Carrie

As the camera pans across the locker room, a sea of adolescent girls, including Carrie White (Sissy Spacek), unfold their daily struggles. The atmosphere is thick with anticipation, but for Carrie, it's a minefield of uncertainty. Her first period arrives uninvited, and as she frantically searches for help, her peers instead unleash a torrent of taunts and humiliation. Tampons, sanitary towels, and toilet paper rain down upon her, a cruel reminder that in this world, vulnerability is often met with contempt.

Miss Collins (Betty Buckley), the teacher who enters the fray, is initially met with resistance from the girls, but she quickly regains control by confronting their cruelty. As Carrie struggles to comprehend the concept of menstruation, Miss Collins' empathy and understanding provide a fleeting respite from the chaos. In a rare moment of compassion, she excuses Carrie from gym class for a week, acknowledging the trauma inflicted upon her.

As Carrie navigates the treacherous landscape of adolescence, she begins to tap into an unexpected power - telekinesis. A boy's mocking taunts are met with a forceful resistance, as if Carrie's very existence is being rewritten. Meanwhile, at home, Carrie faces the wrath of her delusional mother (Piper Laurie), who believes that Carrie's period is a punishment for sinning. The mother's fervent prayers and punishments only serve to further traumatize Carrie.

In a bold attempt to right the wrongs, Miss Collins exacts a brutal form of justice upon the clique of girls who tormented Carrie. Chris Hargensen (Nancy Allen), their leader, seethes with anger as she's stripped of her prom privileges, and her resentment towards Carrie intensifies. In stark contrast, Sue Snell (Amy Irving) grapples with guilt over her own complicity in the bullying, prompting her to ask boyfriend Tommy Ross (William Katt) to take Carrie to the prom.

Tommy's initial hesitation is eventually overcome by Carrie's growing confidence, thanks in part to a heartfelt pep talk from Miss Collins. As Carrie agrees to attend the prom with Tommy, the film sets the stage for a catastrophic collision of social hierarchies and unbridled emotions. The anticipation builds, as the audience is left wondering what will unfold when these fragile lives intersect on the night of the prom.

As the prom night unfolds, Chris concocts a sinister plan with Billy Nolan (John Travolta) and her closest friend Norma (P.J. Soles), fueled by their desire for revenge against Carrie. They venture to a rural farm, where they brutally slaughter pigs and collect their blood in a bucket, which they proceed to position on the school gym's rafters. Meanwhile, Carrie seeks her mother's permission to attend the prom, only to be met with a tirade of warnings and moralizing, which sparks a violent argument between the two. As the night wears on, Carrie's mother becomes increasingly unhinged, using her telekinetic abilities to slam shut doors and windows in their home.

As Carrie and Tommy prepare for the prom, Chris's plan takes shape. Norma and Billy's cohorts tamper with the election ballots, ensuring that Carrie and Tommy will be crowned prom king and queen. On stage, Miss Collins shares a poignant tale of her own prom experience, reminding Carrie to cherish the moment forever. As Carrie and Tommy dance together, their bond growing stronger by the minute, Billy's friends fix the final touches on Chris' scheme.

Unbeknownst to Carrie, Sue sneaks into the gym, only to stumble upon Chris and Billy huddled beneath the stage. She pieces together their nefarious plan: Chris intends to trigger a mechanism that will douse Carrie in pig's blood as she is declared prom queen. Sue rushes towards the stage, desperate to intervene, but is intercepted by Miss Collins, who mistakenly believes Sue seeks to sabotage Carrie's moment of triumph. With Sue safely removed from the scene, Chris seizes the opportunity, yanking the cord and unleashing a torrent of pig's blood upon an unsuspecting Carrie as she stands on stage, crowned prom queen.

As the gymnasium erupts into chaos, Tommy's ire is palpable, but his wrath is short-lived as a wayward bucket sends him crashing to the ground, unconscious and helpless. The students, frozen in terror, are convinced that Carrie has finally lost all composure. Her deep-seated insecurities, fueled by her mother's dire warnings, come to a head as she unleashes her telekinetic fury upon the gym, reducing it to rubble and claiming the lives of her tormentors, including the well-meaning Miss Collins. The destruction is so complete that not even the fire trucks that speed past Carrie on her walk home can distract her from the carnage.

Meanwhile, Chris and Billy, having witnessed the devastation firsthand, attempt to make a hasty exit by running down Carrie with Billy's car. But Carrie's powers are too great, and she effortlessly obliterates the vehicle. As the dust settles, Carrie makes her way back home, where a warm bath provides fleeting solace from the horrors she has endured.

However, this respite is short-lived, as Carrie's mother appears, bearing secrets that will shake her daughter to her core. The revelation of Carrie's conception through marital rape sends her reeling, and her mother's subsequent attack with a deadly kitchen knife only serves to further enrage her. As the mother meets her untimely demise at Carrie's hands, the young woman is consumed by guilt and despair.

In a desperate attempt to assuage her grief, Carrie sets fire to their home, ultimately leading to its catastrophic collapse. As she succumbs to the flames and debris, Carrie's tortured soul is finally laid to rest.

Months later, Sue, one of the few survivors of the prom night bloodbath, finds herself struggling to come to terms with the loss of her friends. Haunted by a recurring nightmare in which she visits Carrie's charred remains, Sue is jolted awake by her mother's frantic efforts to calm her down. As she gazes out at the ruins of Carrie's home, a bloodied hand reaches up from the rubble, grasping for her like a ghostly apparition, leaving Sue shaken and screaming in her mother's arms.