20 Best Performances In Horror Movies

Brian De Palma's tragic horror flick cemented Stephen King as a household name, and stands today as one of the most recognisable horror movies ever made.

The image of Carrie covered head to toe in pig's blood is a sight for the ages, as is her final revenge, and though much of the film's fame lies on the direction of De Palma, equal praise deserves to be thrown Sissy Spacek's way for her turn as the ill-fated and deeply complex title character.

Carrie is a film made up of images: the shower scene; the prom; the death of Carrie's mother (Piper Laurie). But the truth is that the film is at its best in-between these admittedly fantastic moments, where things so slow down and Spacek gets a chance to dig into Carrie's personal conflicts, troubled home life, and her hopes and dreams.

Spacek plays Carrie exactly as King wrote her in his debut novel. She's shy, sweet, and innocent, but she's also naive and traumatised. It's a searing portrayal of adolescent turmoil and abuse, and really no one (not even Chloe Grace Moretz in the 2013 remake) could have played it better.