Brian DePalma has made some awful movies in recent years, but you have to admit, his early ones are pretty good. And Carrie, in particular, is AWESOME. It has all the touches that make modern DePalma movies over-wrought and tedious: intricate and long camera tricks, lingering shots that are supposed to be interesting (but usually break up the pace), homages to/rip-offs of films and directors DePalma likes. But it works in Carrie because the high school setting lends itself well to DePalma’s cinematic melodrama. The other thing that really works is that for a while you forget you’re watching a horror movie: you get to like Carrie because Sissy Spacek puts in an amazing performance, and you root for her to get the good things she deserves. Until the end, when it all goes terribly wrong. Piper Laurie should get a special mention for her brilliantly over-the-top performance as Carrie’s mother: she found just the right touch. Carrie isn’t just a great horror movie, it’s a great movie.