Carrie is one of the earliest portrayals of a girl or any person with telekinetic powers put on film, and is an adaptation of Stephen King's first novel of the same name. It predates _Star Wars_, _Scanners_, _Akira_, _Matilda_, and might have even given inspiration to those said titles. The story and terrific acting makes you feel sad, angry, dream-like all at once. You can't help but feel for Carrie White when she's at her highest and her lowest because she's bullied at school all the time and has a crazy Christian mother. But you better watch out when her emotions spike; you definitely don't want to be around when she's angry. Actress Sissy Spacek, who played Carrie, makes some strikingly mean facial expressions combined with the high violin notes that will send chills and turn you to stone that very moment. Some of the music is nice; I especially like the ballad-like love theme that played at the beginning and during the prom, but there are a couple funky 70s synth tunes in between. There were a couple times when I swear I thought I heard the famous shrieking violins from 1960 Hitchcock's _PSYCHO_ play. Perhaps that might've been intended to add the sense of "psychokinesis".
There are some characters that try to do good, but things end up tragic for them as well. A young John Travolta is a sight to see, and I can not forget William Katt in this whom I remember from the 1986 horror, _HOUSE_. Carrie's mother, Margaret, is played by Piper Laurie, whom later I realized that she has starred as the mother in _Return to Oz_ (1985) and also as Catherine in _Twin Peaks_ (1990). There's a good use of red in this, and seems to be the prominent color representing blood, or even "the devil" as Carrie's mother mentions.
I sure would like to see a prequel film or even a series that tells the story of Carrie's father (and mother) because it seemed as if Carrie had carried her powers over from her father's (whose name was mentioned in the film but I keep forgetting) genes. I had not seen any of the later Carrie films and/or remakes that came after this one. Maybe some day I'll eventually get to those, but Scream Factory just released a collector's edition Blu-ray of this 1976 Carrie this month, so I'm looking to get that. It is currently available on VUDU for free if you're curious and have never seen the original Carrie.

Carrie had been included on a list of great films to which my mother had taken my older brother and me to see upon their theatrical releases decades ago. And the memories of that long ago time will forever remain with me. Back when the Chicago Theater had still been a movie house, Carrie was the first film that my family and I had gone out on our weekly "Movie Date Night" to see. Good times. Gooood times. Carrie is an undisputed horror masterpiece. I still...get chills.

Sissy Spacek is really good in this as the socially inept, psychologically tortured, girl living in the shadow of her overbearingly Christian mother, with few friends and some remarkable telekinetic powers. What ensues is a complex, at times convoluted, angst-ridden horror film that sees the best and worst of human nature - of all ages - depicted, as thoughtless pranks and humiliation become the order of the day with some chilling consequences. Piper Laurie is superb as the zealot mother, as is John Travolta as the odious "Billy" and the combination of Brian de Palma and Stephen King make for a compelling, multi-layered critique on many different aspects of intimidation, bullying as well as adding some genuinely scary moments too!

One of the meanest gags imaginable backfires on a high school class who will never again get the chance to pick on "Carrie".

There are going to be some younger viewers of this film that won't be able to get past how dated this looks or the surprising way that the teachers, specifically Miss Collins (Betty Buckley), slaps some of her students around. There are also some who will recoil at the extreme bullying portrayed or maybe even the copious amounts of full-frontal nudity on display throughout.

But "Carrie" is filled with wonderful directorial choices and great moments. The way that Carrie (Sissy Spacek) stands up to her lunatic mother, played way, way over-the-top by Piper Laurie. The touching moments of Carrie becoming a beauty and the way that Senior Class stud Tommy (William Katt) ends up falling for her. John Travolta, Nancy Allen and P.J. Soles are mischievous but clearly misguided teens that you also get all kinds of chances to loathe.

The use of split screen is amazing and when Carrie, covered in pig's blood, glares insanely from the stage with flames leaping behind her...it's nightmarish stuff. Also checkout the amazing extended shot of Tommy and Carrie dancing at the prom. The camera is closely zoomed in on them and then spins in a 360, around and around, over and over, faster and faster. It's very disorienting and in addition, a not too subtle hint that things are about to spin horribly out of control.

There is a strange sense of humor that runs through this movie. John Travolta plays the role of Billy as a complete idiot. His girl Chris, the clearest teen antagonist, is slapped numerous times by him, but she has him wrapped around her little finger. When Billy jumps into a pen to bludgeon a pig, it's so ridiculous it's funny. And the religious ravings of Carrie's mother are so wide-eyed crazy and boisterous, they come off as a parody of preachers most of the time. There's also a moment when a red Pontiac Firebird skids and veers off the road, only to roll over and erupt into flames as a Chevy Chevelle. It makes me laugh at the thriftiness employed on that shot.

I usually over-analyze endings and the finale of "Carrie" packs a wallop. And while the face-off between Carrie and her Mother is satisfying, the tortured screams of lone survivor Sue (Amy Irving) wraps up a nightmare that's even more cruel than the way Carrie was treated. And what's even more terrible is that Sue's curse was her reward for attempting to help Carrie.

"Carrie" is an emotionally affecting film that really engages you in the plight of Carrie and then repulses you with her extreme form of vengeance.