Carrie (1976 Film) - Plot

Plot

Carrie White is a shy, friendless teenage girl abused by her unstable Christian fundamentalist mother Margaret. The girls at Bates High School also harass Carrie, with Chris Hargensen being especially cruel.

Carrie experiences her first period while showering after gym class, and, because of her sheltered life, becomes hysterical, thinking she is dying. Chris and another popular girl, Sue Snell notice Carrie's horror. Rather than help, they and the other girls throw tampons and sanitary pads at her before Miss Collins intervenes. As Carrie becomes more frantic, a light bulb bursts just before Miss Collins makes the other girls leave. Miss Collins brings Carrie to Principal Morton's office. While consoling her, Principal Morton repeatedly calls Carrie "Cassie", unintentionally emphasizing how overlooked she is. When Carrie corrects the principal, an ashtray from the principal's desk flips onto the floor and smashes. While Carrie is walking home, a neighborhood boy falls off his bicycle immediately after taunting her. Margaret pays a visit to Mrs. Snell house about Christianity but instead gave her $10 dollars as a contribution to get rid of her.

Margaret receives a call from Miss Collins about the locker room incident and tells Carrie that the "curse of blood" is punishment for sin. She locks Carrie in a closet and forces her to pray. That night, a miserable Carrie stares at her bedroom mirror until it shatters.

The next day, English teacher Mr. Fromm reads a poem to the class written by Sue's athletic boyfriend Tommy Ross. Fromm invites the class to critique Tommy's work, but mocks Carrie when she calls it "beautiful", which irks Tommy, who defends Carrie. Sue, feeling guilty for teasing Carrie, convinces Tommy to take Carrie to the prom.

Miss Collins berates the girls in the gym who tormented Carrie, subjecting them to a week-long boot-camp-style detention, threatening them with suspension from school and the prom if they do not attend. All the girls show remorse except for Chris, who throws a fit to Miss Collins who slaps her and is banned from the prom.

Carrie suspects she may have telekinesis, and researches it in the library. Tommy asks Carrie to prom, but she fears another trick. After a pep talk from Miss Collins, Tommy pays a visits to Carrie's house and keeps asking her to the prom she then accepts Tommy's invitation.

Carrie tells her mother she is going to the prom, and Margaret declares the prom an occasion of sin, refusing to let her attend. However, Carrie causes the windows of the house to slam shut, revealing her telekinesis. Margaret believes this is Satan's power, but Carrie insists she will go to the prom.

Chris tells her delinquent boyfriend, Billy Nolan, that she wants revenge on Carrie. She goes with Billy and other kids to a farm, where Billy kills a pig. After draining the pig's blood into a bucket, Chris has Billy place the bucket above the school's stage.

Chris makes a deal with her friend, Norma Watson, and Billy's friend, Freddy, to rig the prom king and queen election so that Tommy and Carrie will win. As Carrie prepares for the evening, her mother tells her everyone will laugh at her. Carrie leaves with Tommy. Though her classmates are surprised to see Carrie at the prom, they treat her as an equal. Sue, who was unable to attend due to lacking a date, sneaks into the prom to ensure everything goes well for Carrie.

To Carrie's surprise, she and Tommy are named prom king and queen. As the couple approaches the stage, Sue discovers Chris holding a rope attached to the bucket of pig's blood. Miss Collins forces Sue out, believing she is there for mischief. As the crown is placed on Carrie's head, Chris pulls the rope and Carrie is drenched in pig's blood. As the crowd looks on in silence, Tommy is knocked unconscious by the bucket and Carrie sees the whole room laughing and jeering at her, when it is implied that only a few of Chris's friends are actually doing so. Carrie's telekinesis takes over, closing the doors to the gym and turning on a fire hose. Chris and Billy's friends are knocked out by the fire hose along with many other people and Miss Collins is killed by a falling ceiling rafter. Principal Morton and Mr. Fromm are electrocuted, which causes a fire in the gym. Leaving her classmates inside the school as it burns, Carrie walks home covered in blood. Chris and Billy intend to run her over with Billy's car, but Carrie flips the car over, causing it to burst into flames, and kills them both.

At home, Carrie breaks down in her mother's arms. However, by this time Margaret has gone completely mad; believing the devil has taken over Carrie, Margaret brings her to her knees and stabs Carrie in the back. Carrie falls down the stairs and is cornered in the kitchen by her mother, but sends kitchen knives flying at her mother, killing her and having her body shaped in the form of the Saint Sebastian figurine in the "prayer closet". Overcome with guilt and grief, Carrie uses her last ounce of strength to collapse the house upon her and her mother and the house burns down to the ground.

Some time later, Sue, the only survivor of the prom, visits the plot where Carrie's house stood. As she places flowers on the ground, a bloody hand grabs Sue's wrist. The movie ends with Sue waking up, screaming, in her mother's arms.