Very good acting, a very nice story, some interesting camera work... reasons enough to give this movie a try

Rating: 8/10 (13 September 2005)

"Carrie" is a classic horror movie that has always been one of my favorite movies in the genre. It may well be thirty years old, but the tension, the story, the images,... really haven't lost anything of their power. And I'm certainly not the only one who likes this movie. The fact that it has inspired several other movie makers to try to do the same by making a sequel or a remake, shows that they too were convinced of the potential of the movie. The only difference is: they have all failed where De Palma succeeded.
Carrie White is a shy girl who doesn't have any friends and who is completely unaware of what the world has to offer. She has never learned to make social contacts, because she has been living in an isolated world, together with her psychotically religious mother. After an embarrassing incident in the showers, her fellow students start to tease her even more than what they have done before. Her teacher disciplines them severely and that's why they are determined to have revenge. They all hatch a plot against Carrie to embarrass her in front of the whole school during the prom. But one girl feels sorry for Carrie and asks her date not to take her with him to the prom, but to ask Carrie instead, which he does. The entire night seems to go perfectly and especially when she's chosen as the prom queen her life seems better than ever. But when she is asked to go on the stage everything starts to go terribly wrong...
If you look at the story and the special effects and compare them with todays horror movies, than I'm sure that several (young) people will not like it all that much. However, when you keep in mind that this movie was made in 1976, than you'll have to agree with me that this is still stunning. OK, horror movies now try to use more scary moments (you know what's going to happen and still at that exact moment in the movie you get frightened) and that's something which you will not find in this movie, but it's the entire story and the idea behind it that make it all work. But even when the story and the special effects can't convince you all that much, you'll probably like the movie for the acting in it. Sissy Spacek was very convincing as Carrie, Piper Laurie was unbelievable as her mother and all other actors were more than OK as well, especially the young John Travolta could convince me in this movie. What I also liked a lot was the camera work. There aren't that many movies who have made use of split screens as much as has been done in this "Carrie", and those who did weren't always very successful in it, but in this movie it works and it sure adds an extra dimension to the entire experience.
In the end this is a horror movie that hasn't had too much difficulty to stand the test of time if you ask me. If all of today's horror movies will still be good in thirty years time is only to be seen, but this one certainly proves that it deserves to be called a classic in the genre. That's why I give it at least a 7.5/10.