horror? or social commentary...

Rating: 8/10 (29 July 1999)

The fact that Carrie has been pegged as a horror film is typical of numerous instances of Stephen King novels turned films. And, like many of those films, Carrie is not strictly a member of the horror genre. Although it does have many elements that one might associate with the typical seventies/eighties horror flicks, Carrie does much more. The fact that Carrie herself has telekinetic powers is almost irrelevant, except as a method by which one can disassociate the instances from "real life." The real purpose of Carrie is to illustrate the far-reaching effects that child abuse can have on a society in general. Far be it merely an issue that affects the child's life alone (although one might hesitate to describe this as "merely"), the perhaps exaggerated documentation of the events surrounding Carrie's prom are horrific because they are distinct possibilities when a given parent raises their child in an atmosphere such as existed in the White household. Extreme instances of religious overtones aside, the fact that Carrie's mother referred to her (essentially) as a mistake in the end is the final cause of the destruction of so many lives. Also, DePalma saw it fit to criticize most severely the mild abuse of peers, as well as the isolated humiliatory incidents. On the whole, Carrie is a horror picture because it is not that far from our own high schools and towns. Excellent usage of King's novel, despite his misgivings about its less-than-dogmatic interpretation.