Withdrawn and sensitive teen Carrie White (Spacek) faces taunting from classmates at school and abuse from her fanatically pious mother (Laurie) at home. When strange occurrences start happening around Carrie, she begins to suspect that she has supernatural powers. Invited to the prom, Carrie tries to let her guard down, but things eventually take a dark and violent turn.
- Based on hte novel Carrie.
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When trying to think of iconic horror films to watch and review, there aren’t many that can match up with Carrie. Directed by Brian DePalma and based off of Stephen King’s first published novel, this film has been a standard in horror flicks since it was released. So would it stand the test of time, or was there a reason there was a remake a few years ago?
Sissy Spacek stars as the titular Carrie, and does a decent job with the myriad of emotions she has to go through in the film, especially shining when she’s at her happiest. Piper Laurie, as her mother, also turns in a solid performance. And there is one familiar face that really stands out in the crowd around them – John Travolta. While he doesn’t get a huge amount of screen time, it’s interesting to see him in one of his earlier roles. The rest of the cast is decent as well, with Nancy Allen and Amy Irving (Steven Spielberg’s first wife) turning in the best of the secondary performances.
The story centers around a theme that is still pertinent today. Carrie is a senior in high school who has to deal with a horrific bullying incident in the beginning. Toss in an overly-religious zealot of a mother who beats her and locks her in a closet for punishment, and you have the makings of a troubled teen. And yet, she doesn’t resort to violence – instead she’s distracted by her newfound telekinetic power. Of course, when events conspire to make her the subject of another horrific incident, she loses it, and the movie takes a more sinister term.
Maybe Stephen King was ahead of his time, as Carrie showcases what can happen when an extraordinary teen is pushed too far. A cautionary tale that predates the gun violence so prevalent in schools today, it serves as a warning as to what may happen as the result of bullying. Unfortunately, it was a warning that went unheeded, as people just dismissed it as a horror movie.
With that underlying sense of the issues hitting home for today’s audiences, it makes the film even more powerful than ever. If DePalma hadn’t specifically showcased the fact that Carrie is actually delusional following the horrible incident at the prom, viewers might have felt her somewhat justified for her actions – a scary idea in today’s time of troubled youths committing horrendous acts.
But is it scary? Honestly…not at all. Sure, she’s got this amazing power that she uses to deadly effect, but, despite the apparent body count (which turns out to be quite large), the scenes are pretty bloodless and quick – meaning most of the film is comprised of the normal every day stuff that leads up to the big finale. Instead, Carrie is disquieting for its familiarity (most likely either you’ve been bullied, or know someone who has) and the feeling of a warning that was ignored. It also has a large element of sadness too, as she never really understands that some of the people in her troubled life actually care for her.
