Blu-ray Review: Carrie (Arrow Video)

School, the workplace, social media... the reprehensible act of bullying today has more outlets than ever before, making Brian De Palma's "Carrie" particularly relevant in
this day and age.
Meet Carrie White (Sissy Spacek): a put-upon high school girl who lives with her religious zealot mother, Margaret (Piper Laurie), and is a prime example of a troubled teen
who must deal with a motley crew of girls and guys.

The offending party is headed by Chris Hargensen (Nancy Allen) and Billy Nolan (John Travolta), with PJ Soles and cohorts adding their support to a most unsavory project.
Carrie befriended by PE teacher Miss Collins (Betty Buckley), who takes this troubled girl under her wing as tampons fly during her first period amidst a throng of cat-calling
teens. It's just as well Carrie has an alternative mother figure in her life as support at home is zero, thanks to her domineering mother who prefers Carrie to be shut away from any potential friends and admirers who may introduce her to real life.

Based on Stephen King's debut novel, De Palma's film cats Sissy Spacek as probably the most naturally beautiful girl in the picture, shy and awkward but with special qualities
to entrance the right suitor.
She also possesses the power to move objects at will; something that's triggered by rage whenever the situation feels threatening to her. Tommy Ross (William Katt) slowly comes to recognise her beauty and her pesonality, when his girlfriend Sue (Amy Irving) persuades him to escort Carrie to the school prom where things go very badly wrong.
The high school shoot is a prime example of De Palma's special brand of filmmaking prowess, beautifully lit with economic use of split-screen photography and tensioncranked up to 11.
The cast - several of whom made their film debuts here - are uniformally excellent, split between the good, the inbetween and the downright ugly, who are all ultimately tarred
by the same brush.
It's certainly a rip-roaring finale, leading up to that famous 'jump' moment that helps make this film such a memorable one.

"Carrie" has certainly stood the test of time, emerging as one of the very best King adaptations and a most worthy inclusion in Horror's Hall of Fame.

Arrow Video's Blu-ray release unveils a 4k scan that really shows off the intricate lighting with strong, stable colours.
The extras begin with a commentary track from Lee Gambin and Alexandra Heller-Nicholas.
The pair deliver an informative track, taking in critical reception to the film and addressing accusations of De Palma as a misogynist.Lee talks about Piper Laurie - not first choice for the role - and Alexandra goes into the use of space in this film. King's book, the mythological feel to the prom and De Palma's lighting of his female cast members are just a few of the additional things discussed in this enlightening talk.

Next up is "Acting Carrie" (42m 42s)
This is a 2001 featurette, comprising of interviews with De Palma (who calls this film "one of the great cast experiences"), Amy Irving, art director Jack Fisk and others.
Key scenes are discussed, including the prom and shower scenes.
"More Acting Carrie" (20m 19s)
A continuation of the previous featurette, with input from Nancy Allen, Betty Buckley and William Katt who discuss the script, rehearsals and De Palma's energy.
"Visualising Carrie: From words to Images" (41m 33s)
De Palma, scriptwriter Lawrence D Cohen, editor Paul Hirsch and Jack Fisk discuss the FX shots; Pino Donnagio's wonderful score; the first draft of the screenplay and the famous 'rain of stones scene that was left out of the finished product.
"Singing Carrie:The Musical" (6m 24s)
This is another 2001 featurette, where Cohen recalls how a night at the theatre inspired thoughts of a musical, and Betty Buckley (who played a different character in the stage version) tells how one particular performance went from boos to a standing ovation at the finale.
"Writing Carrie" (29m 7s) 2016
Here, Lawrence D Cohen talks about King's novel, explaining why it was decided not to include that literally heart-stopping scene. He also explains the challenges posed on this production, and there's a great midnight screening story.
"Shooting Carrie (15m 22s) 2016
This is an interview with cinematographer Mario Tosi, who talks about his mix-up approach to lighting this film and about the tools he had back in the day, comparing them to today's ultra high tech world.
"Cutting Carrie" (25m 9s)
A 2016 interview with editor Paul Hirsch, who explains why he was less than enthusiastic about the split-screen device and waxes lyrical on the freedom De Palma gave him.
"Casting Carrie" (16m 3s)
A 2016 interview with casting director Harriet B Helberg, who reveals how Spacek got into character for her screentest; her thoughts on the film and why they were initially unsure about one of the characters.
"Bucket of Blood" (23m 53s)
A 2016 interview with composer Pino Donnagio, who talks about how "Carrie" changed his life and reflects on De Palma, Bernard Herrmann and the challenges posed by the film.
"Horror's Hallowed Grounds" (11m 25s)
A look at the film's original locations, including the pig farm and the high school playing field.
"Comparing Carrie (20m 43s)
A visual essay from Jonathan Bygraves comparing the 3 screen versions of "Carrie": the 1976 original, the 2002 TV film and the 2013 adaptation.
Margaret White's character; the use of telekinetic powers and timelines are just some of the subjects discussed.

The extras are rounded off with an alternate TV opening; photo gallery; trailer; TV spots; radio spots and a "Carrie" trailer reel.
There's also a booklet (which I haven't seen), comprising of new writing on the film by Neil Mitchell, author of Devil s Advocates: Carrie, a reprint of the Final Girls 40th anniversary Carrie zine, and an archive interview with Brian De Palma.
It's so good to see a classic film receive such reverential treatment.

Blu-ray Review: Creepshow

Borne out of a shared love for those great E.C. comics, Creepshow - directed by George A. Romero - has endured for more than 30 years, and continues to delight old school admirers while gaining a legion of new fans. The film contains five stories, each linked by an animated interlude and begins with Stan - an overbearing father (played by Tom Atkins) - slapping his son (Billy, played by Stephen King's son, Joe) for the ownership of a comic book that neatly ties in with his love of the macabre. The first story, 'Father's Day', peeks in at the annual get-together of the Grantham family.

Each year, the clan meet on Father's Day, and Sylvia (Carrie Nye) is joined this year by a motley crew, including Cass (Elizabeth Regan), her new husband Hank (Ed Harris) and Aunt Bedelia ( Viveca Lindfors) who avenged the death of her lover by slaying the family patriarch with an ashtray. Now, it's that time of the year again and the in-fighting is rudely interrupted by the re-appearance of a figure from the past who wants more than just a slice of cake. It's a lively opening from Romero, and neatly takes us into 'The Lonesome Death Of Jordy Verrill'. The titular character - played by Stephen King - starts dreaming of a dollar windfall when a meteor crashes near his rundown abode. Kings plays his character straight out of a cartoon, and his hilarious attempts at cooling and then breaking in half this foreign object

leads to his surroundings becoming a green and unpleasant land. Interspersed by the most inane daydreams, this episode of Creepshow works best with a few bottles of beer and a benevolent attitude, though Verrill's gradual demise and the vision of his dead father - a Bava-esque face at the window do linger long in the memory. The third instalment, 'Something To Tide You Over', is, for my money, the most effective of the bunch. Here, martial infidelity and its fatal consequences are on the menu. Harry Wentworth (Ted Danson) receives an unwelcome visit from Richard Vickers

(Leslie Nielson)who has learned of Wentworth's affair with his wife Beckie (played by Gaylen Ross). Vickers, a techno-junkie, devises a unique way of punishing the two lovers, only to discover the dead sometimes don't stay that way. It's a tale supremely well told and not for the first time in this movie, Tom Savini's effects and make-up and effects make a huge contribution. 'The Crate' is the next item on the menu, with a janitor (Don Keefer) discovering a crate

under a basement stairwell dating back to a 1834 arctic expedition. This is pure guilty pleasure entertainment, as Fritz Weaver and Hal Holbrook play major parts in proceedings; the latter keen to dispose of his loud, hard-drinking spouse, played by the wonderful Adrienne Barbeau. A rampaging monster may well prove to be the answer to his prayers, but at what price? The final segment is'They're Creeping Up On You', in which EG Marshall's Upson Pratt character shows himself to be a particularly odious man, who celebrates the suicide of a former employee, and laughs at a grief-stricken phone call from a distraught widow.

Pratt soon finds his sterile apartment invaded by an army of roaches, and it's a genuine pleasure to see him get his just desserts. Creepshow is a successful attempt at bringing comic book excess to the big screen, combining some finely tuned performances with humour and the ability to tap into some of our deepest, darkest fears.

Second Sight's Blu-ray release contains some excellent supplementary features. First off, we get two commentary tracks; the first of which features Romero and the legendary Tom Savini, moderated by Michael Felsher. Here, Romero mentions on several occasions his deep appreciation and respect for the calibre of his cast, and explains why he went with well known faces and of the ingenuity of Savini's effects and make-up. The two of them share some wonderful anecdotes - listen out for the border guard story - and also record the production was in grave financial straits when the cash temporarily ran out. The second track features DOP Michael Gornick, property master Bruce Alan Miller, make-up effects assistant Darryl Ferrucci and actor John Amplas. This brand new track is a little different to the norm as Michael Felsher conducts interviews with cast and crew who missed the boat during the 'Just Desserts' documentary. Gornick recalls his excitement at being chosen for the film, of the challenges posed by some tricky lighting and ambitious camera angles while Miller Ferrucci and Amplas chat about the effects and the real world and comic book world combinations. Comic book artist Bernie Wrightson also gets airtime, revealing he had three months to complete his part of the project, and how a phone call from Stephen King set him on the road. Felsher himself signs off by cataloguing the number of times he spots the famous ashtray during each story, and also invites eagle-eyed viewers to see if he's missed any.

Of course, no special edition would be complete without a deleted scenes section, and Creepshow realised some twelve minutes from all the stories. 'Father's Day' is the most significant beneficiary, and the background info on Bedelia and Nathan could possibly have made final cut. The Verrill segment includes a fantasy visit to the loans office and extended visitations from his father, while 'Tide' delivers additional dialogue and test footage of Harry's disembodied hand. 'The Crate' and 'Creeping' offer just a couple of additions, but nothing that suggests it should have been inserted into the finished product. 'Behind The Screams With Tom Savini' is an informative 26 minute account of some extraordinary make-up and effects work, with 'The Master' holding forth on the methods used to create some very effective sequences. Savini also features on 'Just Desserts', a 90 minute documentary that rounded up key participants from the movie, such as Adrienne Barbeau, Ed Harris and Tom Atkins who reveals he originally wanted the Verrill role. We also hear from composer John Harrison who provided a wonderfully atmospheric score to a film that originally contained library music. Cast and crew clearly had a ball shooting Creepshow (Savini labelled it "5 months of Halloween"), and we get to hear of Danson and Nielson's antics onset - do watch out for Ted's "Can we use your phone?" entrance! Of course, many of you will be familiar with this documentary from the UK 2 disc DVD release, but it does have real replay value, and of course superior image quality in this edition. TV spots, a trailer and photo gallery round off this release, and the high definition picture beautifully showcases the ingenious lighting and macabre effects creations. In terms of image quality, Second Sight's presentation is easily worth an upgrade from your DVD, and is released in the UK on 28th October - just in time for Halloween! This Blu-ray is Region B, and is part of a mouth-watering roster of titles coming soon from Second Sight, including Streets Of Fire, the wonderful Betty Blue and one of the gret American movies, Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate.