A shy, lonely teenage girl develops telekinesis that she tries to
​suppress, but all hell breaks loose when she's humiliated at prom.

HORROR

Carrie (1976)

Directed by Brian De Palma

Written by Lawrence D. Cohen

Starring Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, William Katt,
Nancy Allen, John Travolta, P.J. Soles, Betty Buckley

Based on the novel by Stephen King

Oscar Nominations - Best Actress (Sissy Spacek),
​Best Supporting Actress (Piper Laurie)

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Connor Eyzaguirre

October 31, 2022

9/10

What more could be said about Carrie? It's Stephen King's first novel, it's the first film adapted from his work, and it's the film that effectively turned Sissy Spacek into a superstar. It may just be Brian De Palma's best movie, and an argument can be made that it's the most well-adapted King work put to screen. It holds up frighteningly well. Carrie White (Spacek) is such a tragic character. Relatable, sympathetic, and extremely powerful. Clocking in at just under an hour forty, it remains a lean, realistic, shocking horror classic.

Carrie White is a lonely girl with a religious zealot for a mother (Laurie) and a high school class that hates her because she's different. When she gets her period for the first time in gym class, she freaks out because she doesn't know what's happening to her. The class pelts her with tampons and calls her a freak. When the gym teacher intervenes, head bitch Chris (Allen) loses her prom privileges and vows to get even with Carrie. Meanwhile, Sue (Irving) feels guilty and has her boyfrien Tommy (Katt) take Carrie to prom as an apology. And we all know what happens at prom. It's one of the most iconic scenes in horror history. People who haven't seen the movie still understand the phrase "Carrie at the prom."

If you haven't seen Carrie and you consider yourself a horror fan, I honestly wonder what you've been doing with your life. We have this story to thank for so much that came after. Not just from Stephen King, but from Brian De Palma and Sissy Spacek as well. They've remade it twice and neither one even comes close. Leave it alone and embrace it again and again. That's what I've done.