10. Carrie (1976, Brian de Palma)
By Eivind Langdal
30th September 2009

I don’t think Carrie is a very scary film. In fact, I don’t find it to be scary at all. But I don’t think this is a flaw. Why? Because the film never tries to be scary. It has no interest in that. That, however, doesn’t mean it doesn’t play on any of our fears. Oh no, this is a film that builds it foundation on one of human being’s greatest fears: the fear of being an outsider. Oh yes, an outsider, that’s exactly what Carrie White is. When not picked on in school, she is brought up by a religious fanatic. That would be her mother, by the way.

But Carrie would have been picked on if her mother had been an atheist as well. She is a shy girl who sits in the back of the classroom. She rarely says a word, and she keeps to herself most of the time. Her face is hidden by her unwashed hair and her clothes look worn out. She lives each day in a misery that a lot of kids, even today, can recognize themselves in. This film might be regarded as a staple of the horror genre, but it succeeds even better as a high school film. If you ask me, no finer film has ever been made about the cruel act of bullying.

Of course, Carrie is no ordinary tale. Its denouement is not realistic. So, it might seem odd then, to hail it as this great piece of fiction about high school when no real high school prom has ended the way the one in this film does. But Stephen King, who wrote the book the film is based on, uses the story’s supernatural elements not for shock value, but to build on the film’s central themes. You see, Carrie harbors a secret: she possesses the ability of telekinesis, which means she can move things at will. Brian De Palma, who directed film, wisely keeps this to a minimum. After all, why would someone who is the biggest outsider in her school reveal a secret that would make her an even bigger outsider?

But the telekinesis is an integral part of the story. Because this is a spoiler-free review, I can’t say why, but I can say that, when the climax finally arrives, De Palma does more than just use it to amp up the thrills. This is rare for him as a filmmaker, as he has been known to be a lot less subtle in his work both before and since. Sure, he comes close to go overboard with his style sometimes in this movie too, particularly with the split screens in the film’s climax, but most of the time, he keeps it to a minimum, and when he finally uses it, it is in a wonderful way, such as when the camera spins endlessly around Carrie at the prom scene. One would expect De Palma to use that technique in a more thrilling scene, but here he uses it to augment and underline Carrie’s emotions at the scene. For all the arguments that suggest De Palma should try a little less style sometimes, here’s a film which suggests the complete opposite and has the evidence to back itself up.

Carrie is a sad film. Unlike many horror films, it is far from shallow, and present characters that might be recognizable to anyone who has ever been young (and I would guess that would be quite a few of us). As I said when I opened this review, it is not a scary film, but it engages our emotions still. In fact, it does it to such an extent that I wonder if I will ever see the film again. After all, why would I subject myself to watching a film where a girl is unfairly bullied and receives treatment that she has done nothing to deserve? But this is a positive thing. With this film, the horror genre showed that it could provide just as much pathos and intellect as any other genre. Sure, it hasn’t come close to matching Carrie in this area since, but it is a nice thing wondering how things could have been.

As you might or might not have guessed, Carrie is a film I am very fond of. It was one of those films that I flat out predicted I would love, and when I finally saw it, it turned out that I not only was right, but that I had actually underestimated how much I would love it. Some people might see the film as a bit silly, and many will not be able to look past its dated 1970s setting, but I urge you: when watching this film, ignore all that and instead focus on what the film really tries to portray. This is not a story about the supernatural. It is a story where the supernatural plays a realistic role on its own. It is used to prove a point.

I can’t review this film without mentioning Sissy Spacek (who plays Carrie). Spacek has provided quite a few memorable roles since, but it is still this one that she is most recognized for, and with good reason. She finds exactly the right notes to play, and her portrayal of Carrie is as complex as it is iconic. She was deservedly awarded with a Best Actress nomination. It is primarily because of her that the film is as good as it is. De Palma might be on fine form, and he might be building on solid material from King, but Spacek carries this film alone on her shoulders. Along with The Thing, this might actually be my favorite horror film.