Carrie (1976)

Carrie White, a shy, friendless teenage girl who is sheltered by her domineering, religious mother, unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her classmates at her senior prom.

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writers:

Stephen King (novel), Lawrence D. Cohen (screenplay)

Stars:

Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sissy Spacek	...	Carrie
Piper Laurie	...	Margaret White
Amy Irving	...	Sue Snell
William Katt	...	Tommy Ross
John Travolta	...	Billy Nolan
Nancy Allen	...	Chris Hargensen
Betty Buckley	...	Miss Collins
P.J. Soles	...	Norma
Priscilla Pointer	...	Mrs. Snell
Sydney Lassick	...	Mr. Fromm
Stefan Gierasch	...	Mr. Morton
Michael Talbott	...	Freddy
Doug Cox	...	The Beak
Harry Gold	...	George
Noelle North	...	Frieda

Storyline

It's nearing the end of the school year. High school senior Carrie White is a social outcast, largely due to being unwise to the ways of the world based on her upbringing. Her mother, Margaret White, is a religious fanatic, her extreme views primarily targeted against sex, which she believes is a sin. She even believes natural associated processes such as menstruation are a sin, about which she has refused to mention to Carrie. Mrs. White's beliefs were taken to that extreme largely because of her own failed marriage and her husband Ralph long ago having run off with another woman. The only adult authority figure who tries to help Carrie with her life is her phys ed teacher, Miss Collins, who is nonetheless warned not to get too close to go against how Mrs. White chooses to raise Carrie, Mrs. White whose beliefs are well known in the community. An impromptu event that happens among Carrie's phys ed classmates against her leads to her classmates being punished. One of those students, ...

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Plot Keywords:

telekinesis | female rear nudity | female nudity | female frontal nudity | prank | 

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Taglines:

The bone-chilling classic based on the novel by Stephen King.

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

MGM Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 November 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Carrie

Filming Locations:

124 N 7th St, Santa Paula, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,800,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$33,800,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Red Bank Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Miss Collins' name in the novel is actually Rita Desjardin, but her name was changed to Collins as it was easier to pronounce, she has no given first name in the film however. Betty Buckley has said in interviews that she "played her as a lesbian."

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Goofs

The story takes place during several days leading up to prom, yet Norma is clearly seen wearing the same outfit and baseball cap in every single scene except for gym class and prom.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Miss Collins: Okay! Game Point: 15-14, this team serves!

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Alternate Versions

Back when the film was first released, Miss Collins said that the girls did a "really shitty thing the other day". On newer versions of the film it's a "really shitty thing yesterday". This must have been done when the filmmakers realized the scene took place the very next day after the opening shower incident and Betty Buckley obviously had to re-dub it. The dub is even noticeable on the DVD.

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Connections

Followed by The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)

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Soundtracks

There Is Power in the Blood
(uncredited)
Written by Lewis E. Jones
Performed by Piper Laurie

User Reviews

One of DePalma's best

High school misfit Carrie (Sissy Spacek) unleashes her telekinetic fury on her tormentors. This was a huge hit in 1976 and scared me silly. It doesn't scare me now (except for the closing sequence), but I still think it's a good solid horror film beautifully handled by Brian De Palma. It moves quickly, has some beautiful imagery (everything is shot soft focus with muted color) and has almost uniformally good performances. The only bad one is by John Travolta way out of his depth playing a hood. Amy Irving (as a student who befriends Carrie), William Katt (with a very 70s afro), Nancy Allen (playing a real bitch), Betty Buckley (so young and full of energy) and P.J. Soles (silly but bearable) are all perfect. But Spacek is superb matched by Piper Laurie who is very scary and marvelous as her deranged, religious mother. Also the film is (by today's standards) very restrained in terms of blood and gore. And the final sequence will make you jump (also notice the cars in the background during that--they're moving backwards!) Only complaints--De Palma REALLY hates some of the high school kids--you feel like like he's working out some personal issues here. And did we really need the slow-mo shower sequence at the beginning? That aside--this is a great film. See it letter boxed.