Carrie (1976) rewind review – a journey into the torment of a girl who simply seeks kindness in a cold, cruel world

Carrie is a journey into the pain and torment of a girl who simply seeks understanding and kindness in a cold, cruel world.

First published in 1973, Carrie White could be argued to be the character who made Stephen King. Coming just three years after the book’s massive success, Brian De Palma’s adaptation of Carrie is not only faithful to King’s material but also one of the greatest horrors ever made. However, like much of King’s work, supernatural terror is not at the heart of this social horror; puberty, bullying, abuse and religious extremism are.

Sissy Spacek’s performance as Carrie is nothing short of electric, emotional and utterly devastating in its power. Carrie is a shy, reclusive high school student who suffers torment at school and at home, as her overbearing mother, Margaret (Piper Laurie), controls her every move through religious fanaticism.

Margaret shields Carrie, through abject terror, from everything, with sex and bodily functions particularly problematic topics. Therefore, when Carrie has her first period in the showers after a volleyball game, she panics, thinking she is bleeding to death, as the girls around laugh and throw tampons at her crumpled and confused body. Luckily, the Gym teacher, Miss Collins (Betty Buckley), steps in, but her desire to punish the girls at the centre of this incident, including Chris (Nancy Allen), sets off a chain of events that ultimately endangers everyone, even those who have attempted to offer Carrie support.

King’s story and De Palma’s movie are a journey into isolation, family trauma, and teenage anxiety. Carrie is a coming-of-age story with a horrific conclusion. De Palma keeps the camera on Carrie White throughout, allowing the audience to build empathy and understanding before the bloodshed of the final act.

Even as the bodies pile up at the Prom from hell, Carrie remains the victim of the piece. Often copied but never bettered, Carrie is a journey into the pain and torment of a girl who simply seeks understanding and kindness in a cold, cruel world.