* an ongoing project for gay pride month!
Film: Carrie
Director: Brian De Palma
Stars: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Betty Buckley, Amy Irving, Nancy Allen, William Katt, John Travolta, P.J. Soles and Priscilla Pointer.In a Nutshell: Carrie White is the mousy gal everyone picks on at Bates High School. One day, she gets her first menstrual period in the showers during gym class and has no idea what is happening to her; her classmates mock her by throwing sanitary napkins at her while she collapses in a corner hysterical, her religiously demented mother locks her in a closet and accuses her of sinning...her only hope is that one student, overcome by guilt for what has occurred, arranges for Carrie to go to prom with the most handsome boy at school. The only problem is that another student has cooked up the ultimate humiliation for Carrie at the prom. Trouble is, no one involved is aware that Carrie has telekinetic abilities that can bring down a mini Armageddon on all involved.
What's So Gay About It?: Bitch please! From Piper Laurie's over-the-top portrayal of a sexually repressed born again manic mama; to Priscilla Pointer's suburban mom swigging down a mid afternoon cocktail ("I'll drink to that!"); to Broadway Babe, Betty Buckley as the caring dyke gym teacher; to a pre-Scientology Travolta looking all shaggy haired and darkly sexy; to a dreamy William Katt as the doomed "Prince Charming"; to Nancy Allen as the ultimate slut/bitch from hell; and finally, to Sissy Spacek's well played portrayal of the title character - Carrie took the sad tale of a high school outsider with an axe to grind and turned it on it's head. Carrie represented every gay kid who ever suffered any kind of humiliation in the halls of academia and asked, "What if that kid could get revenge?"
Cool Stuff: While DePalma was casting his film, he shared space with director George Lucas who was casting a little film called, Star Wars . Apparently, many of the actors auditioned for both films at the same time ... if you note homages to Psycho in this film, well, they are pretty blatant: a shower scene that ends in blood, a high school named, "Bates" - and of course the stabbing four note violin strings that accompany Carrie's powers.
Gay Quotability: "I can see your dirty pillows, everybody will!"
4 comments:
Funny, I just watched some of the extras on this DVD and the 40 minute one about the casting was spectacular. One point you forgot to mention regarding Carrie's iconic place in the gay superculture: it had a Broadway musical! Starring Betty Buckley! And damnit, there have been teasing rumors that it's going to be revived!
Great choice for your "Horror Films That Every Self-Respecting gay Man Should See" project!Carrie resonates on so many levels for some of us (should I be embarrassed to admit I used to day dream about having TK in Jr. High?) and of course, Tommy Ross and Billy Nolan were both hot in different ways (which could be a subject for dicussion itself, as they could represent the good guy/bad guy thing so many of us struggle with!). And of course, there's Sue and Miss Collins, both of whom try to makes things better for poor Carrie by including her, and unintentionally end up precipitating the entire tragedy through their well-meaning efforts. A great horror film that manages to be touching and frightening!
(P.S. I'm having trouble with google right now, so if this repeats, I apologize)
One of my favorite horror films. I was wondering if Miss Collins was into pie over strudel myself. Some hot chicks in this film. And of course, you get your eye candy too. Just a fantastic film no matter what. WAY better than the book, by the way.
I was in therapy before seeing this film. Now I just watch the scene where Carrie crucifies her mom once a day, and I'm fine. Really. I'm fine.
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