Carrietta N. White better known as Carrie White is the titular main protagonist character of Carrie. She was portrayed by actress Sissy Spacek. Carrie had the anxiety disorder and was a troubled, shy, and outcast girl at Bates High School, Carrie was insulted, abused, loathed and bullied by her schoolmates and sometimes even her teachers, and also mistreated regularly by her abusive, mentally ill, emotionally unstable, and religious fanatic mother, Margaret White, who insulted, loathed, bullied and abused Carrie. A seemingly ordinary girl, Carrie was born with devastating telekinetic powers, which are set on the loose after she is pranked at her Senior Prom.
Biography
Carrie was raised isolated from society by her single mother after her father, Ralph White, left them for another woman.
Life
One day after P.E. class, Carrie gets confronted by students and noticed while in the shower that she was bleeding from her genitals and, horrified, asked for help from the other girls. Carrie was, however, mocked by Chris, Norma and Sue as they threw tampons all over her, ignoring her desperation. Miss Collins arrived and stopped them, expelling the girls from the changing room. As Carrie screamed uncontrolled, the lamp above them exploded, much for Chris and Norma's thrill. Miss Collins was forced to slap her on the face and apologized, comforting her. After Carrie took a shower, she was taken by Miss Collins to the principal's office and the incident spread around, some kids mocking her as she waited to be called in. Angered, Carrie caused his ashtray to fall down and be knocked down/out by Carrie, after the Principal kept calling her "Cassie". Miss Collins suggested that it would be better for her to walk home. As Carrie went, a neighbor boy cycled across her yelling "Creepy Carrie", and was telekinetically knocked down by Carrie. Carrie arrived home and found out that Margaret had been informed of the incident. Carrie questioned why she was not told by Carrie who called or was telling the girls laughed at her over her ignorance. Ignoring her sorrow, a cold-hearted Margaret simply forced Carrie to pray, because she is still a girl who, according to her twisted beliefs, was susceptible to temptation. Carrie was dragged inside their narrow closet where she was locked in and forced to pray, which she did, after all. Finished, Carrie thanked her mother and went upstairs. In her bedroom, Carrie angrily caused her mirror to shatter, and managed to rebuilt it before her mother could come in. The other day, Carrie saw from afar Miss Collins confronting the girls over the incident in the shower. As Mr. Fromm read a poem written by popular student Tommy Ross, and sarcastically expressed his distaste for it, Carrie shyly commented that she thought Tommy's writing was "beautiful". Carrie went to the library to search about "miracles" and was led to better understatement of her gift. As she researched, Carrie was approached by Tommy and was asked to the prom. Scared, Carrie simply ran away from him. Miss Collins later found Carrie alone and talked to her. Carrie revealed she was asked to the prom by Tommy, and her suspicions that "they" were planning to humiliate her once again. Miss Collins, though worried, encouraged the girl by emphasizing how pretty she actually looked. Tommy visited Carrie, once again insisting in taking her to the ball. Afraid that her mother would come and caught him at their door, Carrie accepted at last. Carrie then told Margaret about Tommy and the prom, and remarked that he was a good boy. Margaret reacted by throwing tea on Carrie's face, and tried to force her into prayers in the closet once again, because "boys" always came after "the blood". Carrie, however, refused and, as her powers caused their windows to beat, was called a "witch" by a horrifying Margaret. Carrie explained that she was actually born gifted with telekinesis. Margaret mentioned that her father was taken by sin, and Carrie remarked that he had fled with another woman, something everybody around them knew. Carrie insisted she would go to the prom, and that things were about to change for them. A seamstress, Carrie made herself a dress for the night. At prom night, Margaret approached Carrie, stating that she knew Carrie would wear "red", while her dress was actually pink. Margaret insisted for Carrie to stay and they could burn their dress, because her classmates would laugh at her. As Tommy arrived, Carrie mentally/telekinetically pushed her mother onto the bed to contain her, and left after saying she loved her. At the gym, Carrie was well received by Frieda, who complimented her dress, while Norma and Freddy mocked her and the others noticed how different she looked. Tommy invited Carrie for a dance, which she initially declined. Miss Collins later approached them and complimented Carrie, telling her about an awful, but "magical" experience in her youth, at the night of her prom. Carrie then agreed into dancing with Tommy, On the spur of the moment, Carrie had her first kiss with him. Carrie then questioned why she was there, and was told that it was because she liked his poem. When Carrie received the ballots for King and Queen, she noticed that they were there as candidates. Reluctant to vote for themselves, Tommy persuaded her to do so. Much for her rejoice, the couple was selected King and Queen of the prom. Carrie went to the stage and was coronated in tears, and noticed as Sue Snell appeared and was expelled from the gym by Miss Collins. Carrie's pleasure came to an end when a bucket of blood was spilled on her, much to her horror. Tommy was hit on the head by the bucket above them and fell unconscious. Carrie then remembered her mother's ominous words that she would be scorned once again, Miss Collins's kind words of confidence and the incident in the shower as, in her mind, everyone at the gym laughed at her. Enraged, Carrie used her powers to close the every door of the gym, locking everyone in, and turned the lights red. As Norma, Freddy and Kenny left, Carrie forced the door they opened, suffocating Freddy and Kenny as Norma screamed for help. Focusing on the fire hose, Carrie opened it, washing Norma and everyone away from the door, creating a turmoil in the gym. With the water from the firehose/fire hose, Carrie knocked Norma down and electrified Mr. Fromm and the Principal. Ms. Collins got lost among the turmoil and called for Carrie, the girl, possessed by rage, caused the basketball backboard to fell on Miss Collins, killing her. Carrie left as Mr. Fromm burned to his death, which set the gym on fire. As she walked home, Chris attempted to run her down with her car, and/but Carrie attacked her, causing the car to keel over and explode, killing Chris and Billy.
Carrie arrived home and found the rooms filled with lighted candles and, washing the blood away, bursted in tears. Margaret then appeared to seemingly comfort Carrie, telling her daughter that she was conceived after Ralph got drunk and they made love, which Margaret regretted. Margaret invited Carrie into one last prayer, and as the girl recited the Lord's Prayer, comforted in her arms, Margaret stabbed her in the back. Carrie rolled downstairs, unable to stand up and run, as her insane mother approached her, ready to kill the "Demon". Carrie then threw the kitchen's knives onto her mother, stabbing her pinned to the walls. Carrie witnessed as Margaret agonized to her death, and screamed in terror over her loss. Carrie's powers than manifested on the loose, bring the house down over her. Carrie rushed to her closet carrying her mother and stayed there as the house came down, dying.
Aftermath
Carrie killed 73 people on the night of the prom, and the incident and her name became an urban legend in town. Sue would suffer from visions and nightmares about the prom's massacre and Carrie herself.
Carrie's father, Ralph, had another daughter named Rachel Lang, also a carrier of telekinesis. Rachel's mother Barbara kept their family link a secret because of Carrie's infamous actions. As as school counselor, Sue attempted to help Rachel by explaining her abilities and telling her the truth about Carrie and their sisterhood. Distrustful of Sue, Rachel refused to believe her, although having heard about Carrie's "revenge-suicide" fire.
Powers and abilities
Carrie is telekinetic, able to move or change objects with her mind. While practicing her newfound abilities in her bedroom, Carrie mentally shattered her mirror. She was powerful enough to reassemble it before Margaret (who had heard the shattering) came in.
It is unknown how far she was able to control her power, which mostly depended on her emotions or concentration. For instance, Carrie was able to effectively lock the prom attendees in the gym when snapping, but too frightened to let herself out the White house (or immediately attacking Margaret) after being stabbed by her mother.
After Margaret dies, Carrie snaps once again, this time in desperation and grief, and her telekinesis brings the White house down and upon herself and her dead mother.
Notes and trivia
- This version of Carrie is heavily different from the novel in that:
- Carrie manifests her powers in a state of trance and possibly unaware of her actions and the reality surrounding her, while in the novel, she kills her bullies more consciously.
- She also kills for being humiliated, while the laughing crowd is a result of her inner fears in the film.
- Carrie actually leaves the gym and remembers her "gift" outside, returning and locking her bullies in. Enraged, Carrie acts strongly similar to her mother while her massacre strikes up.
- Carrie is not gifted with telepathy in the film. In the novel, people around her telepathically know she is causing the destruction in vengeance. Carrie finds out about the truth behind her prom attendance after her mind is bonded to Sue's.
- Carrie has a slender figure in the film while in the novel, she is described as an overweighted girl.
- Carrie researches about telekinesis for better understatement in the film while in the novel, she never seeks it. Furthermore, she never understands her abilities as bring protective "miracles" from God.
- As the rain of stones sequence was deleted, Carrie seemingly keeps her powers a secret from her mother until she talks about the prom. In the novel, however, Margaret is aware of them since she saw a baby bottle floating over her.
- Carrie makes a red dress for the prom instead of pink, as depicted in the film.
- In the novel, Carrie and Tommy sat on their thrones when they are bathed in pig's blood.
- Mostly due to limited budget, several aspects from the original script were changed such as
- In the original ending, Carrie is visited by Sue after she kills her mother and confronts her. Sue then witnesses the house crumbling from the rain of stones.
- The incidents of the rain of stones in both the past, when Carrie was a child and in the present when she destroys her house. Both scenes were cut.
- Throbbed veins are described whenever Carrie manifests her powers, an aspect featured in another Brian de Palma film concerning telekinesis and starring Amy Irving, The Fury (1978).
- In the original script, Carrie kills Norma by hitting her with the lights onto a wall.
- Sissy Spacek rubbed Vaseline on her hair and wore a sailor outfit from her childhood while auditioning for the role of Carrie.
- In preparation for her role, Sissy Spacek isolated herself from the rest of the ensemble, decorated her dressing room with heavy religious iconography and studied Gustave Doré's illustrated Bible. She studied "the body language of people being stoned for their sins," starting or ending every scene in one of those positions.
- For the shower scene, the actress was told to react to the blood as if she was "hit by a truck".
- Sissy Spacek insisted that real blood should be spilled onto her, which the director Brian de Palma declined.
- The actress herself does the stunt for the infamous nightmare scene, after insisting on it.
- Sissy Spacek was coronated Homecoming Queen in her youth.
- Sissy Spacek declined a cameo in the sequel, but allowed her likeness to be used after Director Katt Shea showed her scenes of the film.
- The car Carrie White destroyed was a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS coupe.
- Sissy Spacek would return to Stephen King's universe, starring in Castle Rock.