Carrie (B or 3/4 stars)
'Carrie' (directed by Brian De Palma & based on Stephen King's 1st novel) is a disturbing 1976 horror thriller with the tagline: "If you've got a taste for terror, take Carrie to the prom". 27 yr. old Sissy Spacek stars as repressed, insecure, unstable high schooler, Carrie White. Carrie is a timid, mousy girl; all of her classmates detest her for shallow reasons; and her abandoned mother (Piper Laurie) - a religious fanatical nut who spouts bible verses & walks around in a long black cape - keeps a tight, puritanical watch on her outcast daughter. After Carrie unexpectedly gets her first period in the locker room showers at high school, she is tormented by her female classmates more relentlessly & ruthlessly than ever before.
The kindly gym teacher (Betty Buckley) punishes the girls and, one of them, Sue (Amy Irving), 'seems' to feel sorry for what she did; asking her blonde, football hunk boyfriend (William Katt) to take Carrie to prom instead of her. And another girl that was been banned from the prom, Chris (Nancy Allen), isn't so forgiving; hatching a truly evil plan with her boyfriend, Billy (John Travolta), that involves Carrie superficially winning prom queen, getting to the stage, & being doused with a bucket of pig's blood for all to see. But what none of the laughing students realize is that Carrie has the power of telekinesis {moving things with her mind} and, with them unleashing her pent-up anger ... she transforms from an innocent girl to a, shall we say, rage-filled, 'incendiary' monster. This would be is a prom that no one would ever forget. Disaster follows Carrie home where she must now contend with mommy dearest.
This horror classic is an iconic & impactful chiller. Yes, the prom catastrophe is a revenge-fueled stunner. But then there is also the dazzling special effects-laden climax; delivering one of horror cinema's all-time shock endings. Anyone who had a hard time in school dealing with bullies can relate to the problems faced by this movie's harassed misfit heroine. Sissy Spacek is excellent; allowing us to sympathize with her & make us feel her inner-pain. And Piper Laurie is deliciously over-the-top as maniacal mommy, Margaret. I enjoyed the movie on a surface 'holy cow!' entertainment level & for its bully themes. I DO think, however, that this stylish, well-crafted, moody, enticingly disturbing film tips just a tad too much into emotionally manipulative territory.
The kindly gym teacher (Betty Buckley) punishes the girls and, one of them, Sue (Amy Irving), 'seems' to feel sorry for what she did; asking her blonde, football hunk boyfriend (William Katt) to take Carrie to prom instead of her. And another girl that was been banned from the prom, Chris (Nancy Allen), isn't so forgiving; hatching a truly evil plan with her boyfriend, Billy (John Travolta), that involves Carrie superficially winning prom queen, getting to the stage, & being doused with a bucket of pig's blood for all to see. But what none of the laughing students realize is that Carrie has the power of telekinesis {moving things with her mind} and, with them unleashing her pent-up anger ... she transforms from an innocent girl to a, shall we say, rage-filled, 'incendiary' monster. This would be is a prom that no one would ever forget. Disaster follows Carrie home where she must now contend with mommy dearest.
This horror classic is an iconic & impactful chiller. Yes, the prom catastrophe is a revenge-fueled stunner. But then there is also the dazzling special effects-laden climax; delivering one of horror cinema's all-time shock endings. Anyone who had a hard time in school dealing with bullies can relate to the problems faced by this movie's harassed misfit heroine. Sissy Spacek is excellent; allowing us to sympathize with her & make us feel her inner-pain. And Piper Laurie is deliciously over-the-top as maniacal mommy, Margaret. I enjoyed the movie on a surface 'holy cow!' entertainment level & for its bully themes. I DO think, however, that this stylish, well-crafted, moody, enticingly disturbing film tips just a tad too much into emotionally manipulative territory.