One of Those Disturbing Films That Still Packs a Punch

Rating: Null/10 (28 October 2000)

The first Stephen King novel that was adapted into a motion picture. "Carrie" is a strong horror film that works because of its characters more than anything else. A young girl (Sissy Spacek, in an Oscar-nominated role) has telekinetic powers, but tries to ignore them. She wants desperately to fit in with her fellow classmates, but has always been an outcast. After a humiliating episode in the girls' locker room, classmate Amy Irving convinces boy-friend William Katt to escort Carrie to their senior prom to make her feel better. However, others have a plan to destroy Carrie's self-esteem forever. Nancy Allen and boyfriend John Travolta have a devious scheme that is going to forever alter everyone's lives. Piper Laurie (Oscar-nominated) is also on hand as Carrie's mother, a woman who has some real strange religious beliefs. An over-achieving screenplay and great direction by Brian De Palma make "Carrie" an impressive horror film that is one of the few Stephen King novels to be made into a great movie. 4 stars out of 5.