CARRIE (1976)

Country: U.S.A.

Genre(s): Horror

Director: Brian De Palma

Cast: Sissy Spacek / Piper Laurie / Betty Buckley

Plot

Shy social outcast Carrie White struggles to understand and control her telekinetic abilities as the high school prom approaches.

What I Liked

*spoiler alert*

My above plot description doesn’t really do justice to the complexity and uniqueness of “Carrie.”  Loaded with underlying commentary about everything from religion, puberty and conformity to parenthood, sexuality, and suburbia, this is one of those movies that can be too easily overlooked as cheap shock value when it is in fact one of the most mature and multi-faceted horror films I have ever seen.

One of the best things about “Carrie” is that the film breaks so many conventions of the horror genre and yet its status as a supreme example of that genre is undeniable.  Take a look at other top horror films of the 1970s (for example, “The Exorcist,” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” and “Halloween”) and you’ll find some elements in common.  The killer is the villain.  The protagonist is pursued by, but ultimately escapes from, evil. Frights, shocks, and deaths abound, from start to finish.  None of these apply to “Carrie.”  Here the title character is the only killer, and yet the true villains are her shallow, bullying classmates, who become her victims.  Likewise, our protagonist is the one, ultimately, from whom everyone else must run.  And, most interestingly, the film is almost devoid of the standard horror shock value until its infamous climax (which certainly makes up for lost time).  Until then, we are simply watching a suburban (if supernatural) teen drama.  This isn’t to say there aren’t many hallmarks of horror still present.  The ignorant but well-meaning adults; the religious themes; the focus on sex and sexuality; they’re all very familiar elements (clichés, even) of horror.

Despite its lack of obvious shock elements, “Carrie” is nonetheless haunting from start to finish in large part thanks to Sissy Spacek’s devastating performance.  She conjures up so much feeling from and for her character through the eerie combination of vulnerability and rage that she brings to Carrie, that the movie feels like horror the whole time, without much scary taking place on screen but one actor’s total mastery of her character.  Mentions should also be made of Piper Laurie who is plenty scary as Carrie’s religious zealot mother.

What I Didn’t Like
*spoiler alert*

There’s not much to complain about.  Perhaps one could say the movie is a little slow compared to what a modern horror viewer might expect, but I didn’t feel that slowness at all.  This is just one of those movies which can hypnotize the viewer through its mood and characters.

The only part of the movie that bothers me when watching it is the ending.  Not the whole high-school-gym-bloodbath part.  Love that.  It’s most of what follows.  Mom being stabbed in a position to look like she’s Christ crucified.  The Fall of the House of Usher collapse.  The silly rise-from-the-grave dream sequence at the conclusion.  In a matter of the few closing minutes, director Brian De Palma and screenwriter Lawrence Cohen cave to silliness and cliché, cheapening an otherwise flawless film.

Most Memorable Scene

No contest here.  Even if you haven’t seen the movie, I’m sure you already know what scene in Carrie stands out from all the others.  So why bother saying it.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5