Read "Carrie" first! If you haven't seen it or read it yet, don't read this!

Rating: Null/10 (4 April 2002)

I have read the book and have seen the movie. If not for the former..I don't really think I could have followed the latter.
The book is much more insightful. We (of course) get to get into the minds of the characters. While the book presents the difficult and often traumatic experiences of a teenager as an underlying theme, the movie focuses more on the revenge and shock aspects of the story. I don't consider "Carrie" a true horror story. To me it's much more. The story developed in the book (and I know I'm going to get wrapped in the mouth for this) struck me as a tragedy in the Shakesperean sense. Let me explain.
First, the main character (superbly played by Sissy Spacek in the film)is a battered child. The relationship between her and her mother is quite believable. Carrie has no self esteem, no self confidence, no will of her own. She has had her concept of "self" and "independence" literally beaten out of her. She gradually becomes aware that she is trapped and compelled by a way of life completely dominated by her abusive mother.
Second, the battered and abused child grows into a severely socially isolated teenager that is the class joke. Still believable. Think back to your highschool days and your own class. Every class had one. It was the poor kid, or the dumb kid or the dirty kid that everybody hated. Many of them came from families just like Carrie's - abusive, dysfunctional, God only knows what those kids went through behind closed doors. All of us experienced social rejection at some time or another while in high school. And all of us, I am sure, can recall the feelings we experienced. Loneliness, fear of rejection or humiliation. Doing practically anything to fit in. Sometimes we did, and sometimes we didn't. But all of us can recall the kids that NEVER did. I think the book develops this idea much more fully than the film.
Third, the young woman discovers a psychic power that comes from within, and that power is her strength to overcome. It becomes her way out. It is a power that allows her to control the uncontrollable. And her power is so much bigger than them all, and it is at her command. Fear is gone.
Fourth, the story takes an upshot. For a while, it seems, suddenly things seem to improve for Carrie. She has put her mother "in her place" and has been asked to the prom. She is frightened, yes, but she is much stronger now. And she goes. She takes a chance.
Her classmates however, will not be stopped either. Things do not go the way that they think they should with Carrie. And in one senseless and unimaginable act...all hell breaks loose.
The story has a lot of realism. The book does a much better job of developing the realism. The movie does not (for obvious reasons, i.e. budget). The movies special effects (which I think are important but not critical) are good.
Personally, I would like to see a remake and this time let's really develop the true "horror" of the story.