Movie Moments: Carrie

WARNING: This article reveals plot points from the movie Carrie. Proceed accordingly.

Brian De Palma's classic film adaptation of the Stephen King bestseller Carrie is filled with many memorable movie moments, from the blood-soaked shower scene at the beginning to the even more blood-soaked prom at the end. Yet De Palma's coup de grâce is the shocking, dreamlike coda, a scene that was not in the original book.

Amy Irving's Sue Snell, the only survivor of the carnage at Bates High, is seen serenely approaching the remains of the White house. A cross-like "For Sale" sign juts out of the dark, freshly plowed soil, with the angry epitaph "Carrie White burns in HELL!" scrawled upon it. Sue kneels down to place a bouquet of flowers, when suddenly an arm thrusts out of the ground and grabs hers, pulling her down towards the makeshift grave. Instantly, Sue snaps out of her nightmare, screaming, to find herself in the fragile comfort of her own bedroom. It was all a dream ... or was it?

Dozens of films since have tried to imitate this ultimate "gotcha" moment, turning it into a horror movie cliché. But none of these pretenders to the throne has been able to replicate the visceral jolt when it was done for the first time.

As part of Monday Nights with Oscar, a new print of Carrie will be screened at the Academy Theater in Manhattan October 15. De Palma will be on hand for a post-screening discussion.

Click here to purchase Carrieon DVD from Amazon.com.
Links via Imdb.com and Oscars.org.