Carrie (1976)

Carrie White, daughter of a religious fanatic mother, is a shy and awkward teenager. When her first period takes place as she showers after gym class she is terrified as her mother had never taught her about such things; the other girls in her class torment her. As her teacher tries to comfort her a lightbulb bursts... Carrie's latent power of telekinesis has been awakened. The girls in her class are punished for their actions; after which one of then determines, with the help of her boyfriend, to humiliate Carrie further to get revenge. Another suggests to her boyfriend that he should invite Carrie to the prom to make up for what they did. Back at home Carrie's mother is unsympathetic and tells her that her period is a sign that she was having sinful thoughts. As she grows to understand her new powers she gains the confidence to stand up to her mother and accepts the invitation to the prom... needless to say the night does not end well.

This is rather unusual amongst horror films in that the person who has supernatural powers and ultimately uses them to kill people isn't the villain of the story but its victim. The villains are Carrie's classmates and her mother; the first group are just very unpleasant, for the most part, but her mother is truly disturbing with her absolute faith. The film doesn't rush to get to the horror; instead it gradually raises the tension; clearly signposting the fact that something will happen at the prom. Not all of the characters are black and white; until it becomes obvious I wasn't sure if the boy who invited Carrie to the prom was being genuinely nice or part of the scheme to humiliate her. When the violence starts it is perhaps a little too comic but that could be due to effects that while not bad don't feel quite real. The cast does a solid job; especially Sissy Spacek in the title role and Piper Laurie as her mother. Overall I'd say that this is a classic of the genre so a must see for horror fans.