You can't look at this as a horror movie anymore

Rating: Null/10 (6 April 1999)

I know this film was considered horror when it came out, but now, more than 20 years later, you have to look at it as more of a macabre tragic drama, because you certainly won't be scared by it.
Those who feel that "nothing happens" in the first hour are missing all of the character development and thematic content that makes the ending so moving to those of us who have followed it. The film is unflinching in its portrayal of female jealousy and sublimated sexual rage. The appearance of Carrie's powers coincides with the first evidence of her sexual maturity. The following events are all about sexual attraction and jealousy, following Carrie's emergence as a woman, the dynamics of the other girls at school and their sexual/romantic intrigues, and the White family's bizarre sexual mores. If you start to look at it this way, you'll be surprised at the number of incidents and bits of dialogue that relate to this theme.
Sissy Spacek's performance really is heartbreaking, and gets better the more you get into the film. The early scenes at the prom, when you see her trying her best to get out of her shell, and how scared she is of being hurt, are all the more tragic knowing what is going to happen to her a few minutes later. When she is announced as Prom Queen, you see from the look on her face that she has finally come to believe that she has been accepted and liked. She is also startlingly creepy as her thin body walks silently through the burning school.
The other amazing thing is DePalma's direction. The sequence beginning with the announcement of Carrie as Prom Queen is a masterpiece of building tension-- notice the music and editing as the sequence culminates with the spilling of the blood. It's incredible. I know he later expressed regret over the split screen effect, but I remember how effective it was when I first saw the film-- it leaves you feeling like so much is happening that you couldn't possibly take it all in. It's really overwhelming and distancing at the same time-- as opposed to most horror films which want to bring viewers INTO the terror.
The mere fact that this movie is still around almost 25 years later is a testament to its brilliance. It is much more respected now than when it first came out-- in part I think because the "horror" label worked against it. Look at the horror aspects the way they should be-- as a metaphor-- and you'll start to get into it. The closer you look the better it becomes. If you're bored it's because you're not getting it.
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