Stephen King's Carrie has been on the shelf, waiting for somebody to read it, for decades (my mother bought it in the 80s and never read it). It was February when I finally decided to read it and, being a King fan, I found it rather disappointing. It wasn't terrible but it sure wasn't great either. I still decided to check out this movie because Brian De Palma directed it and Sissy Spacek plays Carrie, and, like just the book, it was disappointing.
Brought up by her religious fanatic mother (Piper Laurie) almost in isolation, Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) is a shy 17-year-old whose classmates constantly makes fun of. When she gets her first period, she is teased by the girls more than before and the gym teacher (Betty Buckley) disciplines the girls severely. One of them, Sue Snell (Amy Irving), feels sorry for her so she asks her boyfriend (William Katt) to take Carrie to prom instead of her. Christ Hargenson (Nancy Allen), on the other hand, is determined to have revenge and, with the help of her boyfriend (John Travolta), starts plotting against Carrie. But Carrie has telekinetic powers and messing with her won't be a smart move.
It's not like there's something smart about Carrie though, especially the plot. If there's something the novel and the film have in common is that both have a mediocre to say the least plot, but while the book was beyond boring at the beginning but it got better as I kept reading, the film started well, it was interesting and engaging, but as the plot advanced, it became so tedious.
Also, the film feels more like a teen romantic drama than a horror. I get that the source material wasn't that good, but how did Brian De Palma manage to turn a horror into a barely scary teen movie? And how did he manage to ruin the scene where Carries gets the bucket in the head? You know it's coming, but if there's something King did in the novel is deliver tension and suspense there. De Palma failed and the main reason is that the scene is dragged on for too long and loses its effectiveness. And I was expecting more blood.
I wasn't a big fan of the music either. It was effective at times but when that Psycho-like music came on when Carrie was using her powers to do things just didn't do for me. The effects are excellent but only if you keep in mind this is 1976 and they are not that scary.
That being said, there's still something that makes Carrie worth watching, the acting. Though she is too beautiful and skinny to play Carrie, Sissy Spacek gives a hell of a performance, she captures the character so well that you feel empathy for Carrie, just like in the book. Another outstanding performance is delivered by Piper Laurie who plays Carrie's mother with a fantastic manic energy.
It's not like there's something smart about Carrie though, especially the plot. If there's something the novel and the film have in common is that both have a mediocre to say the least plot, but while the book was beyond boring at the beginning but it got better as I kept reading, the film started well, it was interesting and engaging, but as the plot advanced, it became so tedious.
Also, the film feels more like a teen romantic drama than a horror. I get that the source material wasn't that good, but how did Brian De Palma manage to turn a horror into a barely scary teen movie? And how did he manage to ruin the scene where Carries gets the bucket in the head? You know it's coming, but if there's something King did in the novel is deliver tension and suspense there. De Palma failed and the main reason is that the scene is dragged on for too long and loses its effectiveness. And I was expecting more blood.
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| United Artists |
That being said, there's still something that makes Carrie worth watching, the acting. Though she is too beautiful and skinny to play Carrie, Sissy Spacek gives a hell of a performance, she captures the character so well that you feel empathy for Carrie, just like in the book. Another outstanding performance is delivered by Piper Laurie who plays Carrie's mother with a fantastic manic energy.
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