Carrie
Blu-ray (40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition)
Director: Brian De Palma
Screenwriter: Lawrence D. Cohen
Cast: Sissy Spacek, John Travolta, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, William Katt, Nancy Allen, P.J. Soles
Distributor: Scream Factory
Rated R | 98 Minutes
Release Date: October 11, 2016

Directed by Brian DePalma (Dressed to Kill, Blow Out) and based on the novel by Stephen King, Carrie celebrates its 40th anniversary with a 2-disc Collector’s Edition Blu-ray from Scream Factory, which includes a brand new 4K scan of the film and nearly three hours of bonus material.

The first motion picture adaptation of a Stephen King book, Carrie stars Sissy Spacek (Coal Miner’s Daughter) as Carrie White, a high school girl with no friends, no self-esteem, and no idea about the power she possesses. In the film’s opening scene, Carrie experiences her first period in the showers after gym class. Unsure of what the blood means, she panics and pleads for help, leading her classmates to pelt her with tampons and chant “plug it up!”

Feeling remorseful for tormenting Carrie, Sue Snell (Amy Irving, The Fury) asks her boyfriend, the handsome and popular Tommy Ross (William Katt, House), to take Carrie to the prom in an attempt to make the shy, bullied girl feel accepted and to ease her own conscience. Another classmate, Chris (Nancy Allen, RoboCop), skips her detention for harassing Carrie, so she is banned from the prom by gym teacher Miss Collins (Betty Buckley, Frantic). Swearing vengeance, she recruits her best friend Norma (P.J. Soles, Halloween) and delinquent boyfriend Billy (John Travolta, Saturday Night Fever) to play a cruel prank on the girl at prom.

Meanwhile, Carrie is dealing with her ultra-religious mother (Piper Laurie, Twin Peaks), who believes her daughter’s menstruation is the result of sinful thoughts. After Carrie shatters a mirror with only her mind, it’s clear something else has been awakened in the young woman. After slaughtering pigs from a nearby farm, the teens place a bucket of blood above the stage at the school’s gymnasium and rig the voting so Carrie is crowned Prom Queen. After having a magical night at the dance and sharing a kiss with Tommy, Carrie is covered in pigs’ blood and embarrassed in front of the entire school. The traumatized girl finally snaps, unleashing her telekinetic powers on the school in a frenzy of blood and fire.

Over the last 40 years, De Palma’s film has become one of the all-time great horror classics. When it comes to home video, however, there hasn’t been a release worthy of Carrie‘s legendary status, until now. Finally, there is a definitive, must-own copy of De Palma’s film, in the form of Scream Factory’s two-disc Collector’s Edition Blu-ray. With a new 4k scan of the original film negative and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Mono tracks, this high-definition 1080p widescreen presentation (1.85:1) of Carrie is the best De Palma’s film has ever looked and sounded.

In addition to the new 4K scan, there are a bevy of new special features, including interviews with writer Laurence D. Cohen, editor Paul Hirsch, Laurie, Soles, Allen, Katt, and more. There’s also a new edition of Horror’s Hallowed Grounds, where host Sean Clark visits the film’s original locations. Other materials include “Acting Carrie,” featuring interviews With Spacek, Irving, Buckley, and more, and “Visualizing Carrie,” with De Palma, art director Jack Fisk, Cohen, and Hirsch. Rounding out this two-disc set’s features are “A Look At Carrie: The Musical,” theatrical trailer, TV and radio spots, a still gallery, and “Stephen King And The Evolution Of Carrie Text Gallery.”

If you’re a horror fan, this one’s a no-brainer. Scream Factory has built up a reputation of providing second-to-none releases of some of the greatest genre films ever made – Escape from New York, Mad Max, The Thing – and Carrie is yet another example of their dedication to honoring cinema. These guys are the Criterion of Cult as far as I’m concerned – they’re passionate about the kinds of movies I’m passionate about, and they take unbelievable care in delivering the kind of definitive, must-own releases that belong on any serious film fan’s shelf. Carrie: 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition is now available at Amazon.

Trailer

Carrie Clip: Prom!

Cover Art

Deluxe Limited Edition

The Deluxe Limited Edition Blu-ray includes a limited edition 18″ x 24″ poster of the newly-designed art from artist Nat Marsh, a second slipcover featuring newly-designed art from artist Joel Robinson, and a limited edition 18″ x 24″ poster of Joel Robinson’s art.

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