Carrie

DePalma is a demon and his shot composition should be considered a national treasure. In some shots (like the opening prom) he goes from almost a panorama to a medium close-up of a character the shot ends up following, which must be a real art, considering almost everything in that shot is in motion. Sissy Spacek is ingenious, and it's by working together with the director that they are able to create in record time a solid relationship between the main character and the audience such that it’s a wonder they don’t clap along with the audience as Carrie and Tommy become the queen and king of the evening. Not to mention that we all know how it's going to turn out anyway. Otherwise, the De Palma-esque tension here isn't even based on when things break and Carrie wipes out the school, it's based on Carrie losing all illusions and going from feeling absolutely happy to the very bottom, which no one wishes for her. An awesome King adaptation that's only killed by five additional endings (the movie should have ended imho either like the book or, if there's no money, by leaving the prom) and the occasional haha scenes like something out of Grease. Anyway, I'll give it a five for the directorial bravura. (01/06/2011)

The ending was changed and the plot was chewed to the bone, but even so, the film Carrie does not owe anything to the book version. Brian de Palma is great and the way he shot the prom scene blew my mind. But his Carrie isn't just about a bucket of blood. Far from it. The dispute between the daughter and the mother is portrayed so engagingly, is so visually striking and underlined by Donaggio's beautiful music, that it is not boring for even a moment. And I don't need to tell you that Sissy Spacek is unique in the lead role (but she is). (20/03/2013)

It’s not really a bad thing that I first watched the new Carrie and only then returned to the original that was created under the wings of a movie legend – Brian De Palma. That’s because the new Carrie only seemed decent before I watched the original. I had no clue just how original De Palma’s horror is. It’s perfect, considering when it was made. It barely mentions telekinesis only to showcase an array of brutal scenes at the end that every one of us has been waiting for. It’s really worth it. I’m taking one star away from the new Carrie just by default. When I realize that this movie is nearly 40 years old and it still has a lot to offer, I’m almost terrified to think what the youth of today, the target audience of the new version, would think about it. You’d hardly find as many original ideas as the original Carrie came up with in a modern horror movie. (25/07/2015)

I found it hard to rate this film, it’s subtle and precise as a drama, effective and terrifying as horror. Perhaps deliberately, perhaps unintentionally, De Palma completely abandoned King's mystery style and his story of a high school girl tormented by her mother and ridiculed by her classmates is an example of the kind of slow build-up of tension we know only from Kubrick's The Shining. Some of the scenes and the characters' actions may seem silly, predictable and tedious, but what we actually have here is a well-served teen drama that has everything in the right place, and the occasional glimpse of supernatural horror seems to prepare us for the impending climax. Sissy Spacek is absolutely fantastic in her role and her deranged and fanatical mother exudes a hearty aura of fear and madness thanks to Piper Laurie's performance. The last half hour is masterfully directed and perfectly reflects the unpleasant atmosphere that builds up during the film. Carrie probably won't bring modern audiences to their knees, but compared to today's would-be horror films, it has enormous charm. 75% (14/03/2012)

After many (and I mean many) years, I returned to this film, and I hate to admit it but I noticed some goofs that I hadn’t noticed before. Despite that, it is a film whose creators (as one of the few) did not butcher King's novel. Anyway, Sissy Spacek was brilliant and it's a shame that Piper Laurie didn't get more screen time, I think it would add to the atmosphere. 4- (14/01/2021)