Carrie

--Reviewed by Lindy Loo

Plotline: Carrie is your typical meek-mannered punching bag of a high school student with a crazed religious fanatic for a mom. Out of pity, she is invited to the prom where all hell breaks lose.

Scariness factor: I have been lucking out on this front with movies recently, and Carrie is riding the coattails of this lucky streak. This movie spooks me out from beginning to end. It is realistic and disturbing in how it portrays high school students and how they enjoy picking on the outcasts. It has creepy religious fanatacism out the wazoo. And Sissy Spacek is FANTASTIC in the climactic scenes of the movie (I'd argue that she's perhaps one of *THE* best horror movie performances around)--just her facial expression will leave you shuddering...



Originality: The story is of a social outcast wreaking mayhem and revenge upon her tormenters, about a social outcast who has powers of telekinesis, and about a social outcast who has a crazed religious fanatic as a mother. I'd say that's pretty damn original.

Complaints: Hm. I really cannot think of any. I know I had one yesterday that I thought of, but I can't remember it now.

High Points: Most definitely Sissy Spacek--she is fantastically sympathetic and yet fantastically creepy in this movie. Her mother in the movie also gives a horribly creepy performance as well. And finally, Brian De Palma does an excellent job of directing and filming the movie--there are many really nice and spooky shots, where the camera is slightly off-center or above or in split-screen or a variety of other De Palma-esque moves. He does a nice job with this flick.

Overall: This is damn good stuff. If you're looking for a horror movie that is a bit meatier than normal and that has some high-quality acting, this is the movie for you.

Grade: A