High school does not hold fond memories for many people. Not
everyone ends up being popular or part of the mythical “in crowd” and as such,
they end up feeling ostracized and unwanted. As society has seen over the
years, disaffected or unhappy youth can be dangerous and unstable. In 1999, the
shooting at Columbine High School brought that exact notion to the forefront of
the nation’s consciousness. Brian De
Palma’s film Carrie depicts what can
happen when a young girl is pressed to the very limit of her understanding and
tolerance.
Carrie, at its
heart, is a coming-of-age story about a girl named Carrie White (Sissy Spacek)
on the cusp of her womanhood and how she deals with all of the changes
happening both within herself and in her environment. She is introverted and
awkward which attracts the derision and ire of her peers and they tease her
relentlessly. Her home life is chaotic as her mother (Piper Laurie) is a
religious zealot who imposes her Bible-backed draconian rule over every aspect
of Carrie’s life. There are many factors at play within Carrie’s life and all
of them build up to a stressful situation. Every one of these things combine to
make Carrie begin to lash out with a strange and mysterious power that she
cannot hope to control.Sissy Spacek is utterly perfect for the role of Carrie, as she possesses a natural beauty and quiet vulnerability that is endearing. Her posture is always slumped and she spends most of the film literally cowering away from social interaction with both her fellow students and her teachers. However, in the quiet moments she has to herself, it is revealed that she has a gorgeous mind that is aching to be loved and accepted. She is not unlike a flower trying to bloom in a desolate area—lovely but always in danger of being stomped on. Anyone who has ever felt like they didn’t belong will surely identify with her performance.
On the other side of the coin, Piper Laurie is terrifying as Margaret, Carrie’s insane mother. Margaret is obsessed with the Bible and especially the concept of “original sin” as perpetrated by Eve in the Garden of Eden. All sex is evil according to her, and Carrie’s budding sexuality terrifies her down to her core. She is a flurry of crazy, with her wide open eyes and wild disheveled hair—a storm of insanity that Carrie cannot protect herself against. Religion can be menacing when taken too literally and De Palma uses some of the Christian imagery in this movie to invoke unease and fear which ends up being quite effective.
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| How does my knife taste? |
The tone of this film might be disconcerting to some viewers as the first half is campy and very 1970’s. De Palma is known for his use of color and interesting camera tricks (such as split screen) and he keeps the mood light-hearted for the most part. As the film progresses, there starts to be subversive off-notes readily apparent and in the latter half everything changes completely. In the last third all hell breaks loose and everyone faces the music—whether they deserve it or not. This nihilistic approach to karma is interesting and gives the climax more impact.
Pino Donaggio's score is haunting and ethereal. There is definitely an Italian flair to the compositions and it evokes similar moods as films like Suspiria. Astute viewers will also notice a few nods to Bernard Herrman's score for Psycho, which was a done as an homage to the iconic composer as he had just passed away in 1975, a year before Carrie was released. I love that Donaggio also isn't afraid to be a bit silly as he has a few pieces in the film that are in the campy and wacky style that the '70s were known for. The main theme for Carrie is quite strong and beautiful and at times even chilling.
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| Such a pretty girl/Such a bloody girl. |
This movie is an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel Carrie and was also the first of his books to be turned into a feature film. It follows the novel closely and is more faithful to the feel of his work—much more so than some of the later films that followed. King’s books can sometimes be hard to capture completely as they often rely on a character’s inner motivation and internal dialogue to move the plot forward. De Palma did an excellent job painting a picture of painful adolescence and the metamorphosis that comes with it. Everything in the film can be taken at face value but the symbolism is there if one cares to examine it further. The most effective horror films appeal to the heart, emotions, and shared experiences. Anyone who is pushed far enough has a little Carrie White inside of them waiting to come out.
8/10
Video and Sound:
Scream Factory did a 4K scan of the original negative and the film is presented in 1:85:1 widescreen. I found the presentation to be quite clean and they preserved a lot of the film grain inherent in the negative. A few scenes are a bit fuzzy and sometimes there is a little inconsistency with the brightness but on the whole, this film has never looked better. There is a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track available as well as the usual mono option. This is not a film to use as a workout for your surround sound, but everything is crisp and clear. The climax of the film particular uses a lot of great discordant synth notes and sound effects--this is where it has a chance to shine.
Extras:
- Writing Carrie – an interview with screenwriter Lawrence Cohen (29 minutes)
- Cutting Carrie – an interview with editor Paul Hirsch (25 minutes)
- Shooting Carrie – an interview with director of photography Mario Tosi (15 minutes)
- Casting Carrie –an interview with casting director Harriet B. Helberg (16 minutes)
- Bucket of Blood – a new interview with composer Pino Donaggio (24 minutes)
- Horror's Hallowed Grounds – Revisiting The Film's Original Locations (11 minutes)
- Acting Carrie – Interviews With Actors Sissy Spacek, Amy Irving, Betty Buckley, Nancy Allen, William Katt, Piper Laurie, Priscilla Pointer and P.J. Soles And Art Director Jack Fisk And Director Brian De Palma (43 minutes)
- Visualizing Carrie – Interviews With Brian De Palma, Jack Fisk, Lawrence D. Cohen, Paul Hirsch (41 minutes)
- More Acting Carrie – featuring interviews with Nancy Allen, Betty Buckley, William Katt, Piper Laurie, Edie McClurg and P.J. Soles (20 minutes)
- The Musical" (6 minutes)
- TV Spots
- Radio Spots
- Still Gallery – Rare Behind-The-Scenes Photos, Posters And Lobby Cards
- Stephen King And The Evolution Of Carrie Text Gallery
-Michelle Kisner