“Carrie” (1976) directed by Brian DePalma, starring Sissy Spacek, John Travolta and Piper Laurie / Z-View

Carrie (1976)

Director: Brian De Palma

Screenplay: Lawrence D. Cohen; based on CARRIE by Stephen King

Stars:  Sissy Spacek, John Travolta, Piper Laurie, William Katt, Nancy Allen, P.J. Soles, Michael Talbott and John Travolta.

Tagline:  If you’ve got a taste for terror… take Carrie to the prom.

The Plot…

High school is almost unbearable for Carrie.  She’s sixteen, immature and an easy target.  At school Carrie is bullied daily.  Her home life isn’t any better.  Carrie is being raised by a single mother who is a religious zealot.

A particularly rough hazing incident in the PE showers leaves Carrie sobbing on the floor. Sue, one of the school’s most popular girls, feels remorse for her involvement. So she asks her boyfriend, Tommy Ross (also one of the cool kids) to take Carrie to the prom.  Sue thinks that if Carrie is seen on a date with Tommy other kids might start viewing Carrie differently.  Tom eventually agrees.

At first Carrie thinks she’s being set up.  Tommy finally convinces Carrie he’s sincere.  Carrie agrees to go despite her mother’s refusal to allow the date.

What Sue, Tommy and Carrie don’t know is that Chris, one of the girls involved in the PE incident, has a plan to humiliate Carrie at the Prom.  Chris has no idea how badly her “prank” can go.  She also has no idea that Carrie recently discovered she has telekinetic powers.

Time for the prom.  It will be a night you’ll never forget.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Although the ending of the movie is different than Stephen King’s book, King has said he like the movie’s ending better.

Sue Snell is played by Amy Irving.  Sue’s mother is played by Priscilla Pointer… who is Amy Irving’s real life mother.

John Travolta, who was a teen idol thanks to his role on Welcome Back Kotter, has a small role but was billed second on posters/ads.

Carrie may look perfectly innocent, but she’ll shock you right out of your seat… and that’s a promise!

Sissy Spacek was in real life a high school Homecoming Queen.

Carrie features Amy Irving’s feature film debut.

I had read the Stephen King novel a few years prior to seeing the movie.  When the film came out I was a junior in high school.  I saw it with a date at a midnight showing.  I thought the film was ready to roll the end credits.  Then the final scare comes.  It caught me so off guard I jumped out of my seat.  Yeah, try playing that off with your date.  No, I wasn’t scared.  Really.

One of Carrie’s taglines was: Carrie may look perfectly innocent, but she’ll shock you right out of your seat… and that’s a promise!   In my case, promise kept.

Carrie (1976) rates 5 of 5 stars.