Carrie (1976)

Take Carrie to the prom. I dare you!

Since the remake is being released today I figured I would do a review on the original! I have actually never seen the movie, the only part I know is that Carrie has pigs blood poured on her, but I don't know how or why.  Let's start!

We open during a P.E game of Volleyball, one of the girls, Carrie, messes up and they all yell at her, one of the girls, Chris, even tells her to, and I quote, "eat shit."  In the shower Carrie gets her period and starts freaking out, she runs out of the shower screaming for help, no one helps her, and instead throws pads and tampons at her.  Turns out this is Carrie's first period!  What?  She is at least 17, if not older, how is she just getting her first period?  Anyways, the coach, Miss Collins, breaks it up and her and Carrie head to the principals office, where Collins lights up a cigarette!  I mean I know this is the 70s, but teachers were allowed to smoke in school, really?  The principal, Mr. Morton, calls Carrie in, and consistently calls her Cassie, causing her to stare at the ashtray making it shake and eventually fall on the floor. 

"Help me!"

Carrie runs out and heads home, where this little kid on a bike calls her crazy and she makes him crash.  We then meet Carrie's mom, Margaret, who is doing gods work and going door to door preaching the good word, she arrives at Ms. Snell's house.  Ms. Snell is Sue's mom, Sue is also one of Carrie's tormentors, Sue arrives while Margaret is there, but stays hidden until she's gone.  Margaret leaves after accepting a donation for the church, which pisses Margaret off and she heads home.  At home Margaret gets a call from Collins telling her that Carrie got her period, Margaret then calls for Carrie.  When Carrie heads downstairs she gets hit by some booklet and told that she is a sinner for getting her period, can we all agree that Carrie's mom is a nut job? 

Margaret then puts Carrie into a closet and locks her in there for the rest of the night, Carrie comes out awhile later, she kisses her mother and tells her thank you for putting her in the closet.  Upstairs Carrie is looking at herself in the mirror and the mirror breaks, her mom rushes upstairs and tries to open the door, but it wont open.  Carrie tells her it's open and she opens it, seeing Carrie next to her bed praying, we pan up and see the broken mirror.  The next day, a teacher is reading Tommy's poem, Tommy is also Sue's boyfriend and fellow Carrie tormentor, Carrie comments that the poem is beautiful and everyone makes fun of her, including the teacher.  Can I just say how awesome this scene was shot, the angle was awesome!

"Aw shucks"

In gym, Carrie is given study hall for the week so she's not in class, Collins tells them their punishment is a weeks detention, and if they don't come to detention they don't get to go to Prom.  The actual P.E. class starts and we go through a montage of Collins running them through hell drills ending with Chris going off on Collins.  Collins proceeds to slap her, seriously how has she not been fired yet?  No one backs Chris, which answers my question, Chris then storms off the field and told she's not going to prom, over in the library Carrie finds a book on Telekinesis and starts to read it.  Back on the field Sue approaches Tommy to ask him if he will take Carrie to the prom, he's hesitant at first but eventually agrees.  Later that night Chris is out with Billy, her boyfriend, heading to a party, when they get there she gives him a blowjob and asks him to do something, but we don't hear what it is.

At school the next day Carrie is in the library reading about Telekinesis when Tommy comes up to her and asks her out to the prom, she then runs away from him.   During P.E. Collins sees Carrie sitting in an alcove and goes to talk to her, Carrie tells her about Tommy asking her to prom and Collins tells her that she should go.  Collins also tells her if she just puts some makeup on and curls her hair she will be even more beautiful then she already is.  After that Collins calls Sue and Tommy into her office to talk to them about what they are doing, Sue tells her she's doing this so Carrie will fit in more.  I actually kinda believe Sue.  After the talk Tommy goes to Carrie's house, he tells her that he wont leave until she says yes, so eventually she says yes.  We then head to a pig farm where Chris, Billy, and 2 other guys are at, they break in and Billy kills one of the pigs. 

"Sinner"

Later that night Carrie talks to her mom about going to prom, her mom says no and tries to banish her to her closet, but she wont get in the closet.  Carrie holds her ground and tells her mom whether she likes it or not she is going to go to the prom, Carrie gets pissed and all the doors and windows shut.  Margaret then calls her a witch and tells her that Satan has taken over her soul, Carrie tells her it doesn't matter and that she is going to the prom.  Over at the school we see Billy and Chris setting up the pigs blood over the stage, Chris starts getting antsy, and Billy tells her that if she stops bitching she can pull the rope when it's time.  We then go through a montage of everyone setting up for prom, Carrie making her dress and buying makeup, and the guys getting their tuxedos. 

It's finally prom night and Carrie is getting ready, her mom tries to talk her out of going, but Carrie takes control of her and shuts her up, Tommy arrives and they head to prom.  They arrive at prom, and once inside Tommy asks her to dance, but she says that she needs a few minutes.  Tommy excuses himself, and Collins comes over and tells Carrie how pretty she looks and about how her prom was when she went.  Collins leaves and Tommy comes back to ask Carrie to dance, this time she says yes, and they head out on the dance floor.  I am really pissed at Tommy, because he is being really nice and sweet to her, and she's just going to get hurt.  On the dance floor he kisses her, why does he have to be so nice?  Back at their table they get the ballots for prom king and queen, and Tommy and Carrie are nominated, they end up voting for themselves.

"We can't vote for ourselves"

We see Sue arrive, and that Chris and Billy are under the stage with the rope, Norma, one of Chris' minions and a Carrie tormentor, gathers the ballots.  Unfortunately Norma trades the ballots out and we find out Chris has cashed in some favors to fix the ballots.  Since the ballots are fixed, Tommy and Carrie are king and queen and head for the stage, once on stage Sue, who is behind the stage, notices a rope near her moving.  Sue follows the rope and finds Chris and Billy under the stage, Sue tries to get under to stop them but Collins grabs her thinking she is going to ruin Carrie's moment.  Do you know what this means?  It means Sue and Tommy weren't in on it and Tommy was being somewhat genuine!  Collins takes Sue out of the hall, where prom is being held, and heads back in just in time for the rope to be pulled and the pigs blood to come down on Carrie. 

"You looks so beautiful"

The next 10 minutes are done in a slow motion montage of Carrie slowly going crazy and killing everyone, including Collins, and setting the school on fire, all while having crazy eyes.   Honestly the scariest part of this is the crazy eyes, scary as hell!  Carrie finally leaves, and we see her walking home, somehow Chris and Billy escape and they try to run her over, but she makes their car flip and explode.  Carrie arrives home to find the entire house covered in candles, and her mom no where in sight, she heads upstairs to take a bath.  We see her mom behind her bathroom door, but she doesn't end up doing anything.  Carrie gets out of the bath and her mom starts telling her how she should have killed herself when Carrie's dad and her had sex so Carrie wouldn't have been born.  And the winner for mom of the year goes to Margaret White!

Carrie seems unfazed by what her mom just said to her and they hug and pray, we see Margaret reach for something behind Carrie and it's a knife.  Margaret stabs Carrie and Carrie falls down the steps, Margaret reaches the bottom and Carrie makes knifes fly at her mom, and she kills her.  The house starts collapsing in on itself and Carrie drags her mom and herself into the closet as the house sinks into the ground.  We then are taken to Sue's house, who is still alive, her mom is by her bedside, when the phone rings.  On the phone is a friend of Ms. Snell's and she starts talking about how they are going to move and that Sue wasn't allowed to go to the funerals. 

"I should have given you to god"

We see Sue walking to Carrie's house, and all that is left is a pile of rocks with a for sale sign, Sue has brought flowers, she goes to put the flowers over where the house should be and Carrie's arm comes out of the ground.  Carrie's arm grabs ahold of Sue, but it's just a dream and she wakes up screaming in her moms arms.

The End.

 

I can see why everyone likes this movie!  Sissy Spacek was incredible, her crazy eyes are absolutely haunting!  There was also a lot of Psycho references in it, the Psycho theme was used throughout and the school was Bates High School.  Also Edie McClurg was in it, I love her, she's been in a ton of movies, but my favorite has to be Planes, Train, and Automobiles (which will get a review in November!) she absolutely killed it in that!  Tell me what you think of the movie in the comments, on Twitter (@SilentToHughes) or on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SilentToHughes).

Hope you all have a great night!