Carrie

Buy the Movie

     Carrie is a classic, plain and simple, and Brian De Palma’s 1976 version is almost as famous as the book itself. Stephen King’s first published novel, Carrie is a terrifying tale about a lonely high school girl with telekinetic powers. Her overly-religious mother and her over-the-top evil classmates make her life a living Hell. Finally one day she snaps and everyone in her small Maine town pays the price. We all know about the dreaded prom scene. It’s a classic horror moment. The image of Sissy Spacek drenched in blood in her gown is ingrained in many a mind. But which does it better, the movie or the book?

     Having never seen the movie all the way through or read the book, I dove into the pages with no real expectations. I was surprised, though, that the Carrie in the book is so very different from the Carrie in the movie. King describes her as dopey, overweight, and spotted with pimples on her neck and back. Sissy Spacek is arguably very pretty and a poor choice for a teen misfit. Especially in the prom scene, Spacek looks truly beautiful. As far as performance goes, however, Spacek nails it. You can’t help but feel horrible at the way she is treated by the other girls. The book fleshes out the tension and makes it more believable, but I found it impossible to accept that kids are that mean to each other. I think today Carrie would be quite popular, at least the way she is depicted in the movie.

     Don’t get me wrong, I loved the film. It’s so rare that a horror movie is actually, well…good, and not just there for scares. I’m amazed at how 70s and 80s horror movies found excellent directors to tell their tales. These days you’ve rarely if ever heard of the man behind the camera of a popular horror film. De Palma has made many classics in many genres (Mission: Impossible, The Untouchables, Snake Eyes) but take for example the director of the upcoming Carrie remake, Kimberly Peirce. Who’s ever heard of her? She’s practically a no-name. Gone are the John Carpenters, James Whales, and if I may say so, Steven Spielbergs of yesteryear who made excellent horror movies that did more than just make you jump.

Buy the Book

     Other highlights of De Palma’s version include performances by John Travolta and William Katt, not to mention Piper Laurie who was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Carrie’s mother. Although none of these characters are completely true to their literary counterparts, they all do wonderfully in their roles. Travolta plays Billy, a loser who dresses like a 50s greaser even though it’s 1976. He is hilarious as a back-talking jerk. I’ve never been so taken by Travolta as I was by him in that role. Katt plays Tommy Ross, the nice popular kid who takes Carrie to prom as a favor to his girlfriend. He’s great; very likable and funny. And of course there’s Laurie as Margaret White. She is pure evil even though she thinks she stands for all things good and Godly. You simply can’t help but hate the way she treats Carrie. It’s a role that could be played out real cheesy, but Laurie does a fine job.
     On all counts the book is better (of course) but I will give the movie one thing: the ending. Prom Night is better on the screen. The book takes a whole 100 pages to describe an event that plays out over less than an hour. The book’s description is all-encompassing, presenting multiple views on the same event, but after a while it becomes tiresome. Every character describing the event says the same thing (“I’d never met Carrie White, but I just knew it was her”) and it becomes too much. The movie has great fun showing you what happens rather than telling you.

     The book has the final say, though, if just for the brilliant ending (which sadly the movie ignores entirely). The book continuously brings up the possibility that Carrie’s powers are genetic and could pop up anywhere in any child. Most people say it’s foolish to believe so, but the final page gives the reader a terrifying account of a little girl playing with marbles…with her mind!!!

Check out my book-to-movie comparison of the upcoming Carrie remake starring Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore out October 18.