Thank Stephen King's wife for this one. I remember reading that he had thrown this story in the trash, not thinking it was any good, but she took it out, read it and said THIS is the story you need to send out. Now we have a classic.

Fun fact: Sissy Spacek wanted to not hang out with the rest of the cast off set so that she remain in her character as being shy and outcast. Goes to show that Sissy was very talented at her craft.

Audiences in 1976: "You see, it's always the quiet ones you gotto watch out for. Ought to be a law against 'em." Audiences today: "Yes! You get those bullies Carrie! Burn it to the ground!"

when you said "is carrie on the spectrum?" i burst into tears. as an autistic girl who really resonates with carrie and is obsessed with this story, your organic reaction to this movie is exactly what stephen king and brian de palma were trying to convey. this story is ultimately a tragedy, a cycle intergenerational trauma coming to a head. ableism is perpetuated by our parents and peers in a perverse attempt to correct us, institutions like education and religion often pressuring and catapulting us straight toward hurting ourselves or others in our pain. i personally recommend the novel, what carrie is feeling and the way she is connected to the town around her as she destroys everything including herself is so fervently described by king (who i do have mixed feelings for), there has been no other read like it for me

It really touched on issues that was uncomfortable for the day. It touched on sex education, feminine issues, bullying, fitting in, religious extremism, child abuse, etc. Stephen King knew the problems of the day and some of those problems haven't gone away after 45 years.

i’m glad you pointed out that carrie was only imagining the entire room laughing at her. so many reactors end up thinking the pe teacher was actually laughing.

"What's the point of being so sweet to her? Does he not know?" He doesn't. He's _completely oblivious._ He _really is_ trying to give Carrie White a pleasant prom.

A tragic bit is the fact that not everyone was laughing at her. Most of the attendees were innocent--they were suitably shocked & disgusted; but Carrie's already fragile mind was shattered, so she viewed the situation as framed by her mother's words & doubts, seeing nothing but mockery & laughter instead of reality.

Sue and Tommy were genuinely trying to be nice to Carrie but u were so suspicious all the way through 🤣 poor Tommy RIP ramen head

As someone who was bullied throughout most of my time in school, Carrie was weirdly aspirational to me. But my telekinetic powers never came through, so I had to settle for Mortal Kombat instead.

The scene where the mom dies and enjoys it in ecstasy was all actress Piper Laurie’s idea. She figured the mom thought she was going where she wanted to be. So she suggested it to director Brian DePalma, and he agreed. She was brilliant!

Stephen King wrote "Carrie" inspired by a girl he knew at his school. And the original story is very grim, that's why Carrie turns out to be such a dark tale. The girl King studied with was very poor and her parents extremely negligent conservatives, so she always looked dishevelled and dirty and the entire school nagged on her. One summer she managed to gather money and went through a transformation: new clothes, new hair, skin care... But, since that was real life and not a movie, the transformation backfired monstrously on her. She was trying to fit in and be loved, and you must NEVER have other teenagers know you are trying to be loved. The ENTIRE school turned against her ten thousand times harder, crueler and more openly, even the teachers. They destroyed her and she spiraled into depression. She eventually died.

In the scene where Carrie shows mama her dress, it’s clearly a pink dress, but her mama says it’s red. The script originally did have a red dress, so it was flub to the day of shooting. Piper Laurie, Carrie’s mother in the movie kept saying red dress, the director said, “ no it’s pink gown, not red.” Piper Laurie pulled the director to the side and said the character’s beliefs and world views are so fucked up that she sees things differently than everyone else, like the color of a dress, or the intentions of strangers. So they kept it. Great performance from her as well.

"Not the dangers of an unrealistic puritanical lifestyle coming to fruition." You're way too perceptive and erudite to be a KZfaq Reactor. That was judgmental, funny, and accurate, all at once. Best. Leo.

In the book, Carrie didn't just burn the school. She burned the whole town down. Towards the end,, Sue discovers that she's pregnant with Tommy's baby, but after Carrie dies in her arms and starts walking away, she begins to cry and she miscarries the baby. The movie is great, but the book goes into more detail.

21:38 Tommy had no idea whatsoever! As the prom went on, I think he GENUINELY enjoyed being in Carrie’s company (which makes sense because she is delightful).

Fun fact: When Piper Laurie, Carrie's mom, read the script she thought Margaret White was so over the top that she thought it was a comedy, and played her that way :D

You are seriously just in your own lane like no other. You're quick witted, sophisticated, thought provoking, metaphorical, comedic, articulate, philosophical and unpredictable all at once. I look forward to your Patreon being created asap 👌.

Fun fact, Betty Buckley, who played the gym teacher, later played Carrie’s mother in the original Broadway production of “Carrie: The Musical.”

Unfortunate fact: When Norma’s actress had to be sprayed with the Firehose, the director wanted it to look as real as possible so despite the stunt supervisor saying it was dangerous he sprayed her full force. So in the last shot we see of her when she slides down the table, the full force of water went into her right ear bursting her eardrum.

The older I get, the tougher it gets to watch Carrie. Especially this version. Outside of the supernatural elements. This shit happens to people.

Sue and Tommy were never in on the prank. Sue genuinely felt bad about her part in the shower prank that she asked Tommy to take her to make amends. Tommy went along with it because she asked and in the class room scene, he was disgusted with the teacher mocking Carrie which is why he said "you suck" directed at him. He also may have also started to have feelings for her at the prom. Also, not everybody was laughing at her but Carrie was in so much shock that in her mind, everybody was laughing including Miss Collins, the P.E. teacher. I think she pushed so much over the edge so much that she couldn't control her powers.

Fun fact, the string sting when Carrie uses her powers are the same ones Bernard Herman wrote for psycho, because he was supposed to score this movie, but he passed away before production started, so this is basically a tribute to him

"You better be sewing a straight jacket for your god damn self" killed me lmao

I never had the impression that Sue and Tommy were in on it. And I watched it when it came out. I don't understand why everybody thinks they were against her. Sue saw the error of her ways and wanted to redeem herself. Tommy did it because Sue asked him to, but then I think he started to like Carrie.

Carrie's date was so genuinely sweet and such a decent guy. It's sad he was collateral damage. The 2013 remake it actually not a bad watch.

The violin "stabs" are a reference to the 1960 movie Psycho. I've never understood why current-day watchers are confused about Sue and Tommy's motivations. It seems so clear that they had no idea what was going on. I guess that's a tribute to the depth of the screenplay and direction that it is ambiguous to so many people! In the book it is made more clear that the girls' locker room "stunt" was a real turning point for Sue. She becomes aware of mean-girl culture and her main concern about not going to the prom is not looking like a martyr. Her reaching out to carrie through Tommy is an attempt at atonement for her actions.

“How could anyone be so cruel?” Because kids are jerks. Really enjoyed this upload, thank you!

The piercing music you recognized is actually borrowed from Psycho (think of the iconic shower scene)! I hope you'll get to that one sooner or later :)

Carrie was the prettiest girl at prom & she had the best dress. Tommy and Sue were not in on the prank. He was being truly kind to Carrie. The remakes suck. This is one of my favorite King books.

The bullying scenes are still so uncomfortable to watch even after several viewings. It makes her revenge soooo sweet!

The thing with this film is that, even knowing what happens to her (the blood), it still is a reversal of sorts that most people were not in the plot to humiliate her. The fact that most people just ignored abuse and bullying and that the few who tried to do something were naïve and innefective mirrors a lot how this kind of thing goes irl. And that abuse can eventually explode over not only the abusers but on everyone around, the guilty and the innocent. It is clear eyed for a 1970's film, tbh.

I love the gym teacher 😂 she’s kind but savage when she needs to be 😂 Sue and Tommy were actually trying to be nice and when Carrie saw everyone laughing it was just in her imagination, I think only a few of the main bullies laughed

The book continues after the night of the prom. Sue Snell writes a book about her experiences and spends a lot of time questioning her own motives. She *was* the main reason why Carrie was there that night, after all. King also does a bit world-building at the end by explaining that, as a result of the massacre, both bullying and telekinesis are being taken more seriously by the authorities.

Moral of the story. Don’t bully people. Because one day they might snap, develop psychic powers and take everyone out

To answer your question, Tommy had no idea what was in store for Carrie at the prom. He didn't want to take Carrie to the prom at first, but then when he saw how sweet and genuine Carrie was, he began to actually like her. Tommy is a good guy.

In the book if memory serves me right Carrie went on to destroy fire hydrants, power lines and gas stations near the school. Carrie basically creates a path of destruction to her house from the school. She also sends out a telepathic message to all of the townspeople so they know it was her. Instead of this simply being one building burning, she almost takes out the whole town.

This movie is such a classic. As a kid who was bullied (not quite this bad) a lot in middle school, I used to root for her lol. If you get a chance to, I strongly recommend reading the book. It is *SO GOOD!* It’s not a very long book like most of King’s novels. It goes into depth about Carrie and her childhood. Love ya, sis! ❤️❤️

"You must be sewing a straitjacket for your god damn self, psycho!" Had me laughing out loud for 10 minutes or more 😂😂😂😂😂

As a huge fan of this movie (my name may not be a coincidence) who is also on the spectrum, your take of "Is Carrie on the spectrum and these people are just doing her dirty? Why is no one equipped to protect her?" is the one I have been WAITING for. It makes me tear up a little having grown up in the 90s, but I quote it to other fans all the time when I recommend this channel.

Sue's mom: "She's sleeping too much" Alanda: "No such thing!" Fact Check: *True*

Stephen King and his wife went to see the movie for the first time at a sneak preview of the movie on Halloween night. The movie was paired as a double feature, second to a Redd Foxx comedy, so the audience was majority black. He was worried that the audience would care or relate to this teen horror about a meek, little white girl living in the suburbs having menstrual problems. He said when he saw the audience jump and freak out at the end jumpscare and saw two big, grown men down front do it too (even Stephen King said he jumped because that scene wasn't in his book or the script), that was when he knew the movie was going to be a hit. I think I read that the audience ended up cheering for Carrie when she started going off at the prom...

The book actually goes into detail about how Margaret was driven into madness by an untreated mental illness, the death of her father in a shoot-out at a bar, and her partner abusing her. Carrie's father SA'd Margaret before they were married, which resulted in a pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage - which he told Margaret was "God's judgement". He then SA'd her again after they were married, which resulted in Carrie's conception. In the book he then died before Carrie was born, but in the movie he ran away with another woman and abandoned her after getting her pregnant. By the way, I'm glad you saw that Carrie is potentially on the spectrum - I'm autistic and Carrie is my special interest and comfort book/movie because it was the first time I truly felt represented in media, particularly horror. Carrie's destruction is both terrifying and empowering as someone who was abused as bad as Carrie was simply for being different.

This is one of the saddest movies I have personally seen. I still cry to this day when she gets poured woth the pig's blood. Her expression of horror along with the "They're all gonna laugh at you" playing in the background is absolutely gut wrenching...

Fun fact, the actress playing Sue was Steven Spielberg’s first wife. And the actress playing her mom is her mother in real life.

Saw this at a packed theater as a kid. The whole theater jumped at the end. Back in 70's you could smack a kid.

Sissy Spacek & Piper Laurie were both nominated for Oscars for this film (a rarity for the horror genre).

I always thought Tommy was the most interesting character. He genuinely seems to like Carrie after a while, and tries to do the right thing. King built here up as an unexpectedly decent guy in the book, too. His death is really the most tragic because of all the main characters he never did anything wrong.

25:01 -- Neither Sue, nor Tommy, nor anyone else knew of this plot by Chris, Billy, Freddy and Norma to drop the pig blood. Sue and Tommy were being genuinely kind, and so were the other kids who welcomed the "new" Carrie at the prom. Their shock and anger when the blood is dropped on Carrie is genuine, but her distorted perspective turns everyone into a laughing culprit. For me, that's what makes Carrie's vengeance terrible: she kills innocent people who had nothing but good will for her.

My school experience (not the mother but like everything else) was very similar to Carrie. I literally was tormented naked in a shower room, everyone hid my clothes, etc. This movie is the definition of a power trip and we stan Carrie. She is the only queen.

Something to keep in mind when you're looking at the reactions of people in the film to Carrie's situation is that, at the time this book was written, the concept of "child abuse" still wasn't a thing. When the principal says he can't interfere with people's beliefs, that really was the prevailing attitude. Parents had a right to discipline their kids and others did not have a right to interfere. It was only with the publication of "Sybil" in the early 70's that the idea of getting involved in any way in this kind of situation - at that time called "battered child syndrome" - gained any real traction. It still wasn't the common attitude when this film came out, thus how many people didn't seem to understand that Carrie's sense of herself came from the awfulness at home, since people were socialized not to ask or pry into how kids were raised. All people knew about Margaret White was that she was a peculiarly fanatical type of Christian (also not a socially acceptable thing at the time - most people found them embarrassing), but had no idea that she was abusing Carrie. (And again, that's not what they would have called it.) I know it seems unbelievable, but things have really changed a HELL of a lot since Carrie's day.

the last scene still gives me chills, there's something sinister about Sue's dream world before she makes it to Carrie's death site even though it's embodied by this heavenly glow, and then of course Carrie's bloody arm reaching out through the rubble right in the perfect spot to grab Sue's arm, with Sue now awake but yet still feeling Carrie's hand wrapped around her and pulling her down (to hell?) along with the music, lol it's too much. oh and the gym teacher was absolutely correct in slapping Carrie as it's scientifically the right thing to do when someone is hysterical, I know it looked bad but she didn't smack her hard enough to hurt her. lastly, your hair is glorious!

I’ve only read a few of Stephen King’s books, but from those few, I’d say he’s not only the master of horror - he’s the master of TRAGIC horror. And that’s what makes him the best. You don’t get layers of emotion like that just anywhere.

Carrie or the OG fucking around=finding out comes quick

I can tell you, as someone who has been through it, puberty is _sometimes_ awkward, and _sometimes_ overwhelming for guys when _we_ go through it. I _shutter_ at the thought of what it must be like for _girls;_ the cramps, the periods, the bloating and all. _That's_ when we _know_ what we're in for. The panic Carrie manifests, though, when she gets _her_ first period and thinks she's _hemorrhaging_ happened because she _didn't_ know what it was, thanks to her upbringing by a woman who _knew_ what lay ahead for her who had tried to _pray it away!_ Like it was some kind of _divine retribution!_ How _ridiculously naive_ is that? When's the last time an adolescent girl managed to avoid her first period because her mother _prayed really hard?_

Most modern psychology suggests that Carrie is probably autistic and experienced a "rage blackout" at prom. Her being autistic makes total sense. As someone who is on the spectrum, I find Carrie to be a very relatable character in that she's constantly being picked on for being different. Psychologists also suggest that Sue suffers from PTSD at the end of the movie. That also makes total sense. She did just watch her boyfriend and most of her closest friends die horrific deaths.

My favorite thing about you is how you so naturally place yourself in the protagonists roles. And say "ME?!" It really ads a special level to your videos that no other reactors I watch do

7:00 "I wanna choke the life out of you" Funny... that's what happend in the book: Carrie stops her heart

Sissy Spacek reads the Audible audiobook. It's such an emotional book. I highly recommend listening!

The eyeroll, sipping on your drink, flipping the bird. 👌 Perfection

Stephen King said he wrote _Carrie_ as a commentary at the time of men's fear of female power (feminism), and he based her character on a girl he taught in his English class.

During the prom scene in the book, it goes different, every one start's laughing out of confusion in how to react and she doesn't do burn the place down while on stage, she runs out and does everything through the windows and then destroys the town because she let her powers and her anger take over and she didn't remember doing any if it.

What's sad is that Tommy and Sue and the Teacher were sincere and the whole thing almost went alright. She went from the best moment in her life to the worst in an instant. What is missing from the movie (and understandably so, because it's hard to convey), is that unlike the earlier incidents in the movie where things were happening, when she goes off at the prom the people know that it's her doing it, they can feel her.

FACT: Brian DePalma is the creator of this movie. The little boy on the bicycle, near the beginning, is actually his son.

Stephen King based the character of Carrie on two girls he observed; one in grade school and the other in high school.

The teacher smacking Carrie was just trying to get her attention since she clearly was hysterical. If someone was drowning and your trying to save them u may have to knock them out to prevent both of you from drowning. Plus we live in the times where putting your hands on people is less tolerated than it was back then

"RIP...E Teacher." Such a good line! haha

Yes, Sue was asking him to take Carrie to prom out of kindness/guilt because she normally doesn't join bullying her and genuinely felt guilty about the locker room stuff. Tommie also didn't know about the pigs blood.

Classic case of don’t mess with the quiet ones..

"Y'all need an assembly, STAT!" I love her lol

This reaction was HILARIOUS, but the best was when you said, "Go with God please." 😂😂😂😂

13:26 Drinking while driving and driving drunk was more acceptable back then. They didn't really start making it socially unacceptable and cracking down with DUI laws until the 80's. The group MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) was founded in 1980 to spread public awareness of the dangers of drunk driving.

Fun fact: In the book, Sue is pregnant with Tommy's child. They didn't include that in this version of the movie, but they did in the 2013 remake.

This was an AMAZING REACTION!!! You are hysterical! Fun facts: The chic who played Norma "chopped up bangs", played Linda in Halloween, and when the water hose shot her face it ruptured her ear drum. Sissy once drenched in the pigs blood stayed covered in it for two days and stayed on set in her trailer over night to feel the void which helped her with the killing scenes. When Carrie's mom was stabbed by the knives the actress Piper Laurie wanted her to feel penetrated hence the sounds of passion. I so enjoy your commentary.

I'm not a huge Stephen King fan (I don't dislike him, but... I have my qualms with his work) but I forgot how much I love this movie. It's so heavy and Sissy is incredible. It's not scary. It's just emotional and tragic and twisted. It does a fantastic job of pulling you through all of Carrie's woes.

"Yeah. Follow that feeling right on into the light, witch." Even her throwaway one-liners are gold.

Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, and Sissy Spacek are truly the reason this film is so good. Bad casting (directing, editing, and script writing) would have just given you the remake instead of this classic. Thanks again for another awesome reaction

Yep, Sue and Tommy were not in on it. The other kids formed the plan after they found out he was taking her. Took advantage of the situation so to speak. Sue felt instantly guilty for her behavior in the locker room once she realized Carrie really didn't know what was going on. It's been awhile since I read the book but I believe she realized Carrie wasn't weird, she was abused in that moment and chose to start helping her. She knew Carrie wouldn't trust her so she asked Tommy to take Carrie to the prom instead. It was also explained more in the book why the kids disliked Carrie. No excuse for that behavior, obviously. But most were intimidated mostly by her mother's preaching and Carrie repeating things back because she didnt know better. They thought she thought she was better than everyone else. Plus the fact that weird things always happened around her. Such a sad story and wonderful performances from the entire cast, but especially Sissy.

"If I could have one power, it would be telekinesis." Same! Honestly, it's probably the ONLY superpower I would want.

Sis…it was so awesome that you found out Sue and Tommy weren’t in on the prom sabotage. So refreshing to see. 😌

I saw this in junior high when it came out, and that unexpected hand out of the grave at the end was one of the best jump scares ever. As Sue was screaming in her mom's arms, the woman sitting in front of me turned to her friend and said "She ain't never gonna be right." 😄😄

I love how she adjusts the lighting before she wipes out everybody. QUEEN! Lol

In the book you learn even more about her mom's pregnancy. She thinks that God is punishing her for having sex by putting a tumor in her stomach, and she doesn't even realize she was pregnant until she gave birth. Also Carrie's death is soooo sad in the book. She doesn't just die in the house with her mother. This is my favorite Stephen King book, and I love to run my mouth about it.

I read the book before watching any of the movies, and before the bucket drops we get a bit of Tommy's perspective and he did feel love for Carrie, as well as for Sue, my man was ready for polyamory, the movies do the kindness of showing him being angry at the "prank" (because no sane person would throw blood on someone and call it a prank). The 2002 remake (lower budget, tv version) include some more scenes from the book, like Chris' father (a lawyer) trying to threaten the principal to sue the school to get his daughter tickets for prom and the principal stating the school would answer with the many bully complaints from other student's against Chris, or the total havoc Carrie causes on her way home. The 2002 version has my favorite Tommy, he never hesitates to defend Carrie when some kid is disrespectul to her in his presence.

Cissy was an Oscar winner for Coal Miner's Daughter. She was also phenomenal in The Help.

I was eleven when this came out and I was already used to seeing films like Exorcist, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and but this was pretty disturbing for me because I felt so bad for her. Loved when she got her revenge.

"I pray you find Jesus." I didn't know I was supposed to be looking for Him. Your reaction to this film is one of the funniest I've ever seen. Love it. Tommy really liked Carrie. He knew nothing about what Chris and Billy were doing. He was killed instantly when the bucket fell on his head.

Sissy is so beautiful in this. So pitiful and sad. She was a good person with evil surroundings. The ending makes me cry.

According to the book, the bucket instantly killed Tommy when it hit him in the head. Guess it was one heavy bucket. And I know I really shouldn't have been laughing through that final scene with her mom, but by the time you said "Go with God, please..." I was in TEARS. 🤣 I may need help.

The “dream sequence” was shot in reverse, just to add an eerie vibe. The actress walked backwards - away from the camera - then the film is played in reverse. If you look closely, the car in the background is driving backwards up the street. The remakes aren’t very good as movies, but the actresses playing Carrie all give nice performances as the role is such an empathetic one.

This was one of the first horror movies I ever watched as a child, and I don’t know why but the scene of Margaret chopping the carrots in the kitchen messed me up for months. I have no idea why that’s the thing that stayed with me lol - maybe the way it’s shot is like a bird’s-eye view of crazy?

Trivia Time: The lady who played Sue's mom is Sue's mom for real in real life. The boy who played Sue's boyfriend, Tommy, was Sue's boyfriend for real in real life. But, by the time filming started, they had broke up for real but still had to play girlfriend and boyfriend. Oh, the girl who played Kris didn't know she was the villian until she saw the movie. What??? That's crazy. The girl that wore the baseball cap was really knocked out for real during the prom scene and her ear drum was busted (by the water hose). The casting of Carrie and the casting of Star Wars happened simultaneously (Brian DePalma and George Lucas were doing a group casting type thing). The actors in Carrie also auditioned for Star Wars. Sissy was going to be Princess Laya (I know I spelled her name wrong but I don't feel like googling it) but they decided she was perfect for Carrie.

Girl your hair is glorious!

Keep in mind that Piper Laurie thought this movie was a comedy when she portrayed Carrie's mother. Yes, a comedy. Even when she was nominated for an Oscar for her performance, she still didn't get it was not meant to be a comedy and had no idea as to why the film was such a hit. Very fun reaction to this classic!

Yelling at the screen the whole time “Tommy’s a good guy” like you can hear me 🤣🤣

12:20 just in case that slap looked real to you, it's because it was, director Brian de-palma wanted Nancy Allen's reaction to be as realistic as possible so she had Betty Buckley slap her multiple times, though exactly how many times depends on who you ask, according to the editor of the film it was 10 times, Betty Buckley said it was 12 but Nancy claimed she was slapped 29 times,

A lot of the questions that you're asking "Could they have done this?" can be answered by the response "Not in the 70's". Goldilocks is the Greatest American Hero, William Kat!

You haven't done Psycho yet? The violins will make sense when you do.

When the mother was chopping that carrot you said, "...yeah, chop some carrots - take your mind off it." That is one of the funniest comments on KZfaq! I laughed and laughed at that comment! Excellent!

The shrieking violin motif for Carrie's psychic power is a reference to Bernard Hermann's score for the 1960 film Psycho, where that musical trope originated in popular culture. It was in part the result of Brian de Palma really wanting composer Bernard Hermann to score this film, but he was a bit busy being freshly dead to do the job. However, he requested composer Pino Donaggio to reference the motif wherever possible. A fun fact about Pino Donaggio is that he was also the original co-composer and performer of the song You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, if you're a 60s pop fan.