Deserves it's reputation.

Rating: 8/10 (8 March 2012)

The opening credits scene in Brian De Palma's Carrie shows us the inside of a high school girl's locker room, De Palma immediately using his angelic tone as he slo-mos through shots of naked girls frolicking around with each other. Watching this scene I became very worried, fearing that De Palma was going to turn in another one of his D-grade faux-porno disasters and that this was going to be an unfortunate experience for me. We eventually get to the titular girl, played by Sissy Spacek, who sensually soaps herself up in the shower before having her first period, which she responds to by screaming for help, clawing at her classmates and then being bombarded by them throwing pads and tampons at her. For me, it all came off as hilarious in the worst of ways, and I was most certainly worried about the outcome of the film.
About half an hour later all of my fears were gone, as Carrie quickly made a turn from this bizarre camp into something much more sinister and wickedly entertaining. De Palma has certainly delved into the camp before to mixed results, but here he transcends it, creating a high-drama high school horror that is exhilarating, hilarious at times and at others downright chilling. None of this could be achieved without Spacek's performance at it's center, a stunningly immersed work that dives right into the insecurities and pain of this character. Anyone who has been bullied in school can find something to relate with in her and I found myself going right on the same emotional journey with her, all thanks to Spacek's wonderfully empathetic work. It's an impressive evolution she goes down, from the mousy abused to the terrifyingly powerful, and Spacek is convincing for every moment.
Special note should also be given to Piper Laurie who, as Carrie's psychotically religious mother, brings an intimidating terror into every moment. There are some scenes that sent chills through my bones but none did it more than the image of Laurie chasing us through the house with a knife in her hand and a haunting grin across her face. Boosted by these great performances, De Palma is able to bring his high school hell motif full circle in wonderfully entertaining ways. That angelic tone that he establishes right off the bat is present for the whole thing and just becomes more and more appropriate as the film gets deeper into it's religious themes.
Even my complaints with the shower sequence ended up being thrown out the window when things came around to the bathing scene in the final act. The contrast between these two scenes was so well-done, perfectly capturing the evolution of this character. When we first see Carrie in that shower she is so lost and insecure, and the small appearance of blood sends her into a frenzy. Then, when she gets into her tub at the end she is literally bathing in blood, but she has no fear or nerves. She is calm, the blood serving almost as a catharsis, a rebirth for her. It's a serene quality, making the next moments all the more frightening. I do think that there are some sequences that De Palma drags out a little too much, trying to utilize a building suspense when his talent for thrills really lies in a more in-your-face approach. It's a small complaint though and only occurred once or twice in an otherwise high energy horror classic.