CARRIE

SYNOPSIS: A shy, telekinetic high school girl takes revenge on the classmates who brutally teased her – making their senior prom a night they will never forget.

BOTTOM LINE: I'm not sure how proud Sissy Spacek is of this film anymore, but I have to say, hands down, it's one of the scariest films about high school and puberty that I have ever seen. If you think your teen years were bad, they're nothing to the hell on Earth that poor Carrie, a shy, sweet girl with telekinetic powers and a loony, religious mother, has to put up with. All she wants is to be accepted and loved. All she gets is derision, teasing and pain. So, who can blame the girl, who's own mother considers her evil, for taking a little revenge on those who made her suffer. Certainly, not this once shy girl. Though this is considered a horror movie (it's a Stephen King original), it's more about Carrie trying to understand herself and fit in then it is a bloodthirsty tale of retribution. What makes this a good movie, in addition to being downright creepy, is Spacek's performance and the fact that there's more to the story than just death and dismemberment. She makes Carrie a living, breathing person, one who fulfills many a battered teens ultimate fantasy. Though highly derivative of other's work, De Palma knows how to craft a movie for maximum impact. The final sequence pops into my head everytime I pass a cemetery. That's powerful filmmaking. If you're looking for a scary flick with a decent plot, CARRIE is the one for you.