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Carrie
1976
Brian De Palma's commercial breakout, based on a novel by Stephen King, helped launch a whole slew of teen-based horror films, and Carrie the blood-spattered prom queen has taken her throne in the pantheon of modern American myth. High school girls played by Amy Irving (in her film debut), P.J. Soles, and Nancy Allen plot to .. Read more
| Starring | Sissy Spacek, John Travolta, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving |
|---|---|
| Director | Brian De Palma |
| Genres | Horror, Teen |
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Carrie
Brian De Palma's commercial breakout, based on a novel by Stephen King, helped launch a whole slew of teen-based horror films, and Carrie the blood-spattered prom queen has taken her throne in the pantheon of modern American myth. High school girls played by Amy Irving (in her film debut), P.J. Soles, and Nancy Allen plot to avenge themselves on ostracized fellow student and budding telekinetic Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) after they get in trouble for pelting her with tampons. When they get popular boy Tommy Ross (William Katz) to be her date for the prom, the stage is set for some heart-rending cruelty and fiery retribution. De Palma expertly uses split screens, slow motion, color filters, and tracking shots to imbue the proceedings with a haunting, allegorical elegance. Piper Laurie plays Carrie's mentally ill, devoutly Christian mom; she's brilliant, as is Spacek. John Travolta has a memorable pre-SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER role as one of the girls' beer-guzzling boyfriends. There was finally a sequel in 1999, as well as a short-lived Broadway musical.
| Starring | Sissy Spacek, John Travolta, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, William Katt, Nancy Allen, Betty Buckley, Sydney Lassick, Stefan Gierasch, P. J. Soles |
|---|---|
| Director | Brian De Palma |
| Studio | MGM ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 34 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Collections | 100 Horror Films |
| Genres | Horror, Teen |
| Language | English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | Croatian, Danish, English, Finnish, Hungarian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Slovenian, Swedish |
| Released | DVD: 22 Oct 2001 Production year: 1976 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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Brian De Palma's modern gothic fairy tale, based on Stephen King's bestseller, offers a tense and lyrical web of emotions. Sissy Spacek is heartbreaking as the telekinetic Cinderella who turns her school prom into a bloody massacre after a macabre joke is played on her by vicious teens (including John Travolta). Piper Laurie as Spacek's religious fanatic mother is equally striking and her symbolic “crucifixion” is a thrilling highlight in an unforgettable package of pop psychology and psychic phenomena. Despite a much-copied plot, and even more copied shock climax, De Palma's best movie remains a transfixing experience.
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Stylish but unattractive shocker which works its way up to a fine climax of gore and frenzy, and takes care to provide a final frisson just when the audience thinks it can safely go home.
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Most helpful member's review
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28 out of 31 people found this review helpful
Tense thriller
Tense horror about a bullied school-girl with telekenetic powers.
Sissy Spacek plays the girl, a quiet outsider whose religious mother has alienated her from her classmates, yet who is convinced against her instincts to atend the High School prom - with dire consequences for all concerned.
Sissy Spacek plays her part well, and the portrayal of the heroes and villains in the high school environment is convincing. Meanwhile director Brian De Palma builds the tension to a crescendo: the sense of impending disaster almost unbearable by the time it happens. Subtle yet powerful. Recommended. -
Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Nothing compared to the book..
A good film, but from reading the book I had high expectations. Even though it's an old film, it just didn't manage to portray her powers in any kind of special/eerie way or the magnitude of them, and just didn't have enough dramatic impact.
I also found that it missed out a lot of core elements that made the book, and the character of carrie so likeable, like her history and the extent of her inner anxiety/torment.
The climax, although well done visually, was also a little disappointing, and just didn't manage to capture the amount of rage that came across in the book.
For people who haven't already read the book, I would recommend the film on the basis that the acting, story line and visual effects are quite different. But for those with knowledge of the book, I would advise just a re-read, as it has much more impact than the film. -
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Carrie
Brian De Palma's commercial breakout, based on a novel by Stephen King, helped launch a whole slew of teen-based horror films, and Carrie the blood-spattered prom queen has taken her throne in the pantheon of modern American myth. High school girls played by Amy Irving (in her film debut), P.J. ...
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