Carrie

A woman lies or crouches amid glittering debris on a stage-like surface while a large glossy black sphere dominates the foreground. Red and purple lighting gives the scene a surreal appearance.

Adapted from Stephen King's titular novel from 1974, Brian De Palma's Carrie is among the most disturbing and iconic horror films ever made. The film centers on the shy and sensitive teenager Carrie White (Sissy Spacek), who faces bullying from her high school classmate and abuse from her fanatically pious mother. Distraught by the mistreatment she receives both at home and at school, Carrie discovers that she has supernatural powers and can control objects with her mind when she is upset.

After one of Carrie's longtime tormentors Chris Hargensen (Nancy Allen) is caught in the act and banned from attending prom, she and her boyfriend decide to enact revenge by humiliating Carrie on prom night. Their sinister plot comes to fruition when the unsuspecting Carrie is named prom queen—but little do they know that Carrie has been working hard to harness her telekinetic powers and unleashes her own revenge on all those who have bullied her in one of the most memorable sequences in cinema history.

Part of our "Too Cool for School" film series. Courtesy: MGM/Swank Motion Pictures

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