Carrie (1976) – Film Review

Director: Brian De Palma
Cast: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving
Certificate: 18

By Sarah Morgan

Carrie was Stephen King’s first novel, but is it also his best? Well, the jury’s out on that one, but I would certainly suggest that its 1976 film version, directed by Brian De Palma from a Lawrence D Cohen screenplay, is the greatest cinematic adaptation of his work.

There will be some who argue that The Shining is the better film, and they’re right, it is, but as fans know, Stanley Kubrick played fast and loose with the original text, so much so that King denounced the movie and wrote his own version for TV. So, in some senses, Kubrick’s take isn’t really an adaptation at all.

But I digress…

“Revenge on her tormentors”

The stars really did seem to align for Carrie. At the time, De Palma was still something of a cult director with low-budget offerings such as Greetings, Sisters and Phantom of the Paradise on his CV. His big first success came earlier in 1976 with Obsession; Carrie then cemented his name.

He admits that Sissy Spacek wasn’t his first choice to play the title role. However, she blew him away during her audition and it’s now hard to imagine anyone but her portraying the vulnerable 16-year-old who uses her telekinetic powers to take revenge on her tormentors.

The director was also blessed with his supporting cast, which includes a young John Travolta, Amy Irving and Nancy Allen (De Palma’s future wife), as well as Piper Laurie, who was returning to acting after a hiatus and received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her performance as Carrie’s evangelical mother (Spacek was also nominated in the Best Actress category).

“A masterpiece”

Other aspects of the film, including the production design (by Jack Fisk, Spacek’s husband), Mario Tosi’s cinematography and Pino Donaggio’s soundtrack, all combine to make the film a masterpiece. And, of course, there’s that shock ending that still gets you, even when you know it’s coming.

Others have tried to replicate the atmosphere in subsequent adaptations and sequels, but all have failed. If you only ever seen one take on the novel, this should be it – forget the rest.

Arrow has done a wonderful job of restoring the film from the original negative to create a sumptuous 4K rendering. What’s more, it’s packed full of special features, including archive interviews with the cast, who discuss auditioning simultaneously for Carrie and Star Wars, with both De Palma and George Lucas in the room. Crew members are also featured, retelling their roles in creating what is undeniably a horror classic.