Classic Mix Of Horror And Drama

Rating: 10/10 (6 July 2001)

From Stephen King's very first novel came this classic 1976 horror film from director Brian De Palma. Alongside Steven Spielberg's JAWS and John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN, CARRIE was a 1970s horror masterpiece.
Granted, by today's standards of blood, gore, and guts, CARRIE may not seem like much. But almost none of today's horror films manages to be effective as both Horror and Drama as CARRIE is. Yes, there are the classic horror moments (the pig's blood; the firestorm; and the hand-from-the-grave shock at the end, inspired by the equally brilliant DELIVERANCE), and De Palma's direction effectively echoes Hitchcock without ever blatantly imitating the Master. But what makes CARRIE so effective in its story of a repressed high school student who takes telekinetic revenge on those who have humiliated and tormented her once too often is the devastating, Oscar-nominated performance by Sissy Spacek in the title role. There probably isn't anybody else who could have played the part with such devastating effectiveness. Spacek, in fact, may well have given the single greatest performance by an actress in a horror film right here.
Pino Donnagio's effective score, which echoes not only Bernard Herrmann but even Stravinsky, tops off one of the most effective, indeed one of the most downright disturbing, horror films of all times. CARRIE is a film that will certainly be remembered long after SCREAM, URBAN LEGEND, and all their myriad clones have been forgotten. It is by any standard one of the most important and disturbing horror films of all times.