Carrie (Sissy Spacek) is a painfully shy 16 year-old loner who lives with her bible-bashing, religiously fanatical and clearly psychotic mother, Margaret (Piper Laurie). When Carrie experiences her first period whilst at school it triggers not only the awaking of her burgeoning telekinetic powers but also a series of events that will lead to an explosive showdown at the school prom and a bucket of pig's blood.
Bloody hell, this is a fantastic horror film and features one of the greatest jump scares of all time, indeed it's so good it was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress for being culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.
First time I've ever seen this on the big screen. It's a fast film, 98 minutes, so there's no room for the subtlety of Stephen King's book but what we're left with is a masterclass in building tension and atmosphere. De Palma directs with power and consummate skill and the music helps to create a sense of building and impending doom, Sissy Spacek has never been better, staggeringly beautiful and genuinely intimidating, especially once her powers have manifested, it's fascinating to see that Carrie isn't a victim in the true sense of the word, once her powers begin to emerge, Carrie becomes a stronger character and there's that tragic realisation that if only the Prom that creates her had played out differently it would also have saved her.
The whole cast is great too, Piper Laurie is deeply unsettling as Carrie's horrific mother and yet when we get a glimpse of her back story we feel empathy for her. The final act of this film, as Carrie returns home to confront her mother is powerful and tragic in equal measure.
Similarly, John Travolta relationship with Nancy Allen is fascinating and the casual physical abuse and cunning manipulation displayed by both characters cleverly hints at a deeply nuanced world. And her control of her thuggish, stupid boyfriend and her friends show her to be the true villain of the piece.
A power house performance and film, so deeply satisfying.
10/10
First time I've ever seen this on the big screen. It's a fast film, 98 minutes, so there's no room for the subtlety of Stephen King's book but what we're left with is a masterclass in building tension and atmosphere. De Palma directs with power and consummate skill and the music helps to create a sense of building and impending doom, Sissy Spacek has never been better, staggeringly beautiful and genuinely intimidating, especially once her powers have manifested, it's fascinating to see that Carrie isn't a victim in the true sense of the word, once her powers begin to emerge, Carrie becomes a stronger character and there's that tragic realisation that if only the Prom that creates her had played out differently it would also have saved her.
The whole cast is great too, Piper Laurie is deeply unsettling as Carrie's horrific mother and yet when we get a glimpse of her back story we feel empathy for her. The final act of this film, as Carrie returns home to confront her mother is powerful and tragic in equal measure.
Similarly, John Travolta relationship with Nancy Allen is fascinating and the casual physical abuse and cunning manipulation displayed by both characters cleverly hints at a deeply nuanced world. And her control of her thuggish, stupid boyfriend and her friends show her to be the true villain of the piece.
A power house performance and film, so deeply satisfying.
10/10
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