tries to kill her because shes thinks Carrie is the spawn of satan or something. Using her powers she then makes knives and other kitchen utensils go flying into her mother. As Carrie is dying from being stabbed the house falls down, and the movie is over lol It's probably one of the most bizarre movies I've ever seen! It just doesn't make any logical sense, but maybe that's the idea?! But to have Travolta listed on the cover is just stuntcasting, he's in it for all of 20 minutes. Overall this movie is fairly lame, I dont really understand why it gets so many stars by other reviewers. I guess because it's old and Steven Kings first book to movie people rate it for that alone, but it really is a whacked out film that doesn't make a whole lot of sense and never really moves anywhere until the last 15 minutes of the picture....more info
Classic "B" Movie This is a fun horror movie that lots of people have since copied. Several actors received their first real exposure (pun intended) in this movie and Piper Laurie restarted her career. This film does have some fine grain in certain scenes but this was never a high dollar production and I'm doubtful that it is going to get much better....more info
This King movie is very good One of King's best movies. This is what made Stephen King....more info
A MALEVOLENT MASTERWORK De Palma managed to get a Stephen King novel right, but it's the sensational acting of Sissy Spacek, and Piper Laurie that drive this film way beyond the merely 'good' range. This is a psych-horror film that had so many splatter-fests ripping it off ( with not even close to the impact )- including a thoroughly, pathetic sequel- it should have gotten franchise rights. THE RING wasn't as scary as CARRIE by half. Aesthetically speaking, the afore-mentioned film doesn't even come close to CARRIE ( only a handful of 'creepers' do ). If you love revenge-films, or just no-holds-barred horror this is the ultimate in payback flicks. A must for any horror fan....more info
If only they knew she had the power........... I have no idea what to say. I just watched this movie for the first time and I must say it has knocked me speechless.
Er, first of all the acting was wonderful! Sissy (Carrie) was unbelieveable. She made Carrie seem real and made you truly feel for her. She put emotion and depth into the charater. By the end of the movie I felt as if I knew Carrie myself and was very close to her.
The women who played Carrie`s mom (I don't remember her name) played her part perfectly and I grew to hate her charater more and more by the second.
I would love to tell you how wonderful everyone in this movie was but I have many more things to say about this movie therefor I degress.
The directing was spectacular and the story itself chilling. The way they cut the car scene after the prom was especial wonderful (if you`ve seen the movie you know what I mean if you haven't what are you waiting for!? Watch the movie already!)
There was alot of emotion in this picture and although it was fairly short (Only 98 minuets. I would do just about anything for it to be a bit longer) it got the point across and was truly disturbling.
All together I loved the movie and I advise it to anyone who wants to watch a truly fantastic horror classic. Personly I rented it but it`s on the top of my list of things to buy. In fact if I have my way I shall own it before the day is out. (unfortuntly I doubt that is possible).
I am also going to buy the book as soon as possible.
I hope this review helped those wondering if they should watch this movie. Trust me! You should!
If only they knew she had the power...........more info
