With it's bright glowing colors, high school setting, coming of age/puberty overtones, and "don't mess with the weirdest girl in the room attitude", "Carrie" was the film that young director Brian De Palma gave us to remind high schoolers that you can die at your high school prom just as you can anywhere else. Alright, maybe that isn't exactly what he intended, but it sure did make for one hell of a fantastic film.
Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) is a 17 year old high school senior who is timid, silent, and introverted. She's picked on by the popular girls and unnoticed by everyone else. Her mother Margaret (Piper Laurie) is an abusive religious fanatic who is trying to shelter her daughter from the evils of the world and frequently reminds her that all of her misfortunes are the result of God chastising her. In the gym showers at her high school, Carrie begins her first period. Panicking, she seeks out help in the locker room, only to be humiliated and laughed at by all the girls. Her "savior" is Miss Collins (Betty Buckley), the high school gym teacher who punishes all of the people responsible, except for Chris Hargensen (Nancy Allen) who stands up to Collins and as a result, gets banned from the upcoming school prom. Sue (Amy Irving), one of the girls present during the locker room incident, decides to make it up to Carrie (secretly, that is) by convincing her prom date, Tommy Ross (William Katt), to take Carrie out instead. To get back at Carrie, Chris decides to play a prank on her at the prom involving a bucket of pig's blood, obtained by Chris with the aid of her boyfriend Billy (John Travolta). As these events are occurring, Carrie is realizing that something is now different about her, ever since her periods began. She can make things happen with her mind. She blows out fuses, closes doors, and slams mirrors. Her mother Margaret is convinced that she wields the powers of Satan.
Sissy Spacek (left) and Piper Laurie (right) in Brian De Palma's "Carrie"
This movie was deceptive in its first act, because I found to be particularly dull. Nothing really moved with any sort of conviction or steady pace. It's all exposition of course. The highlight is the now infamous locker room tampon scene. Piper Laurie is excellent as Margaret White, shining through the entire film, where as Sissy Spacek begins to come into her own in the scenes in which she is preparing for the prom. Piper Laurie's performance is as every bit disturbing as the film itself and also reminds me of why religious people make me a little bit nervous. Just a little bit.
At the end of the film, when she begins to tell Carrie how giving birth to her was a mistake is an absolutely breathtaking performance. She gets lost completely in her character and gave me chills beyond all belief. I'm not a parent (nor a woman), but I can imagine that after being pregnant for nine months then giving birth, there must be some sort of love for an infant, in most cases. By the end of act II of Carrie, any sort of concern for Carrie from her mother, that may have been there is gone, and it's pretty freaking unnerving.
Sissy Spacek as Carrie White
Brian De Palma's direction of the film reminded me of John Carpenter's style. By this point in time, Capenter had yet to create his striking visual look or make too great an impact on the world of film. Mario Tosi's cinematography made every daytime shot glow, reminding me of Carpenter's legendary Director of Photography Dean Cundey's work on the early JC stuff. The scenes in the movie literally glow and seem as if we were watching one giant and horrific dream. Being filmed during the 70's, the colors are bright and striking, but in this particular film, they're extremely bright. Was De Palma trying to make the film feel like a nightmare? There is one scene in the picture to support that, but to avoid spoilers, I'll avoid talking about it.
The second and third acts of the film really pick up and begin to drive the film forward. As Carrie is getting ready for the prom, so are Billy and Chris, but for a much more sinister reason of course. The audience is also getting ready for whatever DePalma throws our way, which never comes through a jump scare or even cheap scare for that matter. He shows precisely what's going to happen, then slowly builds to it. Particularly during the prom scene. The usage of slow motion, colors, and
I could go on about this film all day. I really enjoyed a different take on the coming of age story, that comes from the dark corners of Stephen King's imagination (the film is based on his book of the same name). Brian DePalma crated an excellent film that shocks, awes, and leaves an impression on you long after it ends. Also, it reaffirms that teenagers sure can be senseless jerks. "Carrie" just goes to show that you should never pick on the quiet ones, because they just might ruin that special night of your senior year of high school.
7.5/10
Directed by Brian De Palma
Written by Lawrence D. Cohen
Based on the novel by Stephen King
Runtime - 98 minutes
Suggested edition: Special edition DVD - $4.99 on Amazon
7.4 stars of 10 on IMDb
92% on Rotten Tomatoes
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