A classic in every sense of the word.

Rating: Null/10 (6 November 2002)

Twenty-six years after its theatrical release, Brian DePalma's adaptation of Stephen King's "Carrie" remains a classic in every sense of the word. Poetically filmed and sharply drawn as a character study, it introduced moviegoers everywhere to one of the finest actresses of our era (Sissy Spacek), gave a career-defining role to a fine actress (Piper Laurie) whose talent and name would probably be forgotten by now were it not for this film, was the first true exhibition of John Travolta's enormous screen charisma and jump-started the careers of an impressive line-up of unknown actors (Betty Buckley, P.J. Soles, William Katt, Nancy Allen and Amy Irving). And it managed to scare the hell out of audiences everywhere through sheer filmmaking technique and by showing only enough to make the audience think they see more than they actually see.
Is it even necessary to regurgitate the plot? We all know the basics: high school outcast is cruelly ridiculed by her peers, who don't know she has telekinetic powers--powers she is only beginning to understand. Her high school life is hell, and her homelife even worse. Her mother is a psychotic religious fanatic given to beating her over the head until she prays with her, refuses to let her socialize with anyone, locks her in the closet, goes bananas at just the thought of sex. Piper Laurie is absolutely sensational in this role--deliberately over-the-top in a chilling yet darkly funny performance which should have won an Oscar for supporting actress but lost out to Beatrice Straight's two-scene cameo crying and screaming jag in "Network." (Of course, as wicked as this performance is, it's amazing the staid Academy saw fit to nominate it in the first place.) After Miss Collins, the well-meaning gym teacher (future Broadway diva Betty Buckley), berates the class for torturing poor Carrie, and humiliates evil Chris Hargensen (Nancy Allen, gloriously naked in the memorable opening locker room sequence) in the process, she unwittingly sets in motion the tragic turn of events: Chris and boyfriend Billy (Travolta) plot revenge on Carrie, while Sue Snell (Amy Irving), feeling guilty for her part in the incident, talks her boyfriend Tommy (Katt) into taking Carrie to the prom, hoping she'll finally come out of her shell and fit in. We all know what happens next, let's just say it involves a bucket of pig's blood, water, electricity and fire.
What's amazing about this film is just how gory it isn't: I swear before I finally saw this film I was told that you saw heads severed, bodies explode and blood galore; however, except for the pig's blood, the gore here is pretty limited, although the final scene between Carrie and her mother has it's moments. And as I said before: it's all in DePalma's brilliant directing. Legend has it that the director deliberately began the film with graphic nudity in the initial locker room scene because he felt if he was that graphic in the first five minutes it would make the audience uneasy and they would spend the rest of the film not knowing how far he was going to go once the carnage began. Also, the last minute shock scene was added because at the time, there was limited time between screenings and the next audience would stand outside the auditorium door waiting for the next screening and when the previous audience would scream, the next audience would spend the next 105 or so minutes uneasily wondering what the screaming was about. It's all about anticipating what is coming and not necessarily about how gross everything on the screen is, a lesson schlock directors of today would be well-advised to learn.
I could go on-and-on about this film but suffice it to say "Carrie" is well-worthy of the designation "classic." It's funny, it's sad, it's scary and mostly tragic. And just to illustrate how cheap and sleazy it could have been in lesser hands, simply screen the awful sequel "The Rage--Carrie 2" and watch how Sue Snell's character is despicably trashed for a cheap thrill, or try to sit through the botched TV-movie remake which is as bad as this one is great and you'll see the difference is all in Brian DePalma--a director who has since had a spotty career but for one glorious moment put it all together to create a masterpiece. ***** (out of *****)