An unmissable 70s horror classic.

Rating: 10/10 (16 April 2009)

Over the past few decades, almost everything ever written by Stephen King has been filmed for either TV or the silver screen; however, very few of these adaptations have come close to matching the extremely high standard set by Carrie, the first King novel to receive the movie treatment.
Directed by Brian De Palma, this superb supernatural horror stars Sissy Spacek as Carrie White, a shy and awkward teenage girl who is mercilessly bullied at high-school and further tormented at home by her overbearing, religious zealot mother (Piper Laurie). To make matters worse, at the same time as Carrie experiences her first period (during the film's unforgettable opening shower sequence), she also discovers that she has developed telekinetic abilities that get more powerful but less controllable as she becomes increasingly distressed.
When a group of spiteful classmates (led by the gorgeous Nancy Allen and a young John Travolta) implement a nasty plan to humiliate Carrie during prom night, the poor girl finally snaps and unleashes her full psychic wrath on the unsuspecting revellers.
Determined to impress with his first major Hollywood movie, director De Palma pulls out all the stops to bring Lawrence D. Cohen's excellent screenplay to life, displaying a confident and flamboyant style full of the fluid, gliding camera movements and impressive visual trickery that would eventually become synonymous with his work; these stunning visuals, combined with a lush orchestral score by Pino Donaggio and faultless performances from an amazing cast go to make Carrie an unmissable experience.
Spacek's central performance is astonishing: her touching portrayal of the vulnerable and withdrawn Carrie—always wary, yet aching for acceptance—is heartbreaking and anyone who has suffered the indignity of bullying will no doubt find the fiery prom night massacre a strangely cathartic experience. Also worthy of praise are Piper Laurie as Margaret White, who mistakenly believes that she is protecting her daughter, but is actually doing much more harm than good (although her motherly advice about skipping the prom was, for once, right on the money), William Katt as Carrie's well-meaning prom date Tommy Ross, and Amy Irving as repentant bully Sue Snell, who is unable to thwart her school-pals' cruel trick.
Stylish, beautiful, tragic, shocking, and even occasionally humorous, Carrie is an absolute classic that deserves a place in every horror fan's DVD collection. 10/10.