Reviews

Stars: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, Nancy Travis 

Director: Brian DePalma 

We now reach our first Stephen King movie in this review series, Carrie. When I reviewed this year in horror films, there was really only one other film that was in serious contention, The Omen. I like The Omen, as far as creepy kid films go it is one of the best, but is it a favorite of mine? No, it is not but I have watched it more than once. The atmosphere is great and the thought of my child being the devil is certainly a scary one, but I never really reach for this when I am in the mood for a horror film. I have only watched The Omen a couple of times while most of the films on this list, including Carrie, are pretty much annual watches. 

Brief synopsis: 

Carrie White has a complete meltdown when she is taking a shower after gym class and starts her period. Completely sheltered by her religious fanatic mother, Carrie has no idea what is happening and believes she is bleeding to death. She begs for help only to get pelted with pads and tampons by her fellow students. The gym teacher finally calms her down but not before all of the lights burst in the locker room, the first sign of Carrie’s burgeoning telekinetic powers. Carrie goes home and is punished by her mother for becoming a woman. Mrs. White is convinced that Carrie is being punished for impure thoughts. While Carrie is being punished by her mother, the gym teacher is punishing the girls who tormented Carrie by putting them through an exercise marathon in detention. Chris Hargenson, the leader of the pack, eventually cracks and refuses to participate. Her rebellion costs her the prom. She vows revenge. 

Meanwhile Sue Snell, another one of the participants, gets her boyfriend Tommy to ask Carrie to the prom as penance for her part in the attack in the locker room and Carrie begins to come into her powers and assert herself with her mom. 

Spoilers below (you have been warned): 

Carrie goes to the prom with Tommy and they are crowned king and queen following a rigged election. After a cruel prank by Chris where a bucket of pig’s blood is dropped on Carrie’s head, she goes into a trance and unleashes her full powers on the laughing crowd. After killing everyone in the gym and setting fire to the school, she heads home. Chris and her boyfriend Billy try to run Carrie down in the street but she uses her powers to crash the car, killing them both. 

Carrie gets home to her mother and finally breaks out of her trance. Her mother stabs Carrie in the back in attempt to kill her. Carrie saves herself and kills her mother. She then pulls the house down on herself, dying in the rubble. Sue visits the site of Carrie’s death with flowers and she grabbed by Carrie through the ground however, this is just a nightmare Sue is having. She wakes up screaming and is comforted by her own mother. 

My thoughts (with spoilers): 

Carrie is one of the earlies horror films I ever saw. I was probably in 5^th or 6^th grade and it really made an impression on me. Carrie did not ask for the life she was given. She was the victim of a religious fanatic mother whose husband couldn’t handle her and left. Carrie suffered the brunt of her mother’s insanity. She was abused, locked in a closet if she did not behave, and forced to recite her mother’s version of scripture. She went into school so beaten down and unable to socialize that she never had a hope of being popular. 

Teenage Carrie just wants to survive high school. Because of people like Chris Hargensen, that was not going to happen. Chris is a mean girl to the core, pissed that she was rightfully punished for abusing Carrie and determined to make her pay for the punishment doled out by the gym teacher. She is a sociopath, completely devoid of empathy or even sympathy for Carrie. Carrie is an easy target for her hatred because Carrie doesn’t fight back. Or at least she didn’t until she developed telekinesis. Once Carrie realizes she can move things with her mind, she starts asserting herself. She stands up to her mother, accepts Tommy’s invitation to the prom, and actually seems happy to be going. But Chris cannot let that happen. Because of her need to always come out on top, she dooms their entire class to death. 

The acting in this film is top rate. DePalma and George Lucas did joint auditions for this film and Star Wars at the same time (there is actually footage of William Katt, who plays Tommy, auditioning for Star Wars) and the young acting talent on display is wonderful. Sissy Spacek is perfect as Carrie White. Spacek says so much with just her eyes and the scenes where she is setting the prom on fire are chilling. A quick turn of the head and a glare of the eyes and you know exactly what is going on in her head. She has to make the biggest turn of the film, from meek to killer, and it is a believable turn. Spacek received a Best Actress Academy Award nomination and it is easy to see why. 

Piper Laurie also received an Oscar nomination, for Best Supporting Actress. and it is easy to see why. Margaret White is a complex villain, a woman scorned by a cheating husband and left to raise a daughter you can tell she never wanted. She turned to religion, but she has to twist it to her own narrative, trying to keep her daughter from every experiencing any kind of connection with anyone but the Lord. Margaret White is terrifying and Laurie’s portrayal of her, especially at the end when she is trying to kill her daughter, is bone chilling. 

DePalma’s direction is amazing and really creates a different feel than a traditional director might have done. DePalma knows every trick of the trade and is not afraid to use it. Slo-mo, fast forward, kaleidoscope, dream sequences, and of course the infamous split screen at the prom. While he may get a little carried away with these tricks in his later films, they work well here, adding to the disconcerting feeling of the film. 

Carrie is a classic, plain and simple. Do yourself a favor and skip the prom. Instead, grab a group of friends and settle in for a horror movie marathon and make sure to invite Carrie. But don’t invite the sequel or the remakes, they can take their chances at the dance. 

Other films from 1976 to check out: 

Silver Streak – Classic comedy with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor on a train filled with intrigue and laughs. 

Family Plot – Alfred Hitchcock’s last film and, while not one of his best, it is still a fun watch. 

Murder by Death – An old mansion, a murder, and plenty of comedy. A millionaire calls famous detectives to his house to solve a crime. A lot of fun and plenty of familiar faces for movie fans.

Stars: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss 

Director: Steven Spielberg 

There are years when choosing a favorite horror film is going to be difficult for me. This is not one of those years. Jaws isn’t just the best horror film of 1975, it is one of the best horror films of all time. 

Brief synopsis: 

A tourist named Chrissie is attacked and killed in the waters off Amity Island. After her remains are found, Police Chief Martin Brody is told she was the victim of a shark attack by the town coroner. Fearful for the people he protects, Martin attempts to shut down the beaches but his efforts are thwarted by the greedy mayor and town council. They pressure the coroner to change the cause of death to a boating accident and the beaches stay open for business. This decision proves fatal to a dog named Pippin and young Alex Kitner, who is attacked while floating on his raft in front of dozens of horrified people. Unable to deny the shark’s existence any longer, Mayor Vaughn agrees to close the beaches for 24 hours. Matt Hooper from the Oceanographic Institute comes to town to check out the situation while local fisherman Quint offers to get rid of the shark for $10,000. 

Alex’s mother offers $3,000 for the capture of the shark that killed her child. The town becomes overrun with fishermen hoping to capture the shark and earn the bounty. A shark is caught however Hooper quickly determines it is not the shark that attacked Alex or Chrissie. The mayor refuses to listen and opens up the beaches for the 4^th of July only to be proven wrong when the shark attacks again, almost killing Michael, Chief Brody’s oldest son. Finally backed into a corner, the mayor agrees to Quint’s demands and Quint, Brody, and Hooper set off on the fishing vessel Orca to kill the mammoth beast. 

Spoilers below (you have been warned): 

After multiple attacks, Hooper ends up at the bottom of the ocean in scuba gear and Quint is eaten by the shark as it destroys his boat. Martin ends up on the mast of the sinking ship with a gun and, hitting the air tank the shark has stuck in its mouth, blows it up. Hooper comes back to the surface and the surviving men swim home. 

My thoughts (with spoilers): 

Welcome to the first blockbuster and one of the first films to be sent out in wide release. Until Jaws, films were usually sent out in smaller releases to different markets at different times. If a film didn’t do well in one market, it may never make it to your town. That changed, for better or worse, with the film Jaws. The film opened in 450 theaters nationwide and went on to be the highest grossing film of all time for a couple of years until a little film called Star Wars took the mantle in 1977. 

But why? What was it about Jaws that drove people to the theaters and away from the ocean? I would say that there are multiple reasons for this. For starters, most people have a fear of the unknown and the ocean is full of the unknown. There are creatures of all sorts in the water, many of which we cannot see until it is too late. Spielberg captures that fear perfectly, hiding the shark and using the camera to stalk his prey. Yes, he was forced to do so due to the malfunctioning shark, but the ability to pivot and create that deep sense of foreboding and fear without the creature on screen is something only a master of visual storytelling can do. As we go through films, you will see directors’ names and wonder whatever happened to them. This is Spielberg’s first major film and, 50 years later, we all still know who he is. 

But even the best direction cannot prop up a badly written script or badly acted characters. The script is perfect, a prime example of taking the source material and improving upon it. Peter Benchley’s original novel is good but with too many unnecessary subplots that take the focus off of the shark and our three main protagonists. We do not need an affair between Hooper and Martin’s wife Ellen or the mayor being pressured by the mafia to keep the beaches open. In the case of Jaws the movie, less is more. Martin and Ellen are a believable and loving couple. We want to see him come home to her, to be her hero. That goes away if she is cheating on him with Hooper. Mayor Vaughn also comes off a little bit better without the mafia involved in his story. Yes, he is letting greed get the better of him but he is also looking out for his hundreds of citizens who depend on the summer tourists for their very lives. No money from tourists means that they may not be able to afford food or heat in the off-season. The mafia storyline took that nuance away from him. 

Every role is perfectly cast in this film and I applaud Spielberg’s decision to use locals to fill out the smaller cast and background roles. Using locals adds a realism to the film that is needed to help immerse the viewer in the story. Roy Scheider is great as the hydrophobic Brody. We believe him as the Chief but also as a father and husband. Robert Shaw, who also helped script doctor the famous Indianapolis scene, is hard and grizzled as the slowly unraveling Quint. His speech near the end of the film is haunting and helps explain his need to kill all sharks. Richard Dreyfuss is good as Hooper but, if I am being honest, comes off a little brattier than I think was intended by the filmmakers. 

However, Spielberg did not create this film in a vacuum. I would be remiss if I did not mention the brilliant and Oscar winning editing of Verna Fields. Each edit in the film is made for a specific reason and they work to keep the tension high. I watched the film in the theater just this summer with several of my friends. During the scene where Hooper checks out Ben Gardner’s boat under water and Ben’s head floats into view, one of my friends jumped and the other grabbed me in terror. This kind of reaction, especially in a 50-year-old film, only happens if the editing is perfect. 

And last but certainly not least, we have the award-winning score of Jaws by the legendary John Williams. It starts off simple and low, just two notes slowly played back and forth. As the shark gets closer to its prey, the notes go faster and faster, adding in more instruments and building until the attack happens and the orchestra is in a fury, gnashing back and forth between the notes like the shark tearing apart its prey between its teeth. It is also never used for a false scare. If the theme is playing, the shark is coming. I will ding the jaunty music during the initial days that the three men are at the sea, it does not work for me, but the Jaws theme is a classic. 

The sequels are various degrees of declining quality. Jaws 2 is basically a teen slasher with the killer being the shark and couple of good kills. Although Jaws 3D is bad, the bad movie lover in me has a soft spot for it and its stupid plot of the shark invading Sea World. Jaws the Revenge is just awful and I do not think near as fun as Jaws 3D. 

Truthfully, there is only one film in the series that you ever need to see and that is the original 1975 classic. All the others are just chum. 

Other films from 1975 to check out: 

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – The film that rightfully beat out Jaws for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Louis Fletcher’s Nurse Ratched almost beats out Bruce the Shark as most terrifying villain of the year. 

Escape From Witch Mountain – Lost alien kids with telekinetic powers trying to get home. Underrated Disney film with Eddie Albert and Kim Richards, older sister of Kyle Richards aka Lindsey from Halloween. 

Monty Python and the Holy Grail – Hilarious and endlessly quotable. This is my personal favorite of the Monty Python movies.

Stars: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, John Saxon 

Director: Bob Clark 

Another year with two classic horror films. Once again, my personal taste is the deciding factor and I much prefer the remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre to the original by Tobe Hooper. This is a film where I think the overhyping of its reputation may have ruined my viewing of it. I was promised a bloody and terrifying film but the film I saw was an almost bloodless 80 minutes of screeching and chainsaw revving. I respect the film’s place in horror history but up again Black Christmas, it wasn’t even a close contest. One of the first modern slasher films, my favorite subgenre of horror films, was the easy winner. 

Brief synopsis: It is almost Christmas and sorority girl Jess has just gotten an unwanted gift – she is pregnant by her music scholar boyfriend Peter. Peter wants to get married but Jess is a modern 1970’s gal who wants to exercise her right to choose and have an abortion. In the middle of this romantic drama, the sorority girls and house mother are getting ready for the holidays while receiving obscene phone calls, and an escaped madman has taken up residence inside the house. 

Spoilers below (you have been warned): 

It’s a slasher film – almost everyone dies in various ways. The police get involved and discover the phone calls are coming from inside the house. Jess, crazed from being chased by the killer all night, begins to think Peter is the killer and ends up dispatching him with a fireplace poker. The police think the case is solved. Jess goes to bed and the phone starts ringing as the killer emerges from the attic. 

My thoughts (with spoilers): When I first saw A Christmas Story in 1983 it never occurred to me that the same man who directed it also directed the slasher film Black Christmas. While Clark definitely had some bombs, including the notoriously bad Baby Geniuses, he also had two classics in two different genres and that takes talent. Rest in Peace Bob and thanks for the memories. 

Black Christmas is a creepy ride with great atmosphere and setting. The sorority house is covered in dark wood and has a more morose feeling than you would expect for college girls. We very rarely venture beyond its walls, adding a sense of claustrophobia to the film. Clark moves the camera well and creates a real sense of fear throughout the film. He also gets the most out of his cast and what a cast this film has. 

One of the things I love about watching older horror movies is seeing who may appear before they became famous and this one has quite a few. Unfortunately, the star of the film could be considered on her way down. Olivia Hussey was best known for Romeo and Juliet and, while she worked steadily her whole life, these two films are probably her best known. But then, we are treated to Margot Kidder before she was Lois Lane, John Saxon before he fought Freddy Kreuger as Lieutenant Thompson, and Andrea Martin before she was a comedy genius in everything. 

Another interesting thing about the film is that we never get a full view of the murderer, Billy. We hear his voice and we see him in shadows, but I could not even tell you the color of his hair. Because of this, we the audience can believe that Peter could be the killer, set off by Jess’s decision to have an abortion. Jess’s decision isn’t treated lightly but she makes it clear that, for her, it is the right decision. When the fireplace poker comes out and Jess kills Peter, we can believe it is justified, that she feared for her life or at least what Peter would do to stop her from following through on her plans. It isn’t until she is left alone that we realize she killed the wrong man and it is left ambiguous as to whether or not she will survive the night. 

Is Black Christmas the best slasher of the 1970’s? In my opinion, no, but it is one of the better ones and a great starting point for someone wanting to get into the genre. The acting and directing are great and the story builds well, even leaving us on a cliff hanger that will never be resolved. Avoid the remakes and stick to the original.    

Other films from 1974 to check out: 

Young Frankenstein – Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Teri Garr, and Madeline Kahn all at their best in this loving homage to the classic Universal films. 

Blazing Saddles – Another great Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, and Madeline Kahn film, this time a Western parody. Throw in legendary performances by Harvey Korman and Cleavon Little and this is a must see. Word of warning – avoid TV edits. This is a film that must be seen in its original theatrical form. 

The Towering Inferno – A grandaddy of the disaster film genre with famous faces like Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, and Fred Astaire stuck in a burning building.

Stars: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland 

Director: Robin Hardy 

Let us deal with the elephant in the room – no, I did not choose The Exorcist for 1973. This is my favorite movies and The Exorcist just is not one of them. Do I think it is a classic of the horror genre? Yes, but that doesn't make it one I necessarily enjoy or want to watch again. I can appreciate the acting and direction of The Exorcist. As someone who was raised Catholic, I can definitely relate to the religious aspects of the film but, in the end, I never really connected with the story or the characters. 

However, The Wicker Man still chills me to this day. What starts out as a detective story turns into a story of paranoia, gas lighting, and cult behavior and I love every moment of it. 

Brief synopsis: 

Edward Woodward is Sergeant Neil Howie, a devoutly religious Christian who is searching for a missing girl named Rowan on a small island called Summersisle. As he attempts to find the child, he is constantly hindered by the local citizens, many of who deny that Rowan even exists. Howie refuses to be distracted by the people of the town, the strange customs of the cult he has stumbled into, or even the beguiling charms of Britt Ekland as Willow. He is steadfast and single-minded, determined to solve the mystery. After finally finding evidence of Rowan’s existence at the local school, he is sent to the graveyard and Rowan’s grave. Christopher Lee’s Lord Summersisle allows Howie to exhume the grave but all he finds is a dead hare in the coffin. 

Putting together all the clues he has gathered throughout his investigation, Howie becomes certain that Rowan is set to be a sacrifice for the farming community to guarantee a good harvest. Finding all modes of escape destroyed, Howie decides to at least save Rowan from being sacrificed. 

Spoilers below (you have been warned): 

Sadly, Howie has misread the clues. He is the sacrifice, not Rowan. She was just the bait. After being tricked by Rowan to come to the ceremony, it is revealed that Howie was chosen for multiple reasons, including the fact that he is a virgin. Howie tries to reason with the villagers but they do not listen. He is forced into a giant wicker statue and burned to death. 

My thoughts (with spoilers): 

You can have Reagan’s spider walk or the head turning around – for me, Howie’s screams as he is being burned alive are far more haunting. From beginning to end, The Wicker Man keeps you on edge. This isn’t a straight-forward detective film, this is a game of cat and mouse. You can understand Howie’s suspicions of the people he is investigating but you can also understand why they are none too keen to talk to him. He is an outsider and visibly disdainful of their beliefs. He rejects anything that does not fit into his belief system as evil and wrong. He isn’t looking for Rowan because he is concerned about her, it is simply his job. 

Sadly, Howie’s tunnel vision stops him from missing obvious clues that this is a setup. He is personally sent the information about Rowan and her missing status at his home, not assigned the case by his supervisor. The people deny her existence from the outset, but no one encourages him to leave. He is a pure man, refusing to partake in anything that might stain his soul or character, no matter the temptations the town constantly places before him. He even dismisses it when his only way of leaving the island is sabotaged, stranding him there for good. 

But it is Howie’s refusal to bend from the straight and narrow that eventually seals his fate. He refuses to be enticed by Willow to lose his virginity or even have a small drink. His obvious discomfort and inability to change only makes each scene more tense. Edward Woodard, who would later find fame as another lawman in The Equalizer, is perfect as the fastidious inspector. We don’t really like Howie, but we understand his motivation and admire his determination to save Rowan. 

His foil, Lord Summersisle, is perfectly played by the legendary Christopher Lee. Lord Summersisle is a man on his own mission who wants one thing – to make sure the sacrifice goes off as planned. He is the cat toying with mouse Howie. Lee has a smarmy charm to him and it is easy to believe that his people follow him without question. Just as Howie blindly follows his Lord, Jesus, the islanders blindly follow their Lord, Summersisle. 

The Wicker Man is a must watch for any horror fan. The horror of it is not as in your face as The Exorcist but more of a slow burn that creeps into your head and creates a sense of dread and unease. We know something is wrong with this community and the dawning realization that Howie is in real danger from them builds and builds. Once we reach the final crescendo with the titular Wicker Man and his date with Howie, we can’t help but be devastated that he didn’t manage to escape his fate. As his screams echo through the final scene, all hope leaves the film. The Exorcist leaves with you hope that Reagan and her mother might eventually have a normal life, that Father Karras’s sacrifice was for the greater good. Howie’s death is for nothing as another person innocent person will die the next time the crops wither even a little bit. 

Other films from 1973 to check out: 

Disney’s Robin Hood – love the animals, especially fox Robin Hood and vixen Maid Marian 

High Plains Drifter – not normally a fan of Westerns but this tale of ghostly revenge is more horrific than a lot of the horror films released this year 

Live and Let Die – Roger Moore’s first outing as James Bond and an amazing them song by Paul McCartney and Wings