CARRIE

Arrow Video, £19.99 (Blu-ray), £12.99 (DVD)

Brian De Palma kicked off the ‘Based on a novel by Stephen King’ movie juggernaut with a mesmerising adaptation of King’s debut novel, Carrie. It’s a beautifully simple plot: girl is bullied, girl has telekinesis, girl gets revenge. Yet this straightforward structure become a chilling baseplate to support an exploration of almost all the anxieties of teenage life – from fitting in, puberty and communal showers to crazy adults, prom night and the fundamental terror of everybody laughing at you. It’s also got an absolutley spine-chilling final shot (not the famous jump scare– I mean the final final shot) where the frantic music and panicked acting cuts to black and the credits roll. My heart was beating at fever pitch. Packing this new release with extras, Arrow have given Carrie the respect she deserves. Which is just as well, considering. PL