Being from Cologne it’s fascinating to me that although it’s neither November 11th nor that much loved week in February, talk of the town is dressing up and all wigs are sold out. The American Halloween is taking over and I’m not entirely sure what to think about that.
So because I have carnival and no urge to get dressed up in colourful or scary costumes in between the „sessions“, there was plenty of time to watch one of my favourite films of all time again. Definitely still a Halloween event, as the film inspires one of THE Halloween costumes: Carrie!
Stephen King’s first novel was published in 1973 and brought to the screen three years later by Brian de Palma. Both book and movie were extremely successful and catapulted Sissy Spacek and John Travolta to the red carpets of Hollywood.
Carrie White is a shy 16-year-old High school student. When she suddenly gets her first period, everything begins to change. Beginning to blossom from the wallflower she was, Turning from Wallflower to fury, Carrie develops strange powers and begins moving objects with her mind. Her deeply religious mother believes menstruation is burden from God and thus punishes Carrie for upsetting misbehaving. Carries anger only grows in the isolation she finds herself in and when her fellow students dump pigs blood all over her at prom, they don’t laugh about their prank for long.
Carrie is a great Horror movie. De Palma carefully constructs the story and gets the audience emotionally right there with his protagonist. Everything that happens to Carrie also happens to the viewers, who will find themselves shocked at whom they’ve been sympathizing with.
Carrie is no Action Horror, but subtle storytelling. But that is even more scary!
