Brock Landers
12-14-2000, 04:50 PM
"Carrie" A Brian De Palma Film (8/10)
Part of the reason for the durability of "Carrie" over the years, is that it has become something distinct and unique with each successive viewing. There's a lot of scares in the film…right from the outset…but there is a lot of jokes in the film as well, aimed at some of the tasteless things we do as teenagers to fit in. (…and those gym shorts and socks are hellafunny) The ending of the film is still creepy, but what at first is scary is now at a completely different level after repeated viewings…I mean, "Carrie" is a cheesy classic (like most teenage horror flicks…especially from the 70's). Piper Laurie does an extraordinary job of being coincidentally surreal and unwittingly humorous, and the expanded slo-motion sequence in the finale is something most filmmakers now wouldn't dare try to do if the preferred result was not laughs. "Carrie" is an enjoyable, near perfect date flick, that has kept a following throughout the years. Its great blend of shocks, acting, story and fun is anchored by two powerful performances by Piper Laurie and Sissy Spacek. It's not often that a horror movie made in the last 25 years allows viewers the chance to get to know and like the characters they are seeing on-screen. I mean, that is what makes its harrowing climax all the more devastating…
Most of us went to school with someone like Carrie (Sissy Spacek)…ok, maybe not exactly like her…telekinetic-wise, but you catch my drift. She's agonizingly awkward and equally introverted and shy. The first time we see her on-screen is just about as distressing as it gets. At 17 years old, she's ignorant about what a menstrual cycle is. When she gets her first period in the locker room showers, she completely goes nuts. The other girls torture her and smack her with a shower of sanitary napkins and tampons. Miss Collins (Betty Buckley), her considerate gym teacher, sends her home for the day…but things don't get any better there. Her mom (a very monstrous Piper Laurie) is an obscenely devoted, bible-thumping Christian who indoctrinates in Carrie the belief that every transformation in her body is a result of her sinning ways. Even worse than that is Carrie's telekinetic endowment which, according to her mom, is an immediate act of the devil himself. Sissy Spacek smoothly balances Carrie's two worlds (school and home) , and manages to furnish Carrie with just a little bit more independence at home than she is afforded at school. Her scenes with her mother are at times candid and sincere and other times apprehensive and full of dread. One of Carrie's popular classmates, Sue (Amy Irving), is so ashamed by her own actions in insulting Carrie, that she persuades her equally popular boyfriend Tommy (William Katt) to take Carrie to the prom. The events that lead up to the memorable prom scene prove that Carrie is a troubled daughter and teen, who wants so badly not to strike out at the world that keeps her down. She is so ecstatic to actually be going to the prom that she totally forgets that she is the butt of so many jokes at her school…
Overall…"Carrie" is a brilliant moment not only in 1970's horror, but also in director Brian DePalma's career… his overstated and highly stylized method of directing doesn't leave much space for real human feelings…but thanks to a carefully written script by Lawrence D. Cohen (who would later go on to adapt two other best-selling Stephen King novels) and two extraordinary performances, "Carrie" rises above its potentially cliché elements to become a classic of its genre…and you get a sweet cameo from Johnny Boy Travolta…can't beat that…(8/10)
(note: I was really disappointed with the MGM DVD film transfer…it's not even in anamorphic widescreen and looks hazy with scratches and a distracting halo at times as a result of edge enhancement not to mention some spotty blacks…the Dolby 5.1 mix isn't that great either, and the lack of rear channel use really sucks…the only "extras" are a trailer (which is pretty damn good) and a booklet with some decent notes…what really sucks though, was that the original laserdisc had audio commentary…then again MGM isn't known for their spectacular DVD's…)
Part of the reason for the durability of "Carrie" over the years, is that it has become something distinct and unique with each successive viewing. There's a lot of scares in the film…right from the outset…but there is a lot of jokes in the film as well, aimed at some of the tasteless things we do as teenagers to fit in. (…and those gym shorts and socks are hellafunny) The ending of the film is still creepy, but what at first is scary is now at a completely different level after repeated viewings…I mean, "Carrie" is a cheesy classic (like most teenage horror flicks…especially from the 70's). Piper Laurie does an extraordinary job of being coincidentally surreal and unwittingly humorous, and the expanded slo-motion sequence in the finale is something most filmmakers now wouldn't dare try to do if the preferred result was not laughs. "Carrie" is an enjoyable, near perfect date flick, that has kept a following throughout the years. Its great blend of shocks, acting, story and fun is anchored by two powerful performances by Piper Laurie and Sissy Spacek. It's not often that a horror movie made in the last 25 years allows viewers the chance to get to know and like the characters they are seeing on-screen. I mean, that is what makes its harrowing climax all the more devastating…
Most of us went to school with someone like Carrie (Sissy Spacek)…ok, maybe not exactly like her…telekinetic-wise, but you catch my drift. She's agonizingly awkward and equally introverted and shy. The first time we see her on-screen is just about as distressing as it gets. At 17 years old, she's ignorant about what a menstrual cycle is. When she gets her first period in the locker room showers, she completely goes nuts. The other girls torture her and smack her with a shower of sanitary napkins and tampons. Miss Collins (Betty Buckley), her considerate gym teacher, sends her home for the day…but things don't get any better there. Her mom (a very monstrous Piper Laurie) is an obscenely devoted, bible-thumping Christian who indoctrinates in Carrie the belief that every transformation in her body is a result of her sinning ways. Even worse than that is Carrie's telekinetic endowment which, according to her mom, is an immediate act of the devil himself. Sissy Spacek smoothly balances Carrie's two worlds (school and home) , and manages to furnish Carrie with just a little bit more independence at home than she is afforded at school. Her scenes with her mother are at times candid and sincere and other times apprehensive and full of dread. One of Carrie's popular classmates, Sue (Amy Irving), is so ashamed by her own actions in insulting Carrie, that she persuades her equally popular boyfriend Tommy (William Katt) to take Carrie to the prom. The events that lead up to the memorable prom scene prove that Carrie is a troubled daughter and teen, who wants so badly not to strike out at the world that keeps her down. She is so ecstatic to actually be going to the prom that she totally forgets that she is the butt of so many jokes at her school…
Overall…"Carrie" is a brilliant moment not only in 1970's horror, but also in director Brian DePalma's career… his overstated and highly stylized method of directing doesn't leave much space for real human feelings…but thanks to a carefully written script by Lawrence D. Cohen (who would later go on to adapt two other best-selling Stephen King novels) and two extraordinary performances, "Carrie" rises above its potentially cliché elements to become a classic of its genre…and you get a sweet cameo from Johnny Boy Travolta…can't beat that…(8/10)
(note: I was really disappointed with the MGM DVD film transfer…it's not even in anamorphic widescreen and looks hazy with scratches and a distracting halo at times as a result of edge enhancement not to mention some spotty blacks…the Dolby 5.1 mix isn't that great either, and the lack of rear channel use really sucks…the only "extras" are a trailer (which is pretty damn good) and a booklet with some decent notes…what really sucks though, was that the original laserdisc had audio commentary…then again MGM isn't known for their spectacular DVD's…)