Hammy Horror

Rating: 5/10 (17 February 2008)

Stephen King's early novel about the telekinetic Carrie White would I'm sure have been a most eerie, spine-tingling tale about an outcast young girl who found she had the ability to move things purely by the power of her will. In the hands of Brian De Palma (ever the inconsistent director, with as many hits as flops to his credit) it comes out as rather an unscary, hammy horror that will struggle to frighten anybody over the age of fifteen (or even twelve).
Some scenes, which would have been chillingly effective in King's novel, are certainly well handled by De Palma (such as the 'discovery of the plot' scene), while others are completely hopeless, including the ridiculous finale which totally ruins the whole film and any mood that De Palma had managed to set.
As ugly duckling Carrie White, Sissy Spacek does a splendid job, in a role she seemed to be born for. Both Sissy and Piper Laurie garnered Oscar nominations, the latter for a most effective performance as Carrie's disturbed and obsessive mother. Amy Irving, as the girl with a conscience, and Nancy Allen, as the girl with no conscience, both give convincing turns, while Betty Buckley is strong as the vigilante gym teacher who attempts to help and befriend Carrie. John Travolta's meat-head boyfriend gets nothing to do, while William Katt just smiles and looks cute with his blonde curls and dimples (he had to wait for "The Greatest American Hero" to rescue him from roles such as this). In fact, all the plum roles and strong acting belong to the girls in this one.
Thursday, July 13, 1995 - Video