An Excellent,Scary And Suspenseful Horror Classic With A Brilliant Performance From Sissy Spacek. Brian De Palma And Stephen King At Their Best.

Rating: 10/10 (23 November 2013)

Carrie is one of the greatest Horror Films ever made,an Excellent,Scary and suspenseful Horror classic that is filled with amazing direction,great performances from Sissy Spacek and the rest of the cast,a fantastic script and a beautiful,haunting film score. All those elements make Carrie a classic and Brian De Palma and Stephen King at their best.
Based on Stephen King's novel of the same name,Carrie tells the story of Carrie White(Sissy Spacek),a quiet and shy 17-year-old girl who is bullied and tormented by her High School classmates and lives with her Mother Margaret White(Piper Laurie),a religious fanatic. While at school,Carrie discovers she has telekinetic powers,an ability to move things with her mind. Later,Carrie is asked to the prom by popular classmate Tommy Ross(William Katt). Unfortunately,Carrie and Tommy don't know that there is a prank planned for Carrie at the prom and the prank will lead to deadly and tragic consequences.
Carrie is an brilliant film from beginning to end and was an amazing breakthrough film for director Brian De Palma and Author Stephen King because it was the first big box office hit for De Palma and the first Stephen King adaptation to the big screen while also being one of the all time great Horror movie classics and one of the best Stephen King adaptations. Carrie is a great movie that is very scary,powerful and truly suspenseful,intense and dramatic,stylish and tragic and is a movie that will haunt you not just physically but mentally as well from the first time you watch it. I think one of the reasons Carrie is not only a Horror classic but a classic film in general is the way it deals with themes such as bullying,revenge,being an outcast,wanting to be accepted by your peers as well as dealing with the strings and arrows of teenage life and all of those themes in the film will always be relevant and timeless because there will always be bullying and feelings of being an outcast among people of all ages. Carrie is scary and suspenseful because this film deals with monsters not Zombies,Vampires or large Werewolves but a monster of a different kind:human beings. While there are good human beings in the film like Carrie and a few other people, the other human beings in the film are evil beyond redemption because of the things the evil characters do to Carrie. The film is also scary in the situations and haunting imagery that director Brian De Palma shows which is very nightmarish and dream like that makes the movie frightening,disturbing and atmospheric. The suspense in Carrie is done with great build-up the most suspenseful sequence in the film being the now famous prom scene which is one of the greatest scenes in movie history. What's amazing about the prom scene is the way De Palma builds the tension with the prom scene with Horror,romance,terror and dread all at once and when the build-up stops there is a terrific pay off that is scary and powerful. The prom scene and the whole film in general is a Cinderella story with a Brian De Palma and Stephen King twist. Carrie is a movie that also works as a great character study of Carrie White one of the finest and iconic characters in the history of movies and literature. Right from the very start of the film we as a viewer relate with Carrie because like Carrie most of us have been outcasts,had no friends or have been bullied to the point where we want revenge on our tormentors. When we see the relationship with Carrie's Mother we sympathize with Carrie because of the torture she goes through living with her Mother and we root for Carrie succeed and not to live in fear. Carrie is a classic character that you will never forget and one of cinemas definitive outcasts and anti hero's. The screenplay by Lawrence D. Cohen is terrific and mostly stays true to Stephen King's book while taking out the Crime Drama flashback element of the novel and making the story leaner and meatier. The ending of Carrie is amazing and one of the scariest and greatest endings in movie history that will shock and chill you to the bone and make you jump out of your seat. A classic ending.
The whole cast is great. Sissy Spacek gives an excellent,unforgettable Oscar-nominated performance as Carrie White,with Spacek bringing depth,sympathy and sadness to the role. A powerful performance by Spacek. Piper Laurie is brilliant in her Oscar nominated role as Carrie's Mother Margaret White,with Laurie being scary,terrifying and having great scenes with Spacek. Amy Irving is wonderful as Sue Snell,a classmate that wants to help Carrie. William Katt is terrific as Tommy Ross,Sue's boyfriend and Carrie's prom date. Nancy Allen is great as Chris,one of Carrie's bullies. John Travolta(in his film debut)is outstanding and funny as Billy,Chris' boyfriend. Betty Buckley is fantastic as Miss Collins,Carrie's coach. P.J Soles is fun and memorable as Norma,one of Chris' friends.
The direction by Brian De Palma is brilliant and stylish,with De Palma always moving the camera and bringing a haunting and beautiful visual style to the film. De Palma also uses his trademark split screen shots for one of the suspenseful scenes in the film. Amazing direction,De Palma.
The score by Pino Donggaio is fantastic,haunting,beautiful,intense and truly adds to the film's nightmarish tone. Powerful score,Donggaio.
In final word,if you love Horror Films,Brian De Palma,Stephen King,Sissy Spacek,or films in general,I highly suggest you see,an excellent,scary and suspenseful Horror classic that is Brian De Palma and Stephen King at their best. Highly Recommended. 10/10.