Brian De Palma's adaptation of Stephen King's debut novel, 'Carrie' (1976), is one of the defining films of 1970s 'New Hollywood' style and a horror classic. The story of a teenage social outcast who discovers she possesses latent psychic powers that allow her to deliver retribution to her peers, teachers, and abusive mother, Carrie was an enormous commercial and critical success and is still one of the finest screen adaptations of a King novel. This book not only breaks the film down into its formal components - its themes, stylistic tropes, technical approaches, uses of colour and sound, dialogue, and visual symbolism - but also considers a multitude of other factors contributing to the work's classic status. |