Enthralling drama

Rating: 7/10 (29 November 2014)

An enthralling drama. More than just a horror movie - the movie is also about growing up, school and all its trials and tribulations: peer pressure, bullying, fitting in (or not) and wacky, non- understanding parents.
Interesting, intriguing set up. Director Brian De Palma builds the intensity and menace well. Great climax too.
However, once we have the climax of the prom night scene, the movie seems to fizzle out after that. It's as if De Palma, or writer Stephen King, didn't know what to do after that. The conclusion is very weak.
This movie launched scores of careers. This was Stephen King's first movie (or TV) credit. His next cinema movie would be The Shining. Since Carrie he has received 184 (and counting) writing credits, on cinema movies and on on TV.
Brian De Palma had directed several movies before this, with little success. Carrie got him noticed.
This was Sissy Spacek's 3rd cinema movie, Amy Irving's 1st and John Travolta's 1st. Travolta's next cinema movie was Saturday Night Fever...