Carrie (1976)

Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) is shy, awkward, and doesn’t stand up for herself when picked on. Even at home, her ultra-religious mother (Piper Laurie) assails her at every opportunity merely for growing into an adult. A perfect storm of ignorance and persecution occurs in Carrie’s gym class. Surrounded by leering schoolmates who mock her cries for help when she gets her first period, Carrie is rescued from the mob by her gym teacher, Miss Collins (Betty Buckley).

While it might sound more like an ABC Afterschool Special (bonus points to you if you get that reference), the events spun out of this scenario build to something much less wholesome. Carrie discovers — accidentally — that she possesses the power of telekinesis. That is, she has the ability to move things with her mind. As her mother continues to punish her for imagined sins and her classmates continue to humiliate her, this power makes for a formidable self-defense mechanism.

Though it’s based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, I’m not sure how faithful Lawrence D. Cohen’s script is to the source material. Carrie is generally labeled as a horror film but I think that sells it short. It’s a very human film that just happens to include a supernatural element as a plot device. The true horrors of this movie are perpetrated by the supposedly “normal” kids in Carrie’s class. They’re not all monsters, though, and Cohen’s script takes the time to show that as well.

Carrie White — the character — is captivating. In a typical horror movie, she’d be the villain. Almost immediately, however, I was cheering her on. As she discovered her inner strength, which doesn’t always depend on her mental power, I felt proud of her. I wanted her to stand up and take on her adversaries. When she does, it feels good.

Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie were both nominated for Academy Awards for their performances. Both nominations were deserved, although I think Spacek’s performance is much more nuanced.

Unfortunately, the best part of Carrie is also the worst kept spoiler in movie history. It was given away in the movie’s trailer. It’s featured on the movie poster. It was even featured on the box art of the DVD. As a result, it’s the scene that everyone — even those that haven’t seen the movie — knows about. That’s a shame because, when seen in the context of a proper screening of the film, it’s a supremely chilling sequence. Unforgettable. Iconic.

If the film has a flaw, it would be the pervy title sequence with its lingering, full-frontal nude shots of what are supposed to be underage girls. Director Brian De Palma has since become known for his his voyeuristic, Hitchcockian style in films like Dressed to Kill and Body Double. However, this comes a little too close to soft-core porn.

Despite a climax that everyone knows is coming, Carrie manages to set up one of the best scenes in horror movie history. If you only know it for that though, do yourself a favor and see the entire film. It’s so good, it spawned not one but two remakes. Neither comes close to equaling the original.