There's a reason why Carrie is the only one of this genre I'll watch...

Rating: 10/10 (25 August 2008)

Truth be told, I'm an absolute chicken when it comes to horror films. Yet I've loved the story of Carrie White for years, simply because I don't see it as a horror as much as I see it as a tragedy. Anyone who was ever bullied knows what I'm talking about.
Now, before I go on my soap box, we'll talk about this movie. I finally saw it a couple of weeks ago and it was everything I expected it to be. True, there were some parts that seemed a lot more funny than I think they ought to have been, but the truth is that the good outweighs the bad. True, some of the acting is laughable, particularly with Chris and Mrs. White (I realize that many people enjoyed Piper Laurie's portrayal, but I found myself laughing at her instead of just hating her guts and I truly believe that that shouldn't have happened), but then there were the real gems, like Sissy Spacek and Betty Buckeley. As far as I'm concerned, Sissy IS Carrie, and I found myself weeping the closer we got to the inevitable ending that would end in her character's downfall. As for Betty Buckeley's Miss Collins, she's the sort of teacher that everyone wishes they had and Betty played her beautifully.
My only true complaint is that the Black Prom scene was way too rushed. I really thought that having the split screen ruined the effect it was supposed to have, in my mind. I realize that hardcore fans will despise me for this opinion, but I don't really care. All the other scenes, especially the opening one in the locker room, were amazing and built up to the unforgettable climax (I'm speaking more about the aftermath of the prom, actually) with the proper amount of foreshadowing. That's really all I have to say, except that I wish that Sissy was in more films that got a lot of publicity, because she really deserves it after helping to create this masterpiece.