Carrie

1976

If this movie experiment has given me nothing else, it has given me a bevy of names I will never call my children: Damien. Malachai. Carrie. Stephen King. This movie in particular has taught me never bully people, always have an exit strategy, and immediately arrest overly religious mothers with too many candles.

I don’t know how anyone doesn’t know the story, but it is almost severely basic in today’s horror movies:

1. Introverted teen girl is social outcast, bullied by peers, especially the girls
2. We find out her mother is overbearing and extremely religious, punishing the introvert into submission (who’s the REAL bully, huh?)
3. Introvert develops telekinetic powers (Stephen King loves his mind controlling ladies)
4. Although some may be trying to help introvert, it’s too late and she burns everything down, bringing the mother and herself down with it.

However, even with ALL those cliches, this movie still managed to surprise me:

1. Carrie wore literally the sluttiest dress to that prom. For a long time before I saw the movie, I actually thought the pig blood scene involved her wearing just underwear.
2. John Travolta invented the character of “Larry the Cable Guy.” He barely talks in a full, coherent sentence and even says, “Git er done” a few times.
3. Stephen King actually admitted that he knew two girls like Carrie who died in their 20s. Why aren’t we investigating Stephen King for more unsolved murders?!

Finally, props to the prop guy for using a St. Sebastian statue instead of a Crucifix. Not sure if this was on purpose, because I would never purposely pick up a Stephen King novel, but it adds an interesting effect. In some pictures, St. Sebastian actually looks like he is enjoying being shot with arrows. Maybe Carrie enjoys her mother’s punishments because it fuels her powers. Doesn’t matter anyways, her mother and her end the same way: eaten by the house. Crazy souls are the most delicious, I hear.