Carrie (1976) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Carrie
Year: 1976
Director: Brian De Palma
Country: US
Language: English

Written while he was living in a trailer, on a portable typewriter that belonged to his wife, Stephen King originally envisioned Carrie as a short story to be published in the popular Cavalier magazine. Shortly after throwing the first few pages in the trash, King was challenged by a woman who told him he was too macho and wasn't a good enough writer to dissect the world of the opposite gender. His wife suggested he expand the story into a novel and he followed that advice. Within the first year of being published, Carrie sold over a million copies.

Brian De Palma's film adaptation follows Carrie White (Sissy Spacek), a shy and outcast 17-year old girl who is sheltered by her domineering, religious mother.She unleashes her horrifying telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her classmates for the last time at her senior prom.

Carrie is a surprisingly deep character study, focusing on a seemingly naive woman and her difficult transition into womanhood. De Palma has actually improved the original work, which was rather dull and shallow. Instead of being faithful to the source material, the director’s approach considers with great care the emotional state of every character involved. He also makes Carrie an allegory for the poor treatment of women around the world, as well as the conscious and unconscious fear of women.

Carrie White represents the long and often lost battle fought by women persecuted for their femininity, wherein even their victories are damned. She is an abstract monster that requires a greater deal of analysis than the typical "horror" antagonist. Far from being low-brow entertainment, Carrie exposes societies' contempt for the common woman and suggests that it may be due to a religious notion that links womanhood with sin.

Stephen King's novel does not hold up well compared to De Palma's film. The director made many changes (such as Carrie's telekinetic powers only available during an emotional outburst) that greatly elevated the story being told. It is more sexual, more hopeless, more violent and more terrifying. If you're a fan of "horror" (although labeling it as such kind of does the film a disservice) then this is a must see. Praise it! 5/5