Carrie – Scream Factory (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1976
Director: Brian De Palma
Writer: Lawrence D. Cohen
Cast: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, William Katt, John Travolta, Nancy Allen, Betty Buckley, P.J. Soles

Release Date: December 13th, 2022
Approximate Running Time: 97 Minutes 56 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD Stereo English, DTS-HD 5.1 English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $36.98

"At the center of the terror is Carrie (Spacek), a high school loner with no confidence, no friends…and no idea about the extent of her secret powers of telekinesis. But when her psychotic mother and sadistic classmates finally go too far, the once-shy teen becomes an unrestrained, vengeance-seeking powerhouse who, with the help of her "special gift," causes all hell to break loose in a famed cinematic frenzy of blood, fire and brimstone!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.75/5 (4K UHD), 4.5/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “2022 4K Scan of the Original Camera Negative.”

Carrie comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 76.6 GB

Feature: 68.7 GB

This source used for this transfer looks immaculate. Colors are nicely saturated and at times vivid; flesh tones look healthy; contrast, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid; and the image retains an organic look. That said, this solid transfer is by far and away the best Carrie has looked on home video.

Carrie comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33.5 GB

Feature: 30.8 GB

The Blu-ray uses the same source that was used for the 4K UHD.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD Stereo English, DTS-HD 5.1 English)

This release comes with three audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in English, a DTS-HD stereo mix in English, and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English. All three audio tracks are in excellent shape. Dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, ambient sounds are well-represented, and Pino Donaggio’s score sounds appropriately robust. The main difference between these audio tracks is that the stereo and 5.1 tracks sound fuller than the mono track. Also, there are removable English SDH.

Extras:

Extras for this release are spread over three discs.

Extras on the 4K UHD include an audio commentary with Joseph Aisenberg, author of Studies in the Horror Film: Carrie.

Extras for the Blu-ray disc one include a newspaper ad gallery, a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 6 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), the "Carrie" trailer gallery: Carrie (2002 TV movie), The Rage: Carrie 2, and Carrie (2013), and an audio commentary with Joseph Aisenberg.

Extras on Blu-ray disc two include still gallery - rare behind-the-scenes, still gallery - posters and lobby cards, a text based extra titled Stephen King and The Evolution of Carrie: Stephen King and Writing Carrie, From Novel to Script, and Book and Film Comparison, five T.V. spots (3 minutes 11 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), two radio spots (1 minute 29 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), an archival locations featurette titled Horror’s Hallowed Ground (11 minutes 25 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled Carrie the Musical (6 minutes 23 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with screenwriter Lawrence Cohen titled Writing Carrie (29 minutes 7 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles),an archival interview with editor Paul Hirsch titled Cutting Carrie (25 minutes 9 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with director of photography Mario Tosi titled Shooting Carrie (15 minutes 22 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with casting director Harriet B. Helberg titled Casting Carrie (16 minutes 3 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with composer Pino Donaggio titled Bucket of Blood (23 minutes 53 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled Acting Carrie (42 minutes 42 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled More Acting Carrie (42 minutes 42 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), and an archival featurette titled Visualizing Carrie (41 minutes 33 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles).

Other extras include a slipcover (limited to first pressing).

Summary:

Carrie was adapted from the debut novel by Stephen King, an author whose name has since become synonymous with horror literature. Carrie is also widely considered the film that put Brian De Palma on the map as one of the prominent directors of his generation. And when it comes to its place in the lexicon of horror cinema, its influence is undeniable. Needless to say, there is no denying Carrie’s cultural impact.

Like many adaptations, the film differs greatly from the novel. The majority of the differences were made for cinematic reasons. Finding such a balance between these two worlds is an essential ingredient in every adaptation. More importantly, the differences are not at the expense of the final product.

From a production standpoint, Carrie is a film where everything perfectly falls into place. The narration is well constructed, and pacing is never an issue. The characters are well defined, and their motivations are crystal clear as each new revelation and moment of shock is given ample time to fully resonate! And Pino Donaggio’s outstanding score does a superb job maintaining the mood.

Visually, Carrie is another area where this film sets itself apart from the majority of its contemporaries. The cinematographer for Carrie was Mario Tosi, whose other notable films include The Glory Stompers, Some Call It Loving, and The Stunt Man. The scenes where Carrie unleashes her rage on her classmates at the prom and Carrie’s mother’s death scene are the most memorable.

Performance-wise, the entire cast is excellent in their respective roles. with the standout performance coming from Piper Laurie (The Hustler) in the role of Carrie’s mother. She delivers a manic performance that is utterly convincing. Another performance of note is Sissy Spacek (Badlands) in the role of Carrie. Other notable cast members include Amy Irving (The Fury), William Katt (House), John Travolta (Blow Out), Nancy Allen (Dressed to Kill), Betty Buckley (Frantic), and P.J. Soles (Halloween). 

Though there have been attempts to remake Carrie and one sequel, none of these films come close to Brian De Palma’s Carrie. Ultimately, Carrie is an extraordinary piece of filmmaking that stands out as one of the best Stephen King adaptations.

Carrie makes its way to 4K UHD via an exceptional release from Scream Factory that comes with a solid audio/video presentation, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer