Horrorfest 2: Carrie

Guess what? I'd never seen CARRIE all the way through before yesterday. So there. CARRIE is one of those flicks it seems like everyone but me saw at one time or another while they were growing up. It's one of those flicks where you know the basics before you go in -- misfit girl is picked on, has telekinetic powers, gets pig blood dumped on her at the prom and exacts supernatural revenge on her tormentors. Anyway, it's high time I finally saw it.

Turns out there's a reason it resonates with people. Imagine that. Not only is all of the subject matter easily relatable and iconic of pretty much all coming-of-age stories, but the film is interestingly shot by Brian DePalma and well-acted by all the main characters.

Stephen King works his magic here of weaving the supernatural into every day events, and actually manages to comment on the human condition with the exaggerated angle.

Here, the trauma of puberty, specifically of the female variety, is used to make us relate, while the magic of telekinesis is used to give us (and Carrie) an outlet.

But dudes can relate to. Who hasn't felt vulnerable in the locker room? In the shower? At a dance? Asking someone out? Being asked out by someone else? Dealing with your parents?

Sure, Carrie happens to be more painfully shy, awkward and naive than your average teenager. She also happens to be better looking. Sissy Spacek makes a lot out of the role, really making the audience feel for her. But, like her gym teacher, the audience also occasionally wants to smack some sense into her. It's an interesting line for the film to walk -- Carrie is both an object to be pitied, as well as an object to be ridiculed.

Back home, we meet the main reason why Carrie is the way she is -- her mom. As played by Piper Laurie, Carrie's mom is nothing short of insane. It's a memorable performance because of how over the top it is, but it doesn't really have any of the depth or nuance that slicker villains sometimes do. Still, Laurie's a force of nature and really rises to the occasion as the overbearing, fundamentalist psycho.

Most of the film works because it is fairly understated and naturalistic. Take away the brief supernatural interludes and this could be an average teenage movie about a shy girl and a bunch of bullies. It takes place in the real world, with real three dimensional characters. That's the strength of the film.

Another strength is the musical score by Pino Donaggio. This thing works overtime building atmosphere and feeling and never really faltering. In a lesser film this score could be a little too much, but here it strikes the right balance.

Towards the end there are a couple obvious shots that hammer the point home a little too securely, betraying the understated nature of the rest of the film, and we lose some of the naturalistic feeling of the first 3/4 of the film. But, the climax doesn't ruin the picture, and although the last fright sequence can be seen coming a mile away, it is still effective because of the performances that have preceded it.