Unique horror

Rating: 8/10 (24 June 2004)

I watch horror movies like I watch a fantasy or science fiction flick. What I want is usually the paranormal mystery that needs resolving, and the revelation at the end. I live for the twist. Very few horror movies have actually scared me. I can think of two. Trouble Every Day, with Vincent Gallo and Béatrice Dalle, made me feel genuinely sick in a way that no other movie has and like I thought none could. The other is Carrie, which made my hair stand on end several times. I mean, I was seriously creeped out.
I think that for me it was a combination of DePalma's imagery--Spacek is a truly haunting figure, pure nightmare stuff--and the script. And here's what makes Carrie unique. It is actually a character-driven horror story. It just doesn't not follow the mandatory horror movie formula, but it takes its motivation and narrative momentum from the very realistically depicted inner torment of the protagonist. This had the effect of emotionally grounding the story for me, so that when all hell breaks loose, and the blood-drenched Spacek stares at us with empty eyes, it was the proverbial fist squeezing my guts.
Recommended viewing, especially if you are wary of the boring standard-compliant stuff.