Carrie (1976) Review

Carrie is one of those movies that people claim is a classic. Recently, I purchased it on Blu Ray, and wanted to watch it again. The previous time I saw it was when I was a teenager. I picked this up and watched it with fresh eyes, and realized that there are some very interesting ideas pushed forward. Brian De Palma directs this movie, and while it definitely does well to introduce the world of Stephen King to the masses, it doesn’t hold up the way I thought it would. De Palma’s direction is on point, but other than that, I found myself reconsidering some of the ideas pushed in the movie.

There is no real reason why people hate Carrie. Maybe in the book they explore it a bit more, but in the movie, things are just no good for 17-year old Carrie. People seem to hate her, her mother is bad, and she is just trying to navigate high school like anyone else. It’s very odd to me, but you get through the movie with the set up that no one likes her.

Sissy Spacek is a lovely girl, but when watching the opening for this movie, I found De Palma over sexualizing things. The camera goes through like a porno movie from that era. If you have seen any adult cinema from the 1970s you immediately get notes from the many movies that were of the era. What I didn’t like here is that the viewer is looking into a teenage locker room, with full nudity. You’re supposed to be seeing underage girls naked? I found the notion a bit odd. Yes, it’s a movie, and all the actresses are over 18, but they are playing underage, it’s a bit unnerving.

Aside from the sexual tones of the movie, there is a quality revenge coming through. Just when you start to like Carrie, she breaks because of the swerve that happens to her. The blood, her telekinetic powers, and the ultra-revenge comes through. Not as bad as “They Call Her One Eye”, but nothing can be so graphic. Carrie gets her revenge, the movie goes into disaster, her mom gets it too, and then it just ends. I didn’t like the sudden ending and nothing else.

Overall, the movie is stated to be a Stephen King classic. Carrie from 1976 isn’t half bad. I don’t think it’s as amazing as some people say. I don’t think it’s as grand, but Spacek’s acting, and the over sexual tones make this a nice glimpse of the 1970s and how many changes have come to movie making. De Palma’s work is good here, even though it’s far from his best movie. If you’re going to pick this one up, get the Carrie Limited Edition Blu Ray, otherwise, meh, I can go without seeing it again for a long time.

Pick up Carrie on Blu Ray Here, for fans of Stephen King and classic 1970s cinema.