“It has nothing to do with Satan, Mama. It’s me. Me. If I concentrate hard enough, I can move things”
Is it possible to go to prom these days without thinking about Carrie? Brian De Palma’s 1976 adaptation of Stephen King’s debut novel has become so ingrained in the zeitgeist that it’s nearly impossible to shop for a prom dress without a fleeting fear that it might become covered in blood. And perhaps that’s a good thing. Revolutionary at the time, the story concludes with a shocking act of righteous revenge, but mixed into the wreckage is a cautionary tale about bullying and religious abuse. Carrie may wield the fiery hand of justice in the film’s final act, but only after a lifetime of victimization at the hands of her classmates and mother. Maybe thinking about Carrie and the real life outcasts that share her fate can help us create a kinder and more understanding world.
Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) just wants to fit in. This awkward senior at Bates High is mercilessly picked on by students and teachers alike and isolated from the outside world by her ultra-religious mother Margaret (Piper Laurie). But a vicious prank goes terribly wrong and Carrie winds up humiliated at prom in front of the whole student body. Fortunately (for her), Carrie is not without power. A recently discovered talent for telekinesis becomes an invisible weapon she uses to decimate the audience then track down and kill the authors of her pain. After tearing through the senior class, this blood-soaked prom queen wanders home to the waiting arms of her mother. But something far worse lies in Margaret’s dark heart and nobody will escape this hellish night unscathed.
In celebration of the novel’s 50th birthday, The Lady Killers are donning corsages and curling their hair for a prom date from hell and an exploration of the film’s powerful message. Co-hosts Jenn Adams, Mae Shults, Rocco T. Thompson, and Sammie Kuykendall will debate the film’s voyeuristic gaze while discussing cinematic mean girls, upsetting monologues, cartoonish calisthenics, and egregious red hats on the road to dissecting Carrie’s true motivations. What do we think of De Palma’s opening shower scene? Why does King like to burn down his fictional towns? Why can’t Tommy (William Katt) take no for an answer and how on earth is Chris (Nancy Allen) talking while giving a blowjob? They’ll unpack all of these questions and more while celebrating one of the patron saints of Lady Killer lore.
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