Carrie- Review
I haven't read the book so believe it or not, I hadn't actually seen this film before either. Stephen King is commonly referred to as the king of horror, particularly for his time and I can most certainly see why. In this 1976 adaption of the classic horror novel, Brian De Palma sets out to shock his audience as the tragic tale of an abused and bullied girl with an unknown power unfolds. Prior to watching this film, my only knowledge of what occurred at some point was the climax. Other than that, I went in with a clear and open mind.
Carrie White sees the world around her as a cruel joke. Treated maliciously by her peers at school, she only finds comfort in interacting with her gym teacher. Even worse, her home, where a young teenaged girl should feel safe and relaxed, is torn apart by her dementedly pious, emotionally and physically abusive mother. After dealing with the cruel punishments both by the hand of her mother and the children at school, Carrie goes one step beyond to prove just how tragic her life really is.
The performances were really what made this film a success. Having a character such as Carrie, proves that a film does not need to heavily rely on a protagonist with elements of a dominant personality in tow. If not for being the main character, Carrie could easily disappear and be forgotten. Her character progression was obviously the most important and the most evident. The flow for this progression was also done incredibly well, so it allowed Carrie to move from a soft-spoken, plain girl to an ungodly force with such grace and ease. I will say this, as a character she is incredibly frightening. The way her eyes completely bulge out of her head or the way she trails so calmly away from a scene of disaster. It's almost ghostly. Sissy Spacek really managed to capture Carrie as a clueless and innocent young girl that you could easily feel sorry for and pity. Essentially, this is what strikes me most about this film.
John Travolta made an appearance in this film too. I can't say he was incredible in his role nor was it overly important but there is some relevance in his role. As Billy Nolan, he joins forces with his girlfriend, Chris Hargensen to torment Carrie. The only reason I'm speaking about his role here is because he really captured a specific kind of man for the time. Despite being in a relationship with Chris, he communicated with her only in the form of sarcasm, backfiring insults and even to go as far as abuse her physically. It further added to the undertones of abuse throughout this film and the many forms that are shown throughout, such as physical, emotional and verbal. In a way, he and many of the other extras are just different labels of abuse in human form.
Realistically, this film is a supernatural horror. It incorporates your generic horror elements, particularly the high-pitched and screechy sound effects for moments that involve a fright or music that slowly builds up for the prelude suspense. However, it is ultimately a dated horror. What once might have been considered scary is no more, yet you can definitely see how this would have worked for the times. The special effects are almost laughable now, as we no longer rely on '70s technology. Yes, you can see areas where a projector is in use or where giant spotlights have been flickered to create a lightning effect, yet none of this makes it any less than a cinematic breakthrough for its time. Time also goes by so swiftly watching this film, honestly the pacing and having everything fit in to the time of an hour and a half is brilliant.
Considering that it is now 42 years on, I believe that Carrie has become more important for its story, not so much the supernatural or horror side. Going from what I said earlier about Carrie being a character you could easily pity, this film seems more important as a pity story rather than a horror film for today. Carrie's backstory and everything that happened to her is still relevant. We are made to feel sad for her and successfully do so.
Despite its age and the dated effects, it still serves as a classic horror film that shows just how far technology in cinema has grown and even more importantly, how one character's backstory can prove to be so important for relevance later on. Times don't always change.
Score: 8/10.