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Showing posts with label Carrie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carrie. Show all posts
Sunday, January 8, 2023
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
WiHM: Our Favorite Female Roles In Horror, Day 4
Two of the finest performances in horror are in the spotlight today. Tell us if you agree.
Christine's pick:
Ellen Burstyn - The Exorcist
When Academy Award winning actress Ellen Burstyn took the role in The Exorcist, anyone doubting the film's legitimacy and quality no doubt squashed that apprehension immediately.
Her talent as an actress was already proven, so as Chris McNeill- the mother of a young daughter who may or may not be possessed by the devil - she was an excellent choice to make the film an even more veritable hit.
Normally, Linda Blair is the first actor people think of in The Exorcist. But as good as Blair was as Regan, Burstyn was equally as commendable as her mother. She brought a deep-seeded emotion to the part that would have been hard to come by if an unknown actress had been cast in the role.
I'm pretty sure everyone knows the story here. Popular actress Chris McNeill is working in Georgetown and lives with her daughter Regan - who loves horses and apparently playing with Ouija boards by herself. Hmm.
When Regan starts exhibiting bizarre symptoms (like cursing and peeing on the floor in front of a room full of guests), Chris takes her to a doctor and has several series of tests run. Nothing turns up from the tests and things get worse. So much worse that Burt Dennings, Chris's film director, is thrown out a window by Regan in one of her super-human strength episodes in which the bed shakes, the room is freezing, and Regan swears like a truck driver.
At this point Chris is at her wits end and goes to a priest for help. And so begins the exorcism, and the horrific hours spent trying to release the demon (who claims to be the devil himself) testing everyone's last nerve, most of all Chris. What she goes through is something that no mother should ever have to deal with - and let's face it, no one does.
For a fictional character, Burstyn brings a realism to the character that is so credible - so human - that we feel every emotion she is going through as she fears for her daughter's very life. It's such an impressive performance that it was a no-brainer when she was again nominated for an Oscar (as well as a Golden Globe) for Best Actress for the role. And it remains one of my favorite performances in horror to this day.
Marie's pick:
Sissy Spacek - Carrie
The upcoming remake’s tagline boasts, “You will know her name.” But hopefully, you already do—Carrie White.
Carrie, of course, started out as the 1974 novel by Stephen King and has gone on to have not one, but three screen adaptations, come this October. For me, I’m pretty sure there will always be just one, and that is the 1976 version brought to us by director Brian De Palma and starring the one and only Sissy Spacek.
Carrie White is a teenage girl who has just as much trouble fitting in as she does fading into the crowd. She is strange, shy, and extremely sheltered. The memorable opening scene is of gratuitous nude girls in the school locker room. Carrie White is crumpled in the corner of the shower, shrieking, her hands covered in blood. She is frightened and confused because her overprotective Christian mother didn’t inform her daughter that she would one day menstruate. Her all too understanding peers help her out by pelting her with pads and tampons—and that is just a dose of what Carrie White goes through on a daily basis.
Whether it is at home or at school, her life is miserable. Her mother (Piper Laurie) constantly ridicules Carrie and punishes her by locking her in a closet filled with creepy crucified dolls. Another reason Carrie struggles to relate to the rest of her class (as if she needs any more) is the fact that puberty has blessed her with telekinesis.
Unbelievably, Sissy Spacek was 27 when played the role of teenage Carrie White, and had to do much persuading with the director to allow her the part. In the end, it seems she was the perfect choice; she captures awkward and often heartbreaking adolescence with perfection and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.
It is hard for us to really, completely sympathize with Carrie, however, because, well, she is a weird girl. We all knew a girl like Carrie White in our school, and we all most assuredly said some awful things about her. I find it hard to consider Carrie a protagonist either, for she is driven by humiliation and madness to do some horrible, horrible things.
One reason I am angry at the casting of Chloe Grace Moretz in the upcoming remake is that I find it hard to believe that a girl like her could ever get picked on to the extent that her character does, whereas Sissy Spacek was (no offense) a weird looking girl. But alas, in this day and age it seems everyone is getting picked on. Maybe I should give Chloe a chance… NO, I REFUSE!
Every high school student faces some degree of ridicule, but Carrie is downright tormented. But the final prank is when a group of “popular” kids convince pretty boy Tommy (William Katt) to ask Carrie out to the prom and then humiliate her. What unfolds is a prom night to remember (if you survive) and one stellar, iconic performance from Sissy Spacek.
Christine's pick:
When Academy Award winning actress Ellen Burstyn took the role in The Exorcist, anyone doubting the film's legitimacy and quality no doubt squashed that apprehension immediately.
Her talent as an actress was already proven, so as Chris McNeill- the mother of a young daughter who may or may not be possessed by the devil - she was an excellent choice to make the film an even more veritable hit.
Normally, Linda Blair is the first actor people think of in The Exorcist. But as good as Blair was as Regan, Burstyn was equally as commendable as her mother. She brought a deep-seeded emotion to the part that would have been hard to come by if an unknown actress had been cast in the role.
I'm pretty sure everyone knows the story here. Popular actress Chris McNeill is working in Georgetown and lives with her daughter Regan - who loves horses and apparently playing with Ouija boards by herself. Hmm. When Regan starts exhibiting bizarre symptoms (like cursing and peeing on the floor in front of a room full of guests), Chris takes her to a doctor and has several series of tests run. Nothing turns up from the tests and things get worse. So much worse that Burt Dennings, Chris's film director, is thrown out a window by Regan in one of her super-human strength episodes in which the bed shakes, the room is freezing, and Regan swears like a truck driver.
For a fictional character, Burstyn brings a realism to the character that is so credible - so human - that we feel every emotion she is going through as she fears for her daughter's very life. It's such an impressive performance that it was a no-brainer when she was again nominated for an Oscar (as well as a Golden Globe) for Best Actress for the role. And it remains one of my favorite performances in horror to this day.
Marie's pick:
The upcoming remake’s tagline boasts, “You will know her name.” But hopefully, you already do—Carrie White.
Carrie, of course, started out as the 1974 novel by Stephen King and has gone on to have not one, but three screen adaptations, come this October. For me, I’m pretty sure there will always be just one, and that is the 1976 version brought to us by director Brian De Palma and starring the one and only Sissy Spacek.
Carrie White is a teenage girl who has just as much trouble fitting in as she does fading into the crowd. She is strange, shy, and extremely sheltered. The memorable opening scene is of gratuitous nude girls in the school locker room. Carrie White is crumpled in the corner of the shower, shrieking, her hands covered in blood. She is frightened and confused because her overprotective Christian mother didn’t inform her daughter that she would one day menstruate. Her all too understanding peers help her out by pelting her with pads and tampons—and that is just a dose of what Carrie White goes through on a daily basis.
Unbelievably, Sissy Spacek was 27 when played the role of teenage Carrie White, and had to do much persuading with the director to allow her the part. In the end, it seems she was the perfect choice; she captures awkward and often heartbreaking adolescence with perfection and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.
It is hard for us to really, completely sympathize with Carrie, however, because, well, she is a weird girl. We all knew a girl like Carrie White in our school, and we all most assuredly said some awful things about her. I find it hard to consider Carrie a protagonist either, for she is driven by humiliation and madness to do some horrible, horrible things.
One reason I am angry at the casting of Chloe Grace Moretz in the upcoming remake is that I find it hard to believe that a girl like her could ever get picked on to the extent that her character does, whereas Sissy Spacek was (no offense) a weird looking girl. But alas, in this day and age it seems everyone is getting picked on. Maybe I should give Chloe a chance… NO, I REFUSE!Every high school student faces some degree of ridicule, but Carrie is downright tormented. But the final prank is when a group of “popular” kids convince pretty boy Tommy (William Katt) to ask Carrie out to the prom and then humiliate her. What unfolds is a prom night to remember (if you survive) and one stellar, iconic performance from Sissy Spacek.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
PJ Soles Blogathon: I TOTALLY had to take part!
When I heard that BJ-C of Day of the Woman was having a P.J. Soles Blogathon, I knew I had to get in on that. Soles' role as Lynda van der Klok in one of my favorite films, Halloween (1978), is so iconic - I had to give it some due. Likewise, her bitchy Norma Watson in 1976's Carrie really trips my hate-o-meter.
Soles, while having acted in dozens of other films, graciously seems to embrace her cult status in these two horror classics by attending conventions and making her legions of fans happy.
You know the sign of a great actor? When they can make you love and hate them on equal grounds. While I love her over-sexed, cheerleading obnoxiousness in Halloween, I have equal amounts of hate for her catty, bullying tomboy character in Carrie. For an actress to gain my eternal respect they have to show layers of talent, and be able to both piss me off and make me laugh. P.J. absolutely does this.
*Lynda is such an airheaded floozy in Halloween. Why is she a great character? I'll tell you:
1) She's more concerned with getting into the boy's locker room than into college. 2) Her mind is filled with nothing but thoughts of getting drunk and finding a place to have copious amounts of sex with her bespectacled boyfriend Bob.
3) She doesn't think anything of getting laid in the bedroom of her best friend's babysitter's house.
4) She's a typical bad friend, not giving two shits that Laurie doesn't have a date to the dance. She's too worried about getting her hair done! I like a girl with principles.
5) She has three new cheers to learn by morning! Ah, the woes of being a popular cheerleader. My heart bleeds. 6) She orders Bob around like a drill sargeant. Don't rip my blouse! Bring me a beer! You go get it! You idiot! Being in charge is sexy!
7) She has no need for school books. She never brings homework home. (Apparently she's too busy learning the lyrics to Don't Fear the Reaper and buying rubbers. No wait...she makes BOB get the condoms.)
8) She's a typical tease. "See anything you like?" But at that point she'd already delivered the goods, so the teasing is kind of a moot point.
9) Her ponytails are totally rad.
10) She dies well. The telephone cord? Classic, iconic kill. Totally!
*And why do I hate Norma Watson in Carrie?
1) She's the BFF of Chris Hargenson, and that chick is a royal effing bitch.
2) She wears that goddamned baseball cap everywhere.
3) Her pigtail braids are wildly annoying.
4) She wears sneakers (and that fucking ball cap) to the prom!
5) She's the one who rigs the prom king and queen voting, making sure Carrie is bound to have a blood bath.
6) Though she's supposedly Chris's best friend, she doesn't support her by walking out of gym/detention with her. She doesn't want to miss THE PROM!
8) Norma is one of the very first people to laugh at Carrie when dumped with blood at prom.
9) She got clocked with the wrath of the wildly spraying fire hose which, while preventing her escape, didn't seem like a violent enough death for the little snot.
10) Bib overhalls. Really???
*As this is a horror blog, I've showcased my two favorite P.J. Soles horror roles. But let it be known that I am an overwhelming fan of her work in Stripes as MP Stella. That's some funny stuff there!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Female Villains in Horror: Carrie White
Poor Cassie..
Whoops! I mean Carrie...
That darn telekinesis will get you in trouble every time.
Her mom is a religious nut job who locks her away in a closet when she thinks she needs some Jesus-time and says she's cursed because she got her period (yeah, aren't we all?).
Carrie is relentlessly ridiculed by her peers at school and so she's pretty confused when one of the best looking, most popular guys in school asks her to the senior prom.
[I was pretty baffled as well - in my opinion William Katt (Tommy) isn't exactly anything to write home about.]
Carrie is relentlessly ridiculed by her peers at school and so she's pretty confused when one of the best looking, most popular guys in school asks her to the senior prom.
[I was pretty baffled as well - in my opinion William Katt (Tommy) isn't exactly anything to write home about.]
Her mother warns her "They're all gonna laugh at you!" about a hundred times, and pretty much forbids her to go to prom, but Carrie, with a new found confidence, ignores her and sets out anyway. And at first, everything is simply dreamy!! Little does she know all her new "friends" rigged the prom queen contest so she would win. For obvious reasons.
I think everyone knows how Carrie wigged out at the prom after the pig's blood was dumped all over her. And at that point in the film, we wanted Carrie to take her revenge. We couldn't wait to see those assholes pay. The burning of the school (and everyone inside) and subsequent murders of her other tormenters gives anybody who's ever been teased, humiliated, laughed at or made a fool of some hope that fate will indeed intervene.
Sadly, after everything that happens, Carrie decides taking her own life is the optimal solution, so when her telekinesis causes her house to crumble around her, she makes the ultimate choice.
Sadly, after everything that happens, Carrie decides taking her own life is the optimal solution, so when her telekinesis causes her house to crumble around her, she makes the ultimate choice.
But damn if she didn't look terrifying on that stage, dripping in blood and working her magic.
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