Stephen King is often described as “King of Horror,” and rightfully so. A fantastic, imaginative author who has penned countless Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Drama/Horror novels through the decades, everyone has their favorites. A plethora of content, many have been made into feature films or television series, however, only a few adaptations truly stand out. Making a short list, you have 1980’s The Shining, 1986’s Stand by Me, and of course, 1976’s Carrie. All successful perhaps due to budgets, cast, and the directors, directing The Shining you had the legendary Stanley Kubrick, Stand by Me the accomplished Rob Reiner, and Carrie the incomparable Brian De Palma.
All unique directors in their own right, De Palma would make a name for himself with Carrie being his first major film. Sure, you had 1972’s Sisters, but Carrie was a turning point in De Palma’s career as he would go on to direct a list of memorable films thereafter including 1981’s Blow Out, 1983’s Scarface, and 1987’s The Untouchables. Known to be a technical director who was highly focused on camera position, this certainly stood out with his vision for Carrie. In fact, De Palma’s Carrie is so strong and critically acclaimed, that it is often still referred to all these years later. Sure, Carrie has been remade twice, once in 2002 for television, and again in 2013 for the theater, but nothing touches the original’s style and atmosphere. Now nearly five decades old, celebrating ’76 Carrie, Scream Factory gave it a 4K release on December 13, 2022.
Released in the thick of the holiday season, Scream Factory released Carrie as a 4K Ultra HD + Blu-Ray Collector’s Edition, as well as. Limited Edition SteelBook™. This marks the first time ever Carrie has made it to 4K and some fans might be curious if it is worth the upgrade. A tough decision, Carrie has made its way to VHS, Laserdisc, as well as DVD and Blu-Ray several times. So why invest in yet another copy of the film? Well, the 4K Ultra HD + Blu-Ray Collector’s Edition offers you a new 4K scan of the original camera negatives of Carrie both on a 4K disc and Blu-Ray disc, plus a third Blu-Ray with a bunch of cool features. With this in mind, is it all worth it?
A very valid question, if you are someone who really digs the artistic camera angles, lighting, and style De Palma used for the film, you will certainly appreciate the 4K transfer. Clean and crisp, you get to indulge in the film like never before; standout scenes of course include the prom night where the lighting and atmosphere really stand out. Additionally, there is an unquestionable glow and dream-like vibe to much of Carrie, and this also is exemplified quite vividly in the 4K transfer.
Which leads us to the extras. Here you have some cool interviews that break down the film into five key areas – writing, shooting, cutting, casting, and acting. Within this, you have some really insightful interviews with everyone that includes Director Brian De Palma, Screenwriter Lawrence D. Cohen, Director of Photography Mario Tosi, Editor Paul Hirsch, Casting Director Harriet B. Helberg, as well as key cast such as Sissy Spacek, Amy Irving, Betty Buckley, Nancy Allen, Jack Fisk, William Katt, Piper Laurie, Priscilla Pointer, and P.J. Soles. Perhaps some are interviews you have seen before, but it is a plus to have it all unified in one really nice collection for this 4K release.
All things considered, the Carrie 4K Ultra HD Collector’s Edition is a fantastic piece that really does the film justice. Another plus is Scream Factory went with the original theatrical poster which still haunts all these years later. Worth picking up and adding to your collection, Cryptic Rock gives the Carrie 4K Ultra HD Collector’s Edition set 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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