The Queen of King Adaptations

Rating: 10/10 (15 October 2017)

High school is tough. The awkwardness, the alienation, the struggle to find your place among the cliques while also carving out your own identity. It's an uphill battle that never seems to end. Well, high school is especially tough for Carrie White. When she's not being mocked and ridiculed by her cruel classmates, at home her domineering, god-fearing mother berates her on a nightly basis. When a cute boy invites her to the prom, her luck seems to be improving. Unfortunately, her budding telekinesis abilities get in the way and, well, let's just say her night in the spotlight turns into a living nightmare for all involved.
Brian DePalma's compassionate and stylish adaptation of Stephen King's iconic novel remains a classic for good reason. "Carrie" perfectly captures what it's like to be shunned, ridiculed and alienated. The director brings a certain touch of class rarely associated with the horror genre, elevating the film above a mere splatterfest and into an absolutely heart-breaking character piece. The artsy camera work combined with a touching yet haunting score by Pino Donagio give the film a distinct flavor that stays with you long after the carnage has come and gone. Sure, there's (literal) buckets of blood, but the true heart of the film is Sissy Spacek's fragile and endearing turn as the titular character. As the sequel, TV adaptation and (sigh) remake have proved, Spacek was born for this character and virtually no one else is fit to fill her prom dress.
The first of many Stephen King adaptations, "Carrie" (along with Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining") is absolute perfection. Not a moment of film is wasted and the entire supporting cast is on point. Karen Allen and John Travolta play the worst of the bunch, but the true villain of the piece of Piper Laurie's bone-chilling turn as Margaret White, Carrie's horrific mother. There's a lot packed into these 98 minutes and, unlike high school itself, it goes by rather quickly. Expertly paced and crafted with absolute care, "Carrie" is queen of the King adaptations without a doubt.