Carrie is a 2020 paranormal horror film directed by Kathryn Bigelow starring Maya Hawke, Melissa Leo, Amandla Stenberg, Peyton List, Dylan Sprayberry, Rhys Matthew Bond and Mayim Bialik.
An adaption of the 1974 Stephen King novel of the same name, and third subsequent theatrically released adaption of the original text, following Brian De Palma's Academy Award nominated 1976 film and Kimberley Peirce's 2013 remake. It serves as the 1st official installment and the eigth entry of the Horror-verse culminating in the appearance of the titular character among many other horror icons in the 2024 House of Monsters.
Plot[]
Carrie White, a shy, unpopular 16-year-old girl, experiences her first period as she showers with her female classmates after high school gym class. Unaware of what is happening, she panics and screams for help. The other girls, led by the arrogant, popular Christine "Chris" Hargensen, begin pelting her with tampons, laughing and chanting "Plug it up! Plug it up!". Miss Desjardin, the gym teacher, intervenes and slaps Carrie, telling her get up and tend to herself. A light bulb breaks as Carrie is in hysterics. Miss Desjardin then realizes that this is Carrie's first period and helps her.
Miss Desjardin informs the school principal of the incident. As he dismisses Carrie from school, she becomes frustrated at the cigarette smoke from his ashtray, and his repeatedly calling her "Cassie". She makes the ashtray flip and shatter. On her way home, a young boy taunts Carrie, and she derails his bicycle simply by glaring at him. Once home, Carrie tearfully asks her fanatically religious mother, Margaret, why she never told her about her period. Margaret rants that menstruation is from sinful thoughts. She drags Carrie into an altar-like "prayer closet" and locks her inside to pray for forgiveness.
Miss Desjardin reprimands the girls on their cruelty to Carrie. The punishment is a week after-school detention in a boot camp style hour of gym class, and the penalty for skipping it is a three-day suspension and barring from prom. Chris yells that if the girls stick together, they can overturn the detention. To her disbelief, the girls stay silent. Only Sue Snell replies, saying "Shut up, Chris. Just shut up." Chris walks away, thus suspended and banned from prom.
Chris blames Carrie for this punishment and wants revenge. She concocts a plan for her friend Norma to rig the election for Prom Queen so that Carrie wins. Her boyfriend Billy slaughters some pigs at a local farm and collects the blood in a large bucket. The bucket will be hidden above the gym's stage, where Carrie will be standing when she 'wins' Prom Queen. When she does, Chris will pull the rope holding the bucket, dumping blood on Carrie as her final humiliation.
Only Sue feels deep remorse for participating in the locker room incident. She asks her handsome and popular boyfriend, Tommy Ross, to invite Carrie to prom. Carrie worries Tommy is joking. Miss Desjardin encourages Carrie to accept his offer. Carrie begs her mother to let Tommy take her to prom; she refuses, saying "after the blood, the boys come". Carrie tells Margaret that she cannot stop her and slams all the doors and windows shut. Having researched her telekinesis, Carrie has mastered it. Margaret, frightened, calls Carrie a satanic witch.
Carrie wears a flattering dress and makeup to prom, to everyone's surprise. When she's crowned Prom Queen, she's met with applause and cheers. She sheds happy tears and Tommy gives her a congratulatory kiss. As this is happening, Sue notices the rope and bucket, and tries to tell Miss Desjardin, who thinks Sue is troublemaking and pushes her out the door.
Chris pulls the rope and Carrie is drenched with blood. The stunned crowd goes silent, except for Norma, who points and laughs. As Tommy yells in Carrie's defense, the bucket falls and knocks him unconscious. Chris and Billy escape. Carrie hallucinates that everyone is laughing at her. She unleashes telekinetic fury upon the crowd, guilty and innocent alike. The doors slam shut; people run and scream. The principal is electrocuted, and Miss Desjardin is crushed to death. As the gym burns, Carrie calmly walks out and mentally locks the remaining students inside. Chris and Billy attempt to run over Carrie as she walks home; Carrie causes their car to flip and explode, killing them.
When she arrives home, Margaret tells Carrie she is the result of rape by her drunk father— and that she shamefully enjoyed it. As she comforts Carrie, Margaret stabs her in the back and chases her with a knife. Carrie causes kitchen utensils to fly through the air and kill Margaret. In a state of madness she flees into the night before finding sue, who comforts Carrie as she dies in sue’s arms. In a mid-credits scene Carrie wakes up in a hospital room where she's greeted by a mysterious man who greets her as a "benefactor."
Cast[]
- Maya Hawke as Carrie White
- Melissa Leo as Margaret White
- Amandla Stenberg as Sue Snell
- Rhys Matthew Bond as Tommy Ross
- Peyton List as Chris Hargensen
- Dylan Sprayberry as Billy Nolan
- Mayim Bialik as Miss Desjardin