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Carrie (1976 film)

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Carrie
Original theatrical poster
Directed byBrian De Palma
Written byLawrence D. Cohen
based on a novel by
Stephen King
Produced byBrian De Palma
Paul Monash
StarringSissy Spacek
Piper Laurie
Betty Buckley
Amy Irving
William Katt
Nancy Allen
John Travolta
CinematographyMario Tosi
Edited byPaul Hirsch
Music byPino Donaggio
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
November 3, 1976 (1976-11-03)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1,800,000
Box office$33,800,000

Carrie is a 1976 American horror film directed by Brian De Palma and written by Lawrence D. Cohen, based on the novel Carrie by Stephen King. The film and the novel tell the story of a socially outcast teenage girl, Carrie White, who discovers she possesses psionic power which seems to flare up when she becomes angry. Carrie's powers become apparent after her humiliation by her peers, teachers, and abusive mother, eventually resulting in tragedy. The film stars Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Betty Buckley, Amy Irving, Nancy Allen, William Katt, John Travolta, P.J. Soles and Priscilla Pointer.

The film was a major success for United Artists, grossing over $30 million at the U.S. box office, on a budget of $1.8 million. It received a mostly positive response from critics.[1][2] The film spawned a failed sequel The Rage: Carrie 2 and a fairly well-received made for television remake, released in 2002, neither of which involved De Palma. During a survey taken in October 2008, it was revealed that Carrie was considered one of the most popular movies teens watched on Halloween.[3]

Plot

Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) is a shy teenage girl abused by her unstable religious mother, Margaret (Piper Laurie). The girls at school harass Carrie, with Chris Hargensen (Nancy Allen) being especially cruel. Carrie is showering in gym class as her first period begins; she does not know what is happening. The other girls throw tampons and sanitary pads at her before gym teacher Miss Collins (Betty Buckley) intervenes. Carrie unknowingly telekinetically snaps a light bulb. Collins explains the concept of menstruation to Carrie.

Carrie is sent to the principal's office, where the principal repeatedly calls her Cassie, leading Carrie to correct him as his ashtray smashes to the floor. As Carrie walks home, a boy riding on a bicycle teases her and crashes to the ground.

Margaret visits the Snell household to spread the "gospel of salvation through Christ's blood". Mrs. Snell (Priscilla Pointer) gets rid of her by contributing money. Her daughter Sue (Amy Irving), one of the girls who made fun of Carrie, arrives home, showing remorse for what happened.

Margaret receives a call from Collins about the locker room incident and flies into a religious fervor, telling Carrie her period is a sign that she sinned and forcing her into a prayer closet. Later Carrie cries in her bedroom, breaking her mirror while staring at it.

The next day, English teacher Mr. Fromm (Sydney Lassick) reads a poem written by Tommy Ross (William Katt). Fromm invites the class to critique Tommy's work but mocks Carrie when she speaks. Tommy becomes annoyed on Carrie's behalf. In gym class, Collins talks over the shower incident and puts the girls through a "boot camp" style detention. Chris refuses to cooperate and is banned from the prom. Chris blames Carrie for her misfortune. Carrie researches her telekinesis in the library.

Sue feels guilty for teasing Carrie, convincing Tommy to take Carrie to the prom. Chris tells her boyfriend Billy (John Travolta) that she wants revenge on Carrie.

Tommy asks Carrie to attend the prom with him. Carrie runs away, thinking his request is a trick. Collins comforts Carrie, telling her she is pretty. Collins talks with Sue and Tommy, learning they are sincere, but tells Sue she cannot go to the prom alone. Tommy goes to Carrie's house, inviting her to the prom again. After Tommy explains that he wants to go with her because she liked his poem, Carrie accepts. Billy, Chris and some others sneak into a pig farm and slaughter a pig, then put its blood into a bucket resting on a rafter in the gym.

Carrie talks to her mother about being invited to the prom. Margaret insists that the prom is an occasion of sin. Frustrated, Carrie causes the windows of the house to slam shut and reveals that she has telekinesis. Margaret believes this is Satan's power, but Carrie insists she will go to the prom.

Billy's friend, Freddy, talks to Ernie about joining the prom committee. Ernie agrees to let Freddy collect the prom king/queen ballots. Carrie is getting ready when her mother declares she will turn Tommy away and everyone will laugh at Carrie, but Carrie is undeterred.

Arriving at the gym Carrie gets nervous, but Tommy assures her it will be a good time. At the Snell house, Sue sneaks out.

Tommy and Carrie dance and Tommy kisses her. Carrie is surprised to find herself on the ballot for Prom Queen. Margaret snaps mentally, pacing in the kitchen then chopping a carrot with a butcher knife and continuing to chop the cutting board after the carrot rolls away.

As Chris and Billy look on, Norma and Freddy give a false set of ballots to the prom committee. Ernie announces the winners: Carrie and Tommy. The couple make their way to the stage to be crowned. Sue sneaks into the gym to watch Carrie and Tommy and notices Chris tugging at a rope Billy rigged to the bucket above the stage. Before she can intervene Collins takes Sue away, thinking she is there to cause trouble. As Collins throws Sue out Chris pulls the cord, drenching Carrie in pig's blood.

Tommy is knocked unconscious when the bucket falls on him. Carrie begins hearing the voices of her mother, Mr. Morton, Collins and Chris's clique. Carrie telekinetically shuts the gym doors. Freddie and another man are crushed when they try to open them. Carrie uses a fire hose to spray everyone in sight, knocking Norma unconscious. Mr. Morton and Mr. Fromm fight over the microphone and are electrocuted when Carrie sprays the electrical equipment with the hose. Ms. Collins and several students attempt to move Tommy's body from the stage when Carrie crushes Collins with an overhead rafter. Mr. Fromm is thrown against the stage tarp, which ignites. Carrie leaves the gym, psychically locking the doors.

Carrie is walking home when Chris and Billy drive up, intending to run Carrie over. Carrie mentally throws the car off the road, causing it to explode. At home, Carrie breaks down in her mother's arms and tells her everyone laughed at her. Believing the devil has taken over Carrie, Margaret brings the girl to her knees and they pray. Suddenly, Margaret reaches for a hidden knife, stabbing Carrie in the back.

Carrie falls down the stairs and is pursued into a kitchen corner by her mother. With no choice, Carrie uses her powers to pin her mother to the kitchen doorway, killing her. Carrie is overcome with guilt and grief, and screams while removing one of the knives from Margaret's body. The house collapses around Carrie and her mother. Carrie realizes it is a result of her power and moves Margaret into the closet. Carrie dies as the house sinks into the earth.

Days later, Sue, the only survivor, dreams of visiting the plot where Carrie's house stood. As she places flowers on the ground a bloody hand reaches out, grabbing Sue's wrist. She wakes up screaming in her mother's arms.

Cast

Production

Pre-production

Carrie was the first Stephen King novel to be published and the first to be adapted into a feature film. In an interview in Port Charlotte, Florida at a public appearance near his home on the Gulf coast on March 20, 2010, King said he was 26 years old at the time and was paid just $2,500 for the film rights, but adding "I was fortunate to have that happen to my first book."[4] De Palma told Cinefantastique magazine in an interview in 1977:

I read the book. It was suggested to me by a writer friend of mine. A writer friend of his, Stephen King, had written it. I guess this was almost two years ago [circa 1975]. I liked it a lot and proceeded to call my agent to find out who owned it. I found out that nobody had bought it yet. A lot of studios were considering it, so I called around to some of the people I knew and said it was a terrific book and I'm very interested in doing it. Then nothing happened for, I guess, six months.[5]

Lawrence D. Cohen was hired as the writer, and produced the first draft, which had closely followed the novel's intentions.[6] However, later versions departed from King's vision rapidly, and certain scripted scenes were omitted from the final version, mainly due to financial limitations.

The final scene, in which Sue Snell reaches toward Carrie's grave, was shot backwards to give it a dreamlike quality. It was also filmed at night, using artificial lighting to create the desired effect. This scene was inspired by the final scene in Deliverance (1972).[6] Spacek had insisted on using her own hand in the given scene, so she was positioned under the rocks and gravel. De Palma stated 'Sissy, come on, I'll get a stunt person, what do you want, to be buried in the ground?!' However Spacek declared 'Brian, I have to do this.' De Palma explains that they "had to bury her. Bury her! We had to put her in a box and stick her underneath the ground. Well, I had her husband bury her, because I certainly didn't want to bury her. I used to walk around and set up the shot and every once in a while, we'd hear Sissy: 'Are we ready yet?' 'Yeah, Sissy, we're gonna be ready real soon." The White house was filmed in Santa Paula, California, and to give the home a Gothic theme, director and producers went to religious shops looking for artifacts to place in the home.

Coincidentally, one of the locations where Carrie was filmed, Palisades Charter High School, was at one time owned by the parents of Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, years before the school was built. The lot was then taken, some years after the couple had purchased it, by the State by eminent domain to build "Pali High".

Initially, Melanie Griffith had auditioned for the role, taking it as an opportunity to begin a career as a mature, adult actress. After Griffith dropped out from the project, Sissy Spacek had been persuaded by husband Jack Fisk to audition for the title role. Fisk then convinced De Palma to let her audition. After several auditions, DePalma concluded that Spacek would be playing Christine Hargenson[7]. Determined to land the leading role, Spacek backed out of a television commercial she was scheduled to film,[7] rubbed Vaseline into her hair, didn't bother to wash her face, and arrived at the final audition clad in a sailor dress which her mother had made her in the seventh grade, with the hem cut off,[5] and booked the part.

Amy Irving was cast alongside her mother Priscilla Pointer, who would play the mother of Irving's character.

Nancy Allen was the last to audition, and her audition came just as she was on the verge of leaving Hollywood.[6]

Filming

Principal photography and filming began on May 17, 1976 and ended in July, with a 50-day shooting schedule. Principal location shooting occurred in California: in Culver City Studios, and in Los Angeles, the Bates High School scenes were filmed at Pier Avenue Junior High in Hermosa Beach, with the exception of the shots of the Bates High School athletic field, which were filmed at Palisades Charter High School in Pacific Palisades. The shots of the school in flames, and the gym scenes, were both filmed inside Culver City Studios.

De Palma began with one director of photography, and cameraman Isidore Mankofsky, who was eventually replaced by Mario Tosi after conflict between Mankofsky and De Palma ensued.[8] Gregory M. Auer served as the special effects supervisor for Carrie, with Jack Fisk as art director. De Palma borrowed heavily from the films of Alfred Hitchcock, which as a result, gave Carrie a Hitchcockian tone. The most obvious example is the name of the high school, which is Bates High, a reference to Norman Bates from Psycho (1960). In addition, the four note violin theme from Psycho is used throughout the film whenever Carrie uses her telekinetic powers.

Much of the filming and production became problematic, most notably the prom scene, perhaps the most chaotic to film, and took over two weeks to shoot, with 35 takes. Auer added red, green and yellow food colouring to a bulk-sold concoction known in the cosmetics industry as 7-11 Blood. However, when it was put to use, the concoction kept drying and adhering to Spacek's skin because of the hot lights. The only solution was to hose Spacek down when the substance got gluey.

A wraparound segment at beginning and end of the film was scripted and filmed which featured the Whites' home being pummeled by stones that hailed from the sky. The opening scene was filmed as planned, though on celluloid, the tiny pebbles looked like rain water.[6] A mechanical malfunction botched production the night when the model of the Whites' home was set to be destroyed, so they burned it down instead and dropped the scenes with the stones altogether.[6] However, some interior scenes had already been filmed which were left in the movie where one can clearly see boulders crashing through the Whites' ceiling.

Reaction

Box office performance

Carrie initially had a limited release on November 3, 1976, opening in 409 theaters. After receiving a broader theatrical release, it grossed $5 million, and was one of the five top grossing films for the following two weeks. Its domestic gross was $33,800,000, more than 18 times its budget, which in today's money, is equivalent to $135 million.

Awards and critical reception

Carrie received immensely positive reviews and is widely regarded as one of the best films of 1976, as well as one of the best horror films ever made.[9][10][11] The film currently holds a 90% "Certified Fresh" rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes.[12] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times stated the film was an "absolutely spellbinding horror movie", as well as an "observant human portrait".[13] Pauline Kael of The New Yorker stated that Carrie was "the best scary-funny movie since Jaws — a teasing, terrifying, lyrical shocker". Take One Magazine critic Susan Schenker said she was "angry at the way Carrie manipulated me to the point where my heart was thudding, and embarrassed because the film really works."[14] A 1998 edition of The Movie Guide stated Carrie was a "landmark horror film", while Stephen Farber prophetically stated in a 1978 issue of New West Magazine, "it's a horror classic, and years from now it will still be written and argued about, and it will still be scaring the daylights out of new generations of moviegoers."[15] Quentin Tarantino placed Carrie at number 8 in a list of his favorite films ever.[16]

Nevertheless, the film was not without its detractors. Andrew Sarris of The Village Voice commented, "There are so few incidents that two extended sequences are rendered in slow-motion as if to pad out the running time..."[15]

In addition to being a box office success, Carrie is notable for being one of the few horror films to be nominated for multiple Academy Awards. Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie received nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress awards, respectively. The film also won the grand prize at the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival, while Sissy Spacek was given the Best Actress award by the National Society of Film Critics. In 2008, Carrie was ranked number 86 on Empire Magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.[17]This movie also ranked number 15 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the 50 Best High School Movies, and #46 on the American Film Institute's list of 100 Greatest Cinema Thrills, and was also ranked eighth for its famous ending sequence on Bravo's five-hour miniseries The 100 Scariest Movie Moments (2004).[18] They Shoot Pictures, a filmsite that is in contact with film critics all over the world, lists Carrie as 348th on their current list of the one thousand greatest pictures ever made.[19]

Stephen King's reaction today

In a March 20, 2010 interview, King replied that he thought, although dated now, Carrie was a "good movie."[4]

Music

The score for Carrie was composed by Pino Donaggio. In addition, two pop songs ("Born To Have It All" and "I Never Dreamed Someone Like You Could Love Someone Like Me") were written for the early portion of the prom sequence and were performed by Katie Irving, sister of star Amy Irving. Donaggio would work again with De Palma on Dressed to Kill, Home Movies, Blow Out, Body Double, and Raising Cain.

The soundtrack was originally released on vinyl in 1976 under the United Artists label; a deluxe CD edition containing a few tracks of dialogue from the film was released by MGM/Rykodisc in 1997. A 2005 CD re-release of the original soundtrack (minus dialogue) is available from Varèse Sarabande. Portions of the film's score were omitted from all versions of the soundtrack album, most notably the piece of music that plays while the girls are in detention. Additionally, the other songs in the film (Education Blues by Vance or Towers, (Love Is Like A) Heat Wave by Martha and the Vandellas, etc.) were uncredited in the film and were omitted from the album. A bootleg version of the complete score has circulated on the internet.

Carrie, along with the novel, have been reproduced and adapted several times.

Sequel

A significantly derided, much-belated sequel was The Rage: Carrie 2, released in 1999. It featured another teenager with telekinetic powers who is eventually revealed to have shared a father with Carrie White.

Remake

In 2002, a television remake starring Angela Bettis in the titular role was released. The film updated the events of the story to modern-day settings and technology while simultaneously attempting to be more faithful to the book's original structure, storyline, and specific events. The one exception to the latter was that the ending of Carrie in the remake was drastically changed: instead of killing her mother and then herself, the film has Carrie killing her mother, being revived via CPR by Sue Snell and being driven to Florida to hide. This new ending marked a complete divergence from the novel and was a signal that the movie served as a pilot for a Carrie television series, which never materialized. In the new ending, the rescued Carrie vows to help others with similar gifts to her own. Although Angela Bettis' portrayal of Carrie was highly praised, the remade film was ultimately panned by most critics,[20] who cited it as inferior to the original.

Stage productions

A 1988 Broadway musical, also titled Carrie and starring Betty Buckley, Linzi Hateley and Darlene Love, closed after only 16 previews and five performances. An English pop opera filtered through Greek tragedy, the show was so notorious that it provided the title to Ken Mandelbaum's survey of theatrical disasters, Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops. Clips of the musical may be found on YouTube.

Early in the 21st century, playwright Erik Jackson attempted to secure the rights to stage another production of Carrie the musical, but his request was rejected. Jackson eventually earned the consent of Stephen King[21] to mount a new, officially-sanctioned, non-musical production of Carrie, which debuted Off-Broadway in 2006 with female impersonator Sherry Vine in the lead role[22]. Similarly, many other unofficial spoofs have been staged over the years, usually with a gym teacher named "Miss Collins" (as opposed to the novel's "Miss Desjardin" and the musical's "Miss Gardner"), most notably the "parodage" Scarrie the Musical[23], which hit the Illinois stage in 1998 and was revived in 2005; Dad's Garage Theatre's 2002 production of Carrie White the Musical[24]; and the 2007 New Orleans production of Carrie's Facts of Life[25], which was a hybrid of Carrie and the classic American sitcom The Facts of Life.

Spoofs

The movie has been spoofed countless times in other films and television programs. Some of the most notable:

Jill Sobule's music video for her song Supermodel is an elaborate homage to Carrie.[26]

Zapped!, a 1982 film starring Scott Baio in which he uses his telekinetic powers to rip the clothes off of his peers at the prom.

Superstar, in which a Carrie-obsessed Molly Shannon is doused with blue paint in front of the entire student body.

Another Gay Movie which features an homage with a man in drag showered by a bucket of semen.

Student Bodies, in which they spoof the arm-from-the-grave sequence.

The episode "Love Disconnection - The Amazing Three" of Tiny Toon Adventures in which Shirley the Loon is splashed with red punch.

And an episode of Ugly Betty titled Petra-Gate in which Betty stages an "anti-prom" that concludes with her being doused in pig's blood.

In a scene from Episode 118 of the Anime series Urusei Yatsura, the principal female protagonist Lum Invader in a white dress, lays a bouquet of flowers at a gravestone and a hand pops out of the ground and grabs her. Angered, she electrocutes the hand!

Also in one opening of Lil' Bush, Lil' Condi is elected prom queen, and blood from Tiny Kucinich, having been killed by Lil' Cheney, is dumped on her.

Another spoof can be found in the American Dad! episode It's Good To Be Queen where Stan reflects on his own prom nightmare where the popular kids dump live pigs on Stan, after having not read the word "blood" in the original text.

In the Channel 4 comedy television series The IT Crowd, the character of Moss completely misunderstands Jen's euphemisms for a period until Roy says "First scene in Carrie!". He then becomes extremely uncomfortable.

Also, in the 1995 TV film She Fought Alone during the "initiation" type-party at the beginning, the film's main character is dressed up as a prom queen and has a bucket of what is later determined to be raspberry jelly dumped on her.

On "That 70's Show", as Hyde leaves for the prom, his mother calls out "They're all going to laugh at you!", echoing Carrie's mother in the film.

In the episode "Reunion" of NBC's "30 Rock" some of Liz Lemon's old classmates plan to "Carrie" her on stage as revenge for her being mean to them, but is stopped by Jack saying "we cannot "Carrie" Liz Lemon". The bucket of blood is dumped, but misses her entirely.

In the episode "Candy Casanova" of animated series The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, K'nuckles rigs a bucket of pickle juice to fall onto Candy Wife, spoofing the scene in Carrie.

Influence on other films

The film was quickly followed by a wave of copycats and imitators. Though Carrie is more melodramatic than traditional horror films, its biggest influence was on the slasher genre that exploded in popularity shortly after the release of the film. The final scare (in this instance, a hand bursting from the grave) was rarely seen until this point, and soon most slasher films incorporated this tactic. Films like the Friday the 13th series have been accused of ripping off Carrie's ending, because each feature finales where a hand bursts out of a strange location and grabs something. Another film of that series, Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, released in 1988, featured a telekinetic protagonist, similar to Carrie.

Other films lifted the character layout and storyline more blatantly and featured teens who were humiliated seeking revenge, often with the aid of some sort of supernatural power. Amongst the most notable are: Jennifer, in which the titular character (Lisa Pelikan) unleashes her wrath on her peers by exerting her telepathic control over snakes; Mirror Mirror, in which a girl taps into an evil force that resides in her mirror; The Initiation of Sarah, a 1978 movie of the week in which the titular character (Kay Lenz) gets revenge on a rival sorority member (Morgan Fairchild); Slaughter High, in which a young man is horribly burned as a result of his classmates' prank; Evilspeak, in which Clint Howard taps into the powers of Satan through his computer; and Jawbreaker, which featured an ugly duckling plot, a humiliating prom sequence, a pig's blood reference and three cast members from Carrie films (William Katt, P. J. Soles, Charlotte Ayanna) portraying the Purr family.

Pop culture references

Horror metal band Razorthroat recorded a 2004 concept album entitled "Pig Blood Blues" based on Carrie.[27]

References

  1. ^ Carrie at Box Office Mojo; last accessed 2007-05-27.
  2. ^ Carrie at Rotten Tomatoes; last accessed 2007-05-27
  3. ^ Blogcritics Review: Carrie
  4. ^ a b Stetson, Nancy (March 25–31, 2010). "King rules The Big read for a day in Port Charlotte". Florida Weekly: p. B8. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help)CS1 maint: date format (link) Newspaper column review of a live interview by Christy Arnold of King onstage at the Cultural Center of Charlotte County, Florida, March 20 2010: "Although the film "Carrie" is dated now, he said he thought it was a good movie. 'I was fortunate to have that happen to my first book.' (He was 26 years old and was paid $2,500, he said.)"
  5. ^ a b Brian De Palma interview (July 1977); accessed 27 May 2007.
  6. ^ a b c d e Carrie DVD featurette ("visualising Carrie"). United Artists. 2002.
  7. ^ a b Carrie DVD featurette ("Acting Carrie"). United Artists. 2002.
  8. ^ Brian De Palma.net; accessed 2007-05-27.
  9. ^ http://www.filmsite.org/1976.html
  10. ^ http://www.films101.com/y1976r.htm
  11. ^ http://www.imdb.com/year/1976
  12. ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1003625-carrie/
  13. ^ Ebert, Roger. Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun Times) Review of Carrie (1976); accessed 2007-05-27.
  14. ^ Take One Magazine, January 1977 at Carrie... A Fan's Site)
  15. ^ a b "Pundits Page". Take One Magazine, p.57. March 1997. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/voter.php?forename=Quentin&surname=Tarantino
  17. ^ http://www.empireonline.com/500/82.asp
  18. ^ "The 100 Scariest Movie Moments". bravotv.com. Retrieved 2006-08-06.
  19. ^ "The 1,000 Greatest Films By Ranking (301-400)". theyshootpictures.com. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  20. ^ "TV Reviews: "Carrie"". Internet Movie Database. 2002-11-04.
  21. ^ "Eric Jackson Interview". horrorking.com. Retrieved 2008-02-27. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  22. ^ "New York Times Theater Review". The New York Times. 2006-11-26. Retrieved 2008-02-27. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  23. ^ "Hell in a Handbag's Scarrie site". handbagproductions.org. Retrieved 2008-02-27. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  24. ^ "Sci-Fi Dimensions Review". scifidimensions. Retrieved 2008-02-27. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  25. ^ "Carrie's Facts of Life - Official Site". norunningwithscissors.com. Retrieved 2008-02-27. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  26. ^ Jill Sobule - Supermodel music video at ArtistDirect.com, accessed 19 March 2010
  27. ^ MySpace