Carrie (1976)

Midway through Carrie, the movie speeds up a tuxedo fitting and plays goofy music over it, like a sitcom wandered onto the set, and it’s the one moment Brian De Palma loses the thread. The gym class scenes carry some of that same cartoon energy, and John Travolta plays his small role like a guy who walked in from a different movie. Everything else is stunning. Sissy Spacek makes Carrie so shy she seems to shrink inside her own clothes, and when she finally smiles at the prom, the whole film holds its breath. Piper Laurie plays her mother as a storm of scripture and fear, and every scene in that candlelit house is harder to sit through than any jump scare. De Palma’s split screens and slow motion turn a school dance into pure dread. It made $33.9 million worldwide on a reported $1.8M. An 8.9 because Spacek and Laurie are unforgettable and the dread is built like a watch. $50.74 says the next time someone hands you a ballot for anything, you read every name carefully.

What works: Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie give two of the great horror performances, and De Palma’s prom sequence is a masterclass in building dread.

What doesn’t: The sped-up tuxedo scene and the goofy gym-class bits clash with the tone, and some of the teenage villains are pure cartoon.

Who it’s for: Grown-up horror fans who want a classic that’s more heartbreak than shock.