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“Carrie” isn’t like other horror movies. The bad guy is really the good guy driven by bad people to do bad things. I think if I took another minute I could make that last sentence even more confusing.

Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) is your typical high school outcast. She’s a frumpy dresser, she’s quiet and she can’t hit a volleyball to save her life. All the kids, especially Chris Hargensen (Nancy Allen) make fun of her. She stays at home with her religious-freak mom Margaret (Piper Laurie). When Carrie becomes a woman (quite the late bloomer), her world begins to change. She’s discovering special powers and boys — one in particular — Tommy Ross (William Katt).

After a cruel prank, goodie Sue Snell (Amy Irving) asks Tommy, her boyfriend, to ask Carrie to the prom. Sue is feeling guilty and thinks if Tommy takes Carrie to the prom, she’ll feel good about herself. Carrie reluctantly accepts and the mean kids at school hatch a plan. I’m sure you know the story from here. Chris and Billy Nolan (John Travolta) slaughter a pig and collect its blood so they can dump it on Carrie at the prom. To help make that happen they’ll make sure Carrie is crowned prom queen. And she is. And the blood is dumped. And all Hell breaks loose.

Carrie unleashes her wrath and brings down all those who wronged her (and many who didn’t).

“Carrie,” based on the book by Stephen King, isn’t the scariest movie. There are no jumpy moments (except for that one very jumpy scene). But if you’ve ever been wronged in your life, then a part of you can relate. It’s a good story. A sad story. And if you did a little deep, you’ll find Carrie isn’t the bad guy at all. Her overbearing psycho mother is the real bad guy. And the big payoff is when she gets what’s coming to her.

“Carrie” 1976

Memorable Quote: “I can see your dirty pillows. Everyone will.”

Best scene: The obvious best scene is when the blood is dumped on Carrie. Then you see her furor. And there are split screens. I love split screens. See clip below

Did You Know? In the scene where the fire hose kills P.J. Soles character, the water pressure actually burst her eardrums, knocking her unconscious. Soles is actually unconscious when her head rolls to the side from the force of the fire hose. The director decided to keep the shot in.

See the rest of the 31 Great Horror Movies.

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