Carrie: Brian De Palma's commercial breakout, based on a novel by Stephen King, helped launch a whole slew of teen-based horror films, and Carrie the blood-spattered prom queen is a classic. Ostracized and budding telekinetic Carrie White goes into a blind panic at her first menstruation, a result of ignorance and religious guilt drummed into her by her fanatical mother, Margaret ,and her classmates'  pelt her with tampons.The  gym teacher gives them detention and the  girls played by Amy Irving, P.J. Soles, and Nancy Allen plot to avenge themselves. When they get popular boy Tommy Ross to be her date for the prom, the stage is set for some heart-rending cruelty and fiery retribution. De Palma expertly uses split screens, slow motion, color filters, and tracking shots to imbue the proceedings with a haunting, allegorical elegance. Piper Laurie plays Carrie's mentally ill, devoutly Christian mom; she's brilliant, as is Spacek. John Travolta has a memorable pre-SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER role as one of the girls' beer-guzzling boyfriends. Starring Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, William Katt, Betty Buckley, John Travolta. Released  1976.

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