Let’s look back at the very first film adaptation based on the works of Stephen King. Carrie is the one that cemented King’s reputation as an author and was also the novel that brought him attention to Hollywood by adapting the book into a feature full length motion picture.
Carrie was released in 1976, it went to become a critical and commercial success. The film established Brian DePalma’s (Scarface, Carlito’s Way, Mission Impossible) career as a filmmaker.
This movie is also one of Quentin Tarantino’s favorite movies that inspired him to become a director.
A 2013 remake of Carrie starred Chloe Grace Mortez and Julianne Moore. Unlike the original it didn’t achieve the same success. Just another disappointment for the fans, critics and movie goers.
Over the years, adaptations of Stephen King novels become a trend as most of them including The Shining, Stand By Me, Misery, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Green Mile went on to become critically acclaimed masterpieces, while the rest of them like Children Of The Corn series, Cujo, The Langoliers, and Dreamcatcher were just plain rubbish.
Fun Fact: This movie is John Travolta’s big screen debut after he was working a sitcom called “Welcome Back Kotter.”
2017 is the year films like The Dark Tower, a second adaptation of It, and a television series called The Mist, will be released on the big screen and small screen.
Time to find out if the original 1976 film still holds up.
The following review is a NON-SPOILER article. Feel free to read it.
Positive: Performances from Sissy Spacek, and Piper Laurie and the relationship between their characters was the main highlight.
Cinematography looks spot on. One scene with a Dutch Angle was used effectively for an uncomfortable moment. This was before Battlefield Earth, by the way this was John Travolta’s second career flop.
Practical Effects were used to show Carrie’s telekinetic abilities.
Carrie’s character development goes from a shy girl into a tragic villain.
The Buildup leading to The Third Act was crafted carefully similar to connecting all the puzzle pieces together.
Editing Techniques such as Rapid Cuts were used for intense moments.
The Premise shows the viewer, if you bully someone too far, you’re gonna regret your actions.
Death Scenes were realistic and not too cheesy.
Negative: An annoying Sound Effect indicating Carrie’s power and gets old like a merry-go-round. Imagine one person next to you shouts at the TV saying, “Oh my God, when will it stop!”
I wasn’t scared. It lacked the bone chilling factor. I didn’t get the feels in my spine.
One scene involving three boys talking like Alvin & The Chipmunks for a few seconds. Was the editor high or what?
The Final Verdict: B-
For a Horror movie that came out in the 70’s, its kinda dated, but the special effects hold up pretty well. If you’re interested with the one that started the film adaptations of Stephen King novels, go ahead and give it a watch. If you want to see the ones as masterpieces like I mentioned earlier, give em a try.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 