Carrie (1979)
The first ever screen adaptation of a Stephen King novel, Carrie is directed by Brian De Palma with a screenplay by Lawrence D. Cohen. It features Oscar nominated performances from both Sissy Spacek in the title role, and Piper Laurie as her mother, Margaret. Carrie is notable for the fact that the jump-scare moment in which she returns from the dead occurs in the dream of another character – and yet it is cited as being one of the most iconic examples of this horror movie trope.
High schooler Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) is systematically bullied and ostracized by both her peers and her teachers, while also being psychologically and physically abused at home by her extremely religious mother (Piper Laurie). When she begins to menstruate at school without having been taught about the process, she panics, which only encourages her bullies. Increasingly stressed, Carrie begins to exert telekinesis over people and objects. Her mother tells her that menstruation is caused by sinful thoughts and punishes her, and this only increases Carrie’s psychic activity.
Her fellow students begin to conspire against her – using the upcoming prom as staging for public humiliation – and Carrie commits mass murder. Carrie then confronts her mother who informs her that she resents Carrie’s existence, because she is the result of marital rape. As the situation escalates into violence, Carrie protects herself with telekinesis and Margaret is killed. The psychic activity becomes uncontrollable, however, and Carrie appears to be caught up in fire and the collapse of her family home.
The jump-scare moment occurs at the very end of the film, when one of the surviving high school students dreams of visiting the grave of Carrie White. As she approaches and takes a moment to reflect, she places some flowers on the grave and Carrie’s bloodied arm punches up through the earth to grab her.
