Do not be surprised if a lot of these next titles are consistent classics, because what else are we going to do as we get closer to Halloween! For today's recommendation, it only seems fitting that we start the week with a pick that was based on a novel from the King of Horror... Stephen King, that is.
Day 23 - Carrie (1976)
Of course we're going with the original 1970s Carrie, directed as a stylish symphony of horror by Brian De Palma, and starring Sissy Spacek and the late, great Piper Laurie. Carrie, based on King's first novel of the same name, tells the story of a young girl who attempts to navigate high school life as she starts to develop psychic powers. Everything from the unflinching view of high school life, the film starts with an incredible opening credits sequence that informs the viewer exactly what the tone of the film is going to be, to the Academy Award nominated performances to even the last act of the film scream "classic". By telling the story of a young woman as she comes of age, De Palma is able to use King's text as a springboard to discuss a plethora of ideas, including growing up, religion (I mean, we can spend a whole semester talking about Carrie's mom), the idea of the outcast and how people ostracize others just because they're different, and even revenge. De Palma, using every single one of his stylish tricks that he's known for, directs this with an intense ferocity and truly nails the idea that high school is hell from King's novel. The cast (starting with Spacek and Laurie who both received nominations in a genre that usually gets ignored by the academy) is spectacular and it includes such luminaries as Nancy Allen, Amy Irving, William Katt, John Travolta, P.J. Soles, and Betty Buckley. Of course the big sequence that everyone always references is the prom scene and with good reason, it is a tour de force moment that remains unrivaled. With every single other adaptation of Carrie that has followed the De Palma one, no one has come even close to touching the greatness of that prom scene, in terms of sheer terror and dazzling filmmaking. De Palma, and Spacek, are at the top of their game here - as he employs sinister close-ups to shoot her incredible eyes and then as Carrie fully embraces her power, so does De Palma by using all his favorite tricks, including split-screens, vibrant colors, and kinetic camera moves to deliver one of the most famous sequences in all of horror. Plus, that ending absolutely delivers and completely changes the game (so much so that plenty of other films have used the shocking ending as well) for the genre. Carrie isn't just one of the best horror films of all time, but one of the best King adaptations ever. And we didn't even talk about the haunting score by Pino Donaggio or the visually arresting European sensibility of Mario Tosi's cinematography. If you've never seen it, simply watch the De Palma one and you will be unprepared for it.
*All of the recommendations that we make can be found at the El Paso Public Library Catalog!
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