1952: The Next Two Nominees Are...

Two Best Picture nominees in one month!

Yes, we must be getting close to The Season, because while The Greatest Show on Earth debuted in February, it took til midsummer to get two of our other Best Picture nominees on the board: High Noon and Ivanhoe.

High Noon is, famously, an allegory for the blacklist. Carl Foreman wrote the screenplay about a man looking for friends and fellow defenders, abandoned by the people he thought he could trust when he needed them most, his doom egged on by a town that can only think in terms of how his presence effects their profits. Ivanhoe is not, it's a historical drama based on a beloved work of literature, but it was #1 at the box office four weeks in a row and the second highest-grossing 1952 release.

Both films came at the end of July. Of the twelve films we cover today, they're right in the middle. As you can see:

The 1976 Retro Hollmann Awards

February's gone - let us end our look at the year 1976.

We're going out with a bang, Googie.

We talked to my parents about their memories, my mother sounded off on Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor, many took an interest in Best Adapted Screenplay (thanks to Nathaniel of The Film Experience for linking, truly unexpected!), and of course, we talked Best Picture.

But those were Oscar's picks. What of my own? The full list of the 61 films eligible have been named already; now it's time to talk my personal favorites of 40 years ago.

These are the Retro Hollmann Awards of 1976.

Best Adapted Screenplay

All the President's Men

William Goldman

from the book by Carl Bernstein / Bob Woodward

2. The Man Who Fell to Earth (Paul Mayersberg); 3. Carrie (Lawrence D. Cohen); 4. Buffalo Bill and the Indians (Robert Altman / Alan Rudolph); 5. The Shootist (Scott Hale / Miles Hood Swarthout)

Of All the President's Men, I said already that "there's a lot of information...But every detail is clear, the suspense is genuine, and each character vividly realized." The Man Who Fell to Earth's gradual meting-out of information, its slide from possibilities to a squander of them, is haunting. Carrie is earnest and completely its own, so you can buy into its crazy. Buffalo Bill and the Indians is a typical Altman: wincingly funny. The Shootist may be cynical about progress, but it doesn't let its hero off scot-free - a complex heart-tugger.

17 more categories, plus the full top ten, after the jump...

The Bicentennial Actress

Back when I did the 1971 Retrospective, I compared all of that year's nominees to the corresponding Oscar Year - 2014. And I haven't really done that, mostly because I don't find a lot of parallels. But in this category? Honey, this category is always dependable.

If you want a Gallic beauty who surprises even herself with her reaction to a disrupted home life, watch Isabelle Huppert in Elle...or Marie-Christine Barrault in Cousin cousine.

If you want a devoted lover, quiet yet strong, more steel-willed than she seems, who knows what she wants when she knows it, and adores the man who is her other half, watch Ruth Negga in Loving...or Talia Shire in Rocky.

If you want a lady of status that men don't know what to expect from, who is primarily obsessed with crafting a narrative with a specific audience in mind, watch Natalie Portman in Jackie...or Faye Dunaway in Network.

If you want someone whose dreams and fears have way too much influence on her life, yet finds a breakthrough with the help of a new man in her life, watch Emma Stone in La La Land...or Liv Ullmann in Face to Face.

If you want an underestimated force, mocked by people around her, striving to be adored, who absolutely slays when she hits a stage, watch Meryl Streep in Florence Foster Jenkins...or Sissy Spacek in Carrie.

But who will really be this year's Faye Dunaway?:

And who will be this year's...not Faye Dunaway? The nominees, after the jump.

The Bicentennial Supporting Actress

So begins our descent into the madness of 1976...with the best category in almost every Oscar year, Best Supporting Actress.

Rare as it is now, there were times in the past when a supporting actress category was undeniably full of actual supporting actresses, no debate about it. Nowadays, people can't decide what category Viola Davis belongs in (I have my opinion, but I confess it's a borderline case) - or they give the prize to the damn lead of the movie - or have the audacity to say, "But they were only in the minutes of the movie!", as though a supporting role should take up half the runtime. Wasn't always the case. Time was, when you only had to show up for six minutes to make this happen:

Beatrice Straight's Network performance, as the wronged wife of  is the shortest win in Academy history. The bulk of it is one scene, where she reacts to husband William Holden leaving her for Faye Dunaway. But one look and there's no arguing that she earned her place on the ballot.

The other nominees this year weren't much longer. Jane Alexander, as someone who could make the connection between the Watergate break-in and All the President's Men, has two scenes and a total of 5 minutes and 40 seconds. Lee Grant gets twelve minutes for the almost three-hour Voyage of the Damned, as one of many Jews bound away from Nazi Germany towards Cuba. Jodie Foster's iconic teenage prostitute in Taxi Driver barely passes the 15-minute mark; Piper Laurie's fanatically religious matriarch is the closest to a co-lead as we get, taking up 20 minutes of Carrie.

Yes, these were true supporting performances, and in such disparate films. Voyage is an all-star disaster movie with a social conscious (and a terrible bore), All the President's Men, Network and Taxi Driver are bleak depictions of America Now, and Carrie is a female-focused horror movie. Not too many of those getting Oscar traction, now are there?

(Personally, too, I think Talia Shire should have been campaigned as Supporting for Rocky, and part of me believes she could have won the category and given the movie its only acting triumph. We'll never know for sure)

The nominees after the jump...

Top 25 Most Anticipated of 2013

All right, folks. Amateur hour is over. February is upon us. That means Casting Coup Month begins tomorrow, with a re-imagining of the 1975 classic Jaws, followed by more modern actors cast in roles made famous 30-60 years ago by the likes of Charlton Heston, Meryl Streep and Ava Gardner. And the, of course, we have the Hollmann Awards honoring the films of 2012.

But before we look back, I want to take this last moment to look ahead. To the upcoming year, I mean. Yes, it's time for another Top 25 Most Anticipated Films!

Casting Coup Tuesday: Carrie

Remember in Cinema paradiso, how that kid's great mentor ran the local moviehouse and introduced him to cinema and kept all the kisses the Vatican made them cut out? I like to think Andrew was that mentor for me in college. He furthered my knowledge of film noir by introducing our class to Kiss Me Deadly, The Reckless Moment, One False Move and a whole semester of other under-seen classics. He encouraged my love of the bizarre and the campy through screenings of Myra Breckinridge, The Jezebels, and For Your height Only. He introduced me to martial arts films like Master of the Flying Guillotine and The Crippled Masters, my first forays into this little-respected genre. He really is the Mr. Miyagi to my Daniel-san.

Among the great things he did for me was add, at the very least, two films to my all-time favorites list. The first is Xanadu, which quickly rocketed up the ladder to get into my Top Ten of All Time (one day I'll list my top 100, but that's for a day when I see enough movies...maybe when I'm 25 or 30). The other is the subject of today's Casting Coup: Carrie, the 1976 film directed by Brian de Palma.

 Starring Edie McClurg as Helen, the unlikeliest of popular girls

I'm a lover of horror films. It's a genre that can always be tweaked and toyed with, so broad that any number of thrillers or dramas could also be considered horror, in one way or another. Many times, we get a horror film that is big on gore and blood and teens in peril, but not so big on characters and atmosphere and suspense. Carrie delivers on those fronts, but it's always a bit curious because, truthfully, there is no real "horror" until the film's famous climax: the prom. The fact that social outcast Carrie White is telekinetic seems like a bizarre throwaway device -- like Javier Bardem's ability to communicate with the dead in Biutiful -- for much of the film. Rather than get all spooky and weeeeeird about little ol' telekinesis, the film focuses on Carrie the Person, walking on eggshells whether at school with the mean girls or at home with her religious fanatic mother. Ok, the movie does have freaky telekinesis scenes sprinkled throughout, but they grow as Carrie grows...until public humiliation turns her into an unholy monster.

I loved Carrie from the first frame. I have the soundtrack, I quote it with friends, I bought the three-pack that also includes The Rage: Carrie 2 and the TV movie version with Patty Clarkson, and I watched Snake Island just because William Katt (nice guy Tommy Ross) was in it. Actually, I'm such a huge fan...I even adore the Broadway flop. Yes, I have a bootleg soundtrack -- there was never an official one -- and I play it constantly. It's terrible and amazing, and when those powers combine, Captain Planet can suck it.

In my re-casting of Carrie, I kept the musical in mind, and with the exceptions of Billy Nolan and Sue Snell, all the cast members have proven musical chops. As for Megan Fox's desire to lead the recently announced remake...honey, can't you just toss on a baseball cap and rock the Norma Watson?

All original cast images come from Aveleyman, a great source for screencaps and cast pics.

BILLY NOLAN

Who is He: Chris's boyfriend, a thug who helps plan Carrie's humiliation. Billy helps to "collect" the pig's blood.

Originally played by: Academy Award Nominee for Best Actor (Saturday Night Fever, Pulp Fiction), BAFTA Award Nominee for Best Actor (Pulp Fiction), Golden Globe Winner for Best Actor - Musical/Comedy (Get Shorty), SAG Award Nominee for Best Actor (Pulp Fiction) and Best Ensemble (Get Shorty, Hairspray), Hollmann Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actor (Hairspray)

John Travolta (Staying Alive, Old Dogs)

My Choice:

Alex Pettyfer (I Am Number Four, Beastly)

Pettyfer's not a bad actor, he's just more effective as a jerk. In Beastly, at least, and that's fine, that's a career. Look at Christopher McDonald! A role like this really allows an actor to loosen up, too, without any of the restraint of having to be likable.

TOMMY ROSS

Who is He: Sue's boyfriend, a track star and academic, an all-around nice guy. He takes Carrie to the prom on Sue's request, hoping to do a nice thing for a misunderstood girl. Then, of course, everything goes to hell.

Originally played by:

William Katt (House, Jawbreaker)

My Choice:

Chord Overstreet ("Glee", The Hole in 3D)
Unless something happens next season, Overstreet is the poster-boy of nice guy athletes on Glee. I'm always hoping those kids get more work outside the show, and he's great so far.


CHRIS HARGENSEN
Who is She: The resident mean girl, finally punished for making Carrie's life hell. After being banned from the prom, she makes a plan to get Carrie elected Prom Queen so she can exact her revenge.

Originally played by:

Nancy Allen (Dressed to Kill, RoboCop)

My Choice:

Selena Gomez (Ramona and Beezus, Monte Carlo)
One of the strongest Disney actresses, actually. While she's hinted at snottiness and being a "bad girl" before, I'd love to see her go all-out vicious. She's so cool.


SUE SNELL
Who is She: At first, she's teasing Carrie with the other girls. But since Sue is a pretty nice girl, she comes up with a plan to help her: persuade Tommy to take her to the prom. Sue also happens to be neighbors with Carrie, so she knows what kind of family the girl comes from.

Originally played by: Academy Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (Yentl), Golden Globe Nominee for Best Actress - Musical/Comedy (Crossing Delancey), SAG Award Nominee for Best Ensemble (Traffic)

Amy Irving (Tuck Everlasting, Adam)

My Choice: Hollmann Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World)

Ellen Wong ("Combat Hospital")
Her turn in Scott Pilgrim was impressive; now we need to see more of her. Sue is a very different person from Knives Chau, but I feel like we saw a bit of Sue in Wong's final scene.


COACH DESJARDIN
Who is She: Girls' coach...obviously. She tries to educate Carrie and make her feel more comfortable with herself. Coach is even suspicious of Sue and Tommy's plan, not wanting the little outcast to get hurt.

Originally played by:

Betty Buckley (Tender Mercies, Another Woman)

My Choice: Academy Award Nominee/Golden Globe Winner for Best Actress [Musical/Comedy] (What's Love Got to with It?)

Angela Bassett (Waiting to Exhale, Meet the Browns)
I immediately felt that she was the perfect woman for this role. First, I'd listen to her no matter what position she held at the school: she's so authoritative! Second, those arms. Of course she's an athletics director.


MARGARET WHITE
Who is She: Carrie's religious single mother. And I mean crazy religious, to a point that Jesus would find excessive. She sees Carrie's period not as, you know, normal, but as a sign that the girl is as cursed as she once was. Because after the blood come the boys, sniffing around.

Originally played by: Academy Award Nominee for Best Actress (The Hustler) and Best Supporting Actress (Carrie, Children of a Lesser God), BAFTA Award Nominee for Best Foreign Actress (The Hustler), Golden Globe Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (Carrie)

Piper Laurie (The Faculty, Another Harvest Moon)

My Choice: Academy Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress, SAG Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress and Best Ensemble (Good Will Hunting)

Minnie Driver (The Phantom of the Opera, Barney's Version)
I had my Carrie settled, so then I just needed a great actress who looked like she could have birthed my Carrie. I surprised myself by settling on Minnie Driver, but damn it feels so right. She's such an underappreciated actress, and I feel like she could bring the crazy without being unbelievable. I mean, Piper's shoes are tough to fill, but Minnie's up to the challenge.


CARRIE WHITE
Who is She: Our telekinetic heroine, a social outcast whose powers actually give her some confidence, up until the pig's blood fall son her.

Originally played by: Academy Award Winner for Best Actress (Coal Miner's Daughter), BAFTA Award Nominee for Best Actress (Coal Miner's Daughter, Missing, In the Bedroom), Golden Globe Winner for Best Actress - Musical/Comedy (Coal Miner's Daughter, Crimes of the Heart) and Drama (In the Bedroom), Indie Spirit Winner for Best Actress (In the Bedroom), SAG Award Nominee for Best Actress and Best Ensemble (In the Bedroom)

Sissy Spacek (The Straight Story, The Help)

My Choice:

Emily Browning (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Sleeping Beauty)
 Because she has that odd kind of beauty that can be believably plained up (like The Uninvited with Elizabeth Banks). She's a neat actress, too, one who plays confidence and distinct lack thereof with equal ease. Look at her in Sucker Punch, ably playing the innocent until it's time to take action. I would love to see her play Carrie.

It's Reader's Choice...

Thirty days hath September, and its days are numbered, meaning we're only a little more than a week away from the second best time of the year. Of course, I'm talking about the month of October, or as its known at my place (and coincidentally, at Final Girl)...

SHOCKTOBERFEST!!!

Yes, it's 31 days of horror movies, sometimes two or three a day, as hosted by my roommate/best friend and myself. We've been keeping it going since Freshman year of college, making this the Fifth Annual and our first in Los Angeles. The beautiful thing is that our daily horror intake won't just be relegated to Netflix and our own collections; this city has the market cornered on revival houses and specialty theaters, and you better believe they've got some thrills in store for us! Then, of course, there are new releases like The Skin I Live In and the "prequel" to The Thing starring the beautiful Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

And, naturally, it means four new Casting Coups. And this time, friends, I'm involving you. Ya see, I know what three of my subjects will be, and I've got the posts ready to go: Carrie, The Exorcist and Dracula (from the 1931 film, not the novel or other versions). But while searching for a fourth to do, I figured I'll keep it interesting.

I'm going to watch a movie I've never seen before, review it, and cast it. What's more...I'll let you decide what it's going to be! From now until September 30, you have the opportunity to decide a Shocktoberfest film and a Casting Coup Tuesdays entry. You are the decider! And because I love keeping y'all in suspense, I'll make it the last coup on the month, October 25th.

Let your voice be heard and the blood be shed:

poll by twiigs.com

Happy Halloween!

Final Girl has one up. Who Is the March King? did his. Hell, it's a tradition for every holiday: we must all list our favorite films in the genre that reflects the season.

Horror was my first favorite genre. Anyone who enjoys reading this blog has Tod Browning, James Whale, Bela Lugosi and Vincent Price to thank. I still regard Vincent Price as my favoritest actor of all time. I collected the toys, the Universal Monsters stamps, the scripts even! Just yesterday I got the soundtrack to Dr. Phibes Rises Again, the sequel to one of the films on this very list. Halloween is a special time for me: it encourages my adoration of horror, and brings others into my obsession. My Twitter followers will know my roommate and I have been having a Shocktoberfest Marathon (I swear, we didn't know Final Girl had one until a year after we started ours).

So, yeah: I love Horror movies. Here, for Halloween, are my twenty favorite horror movies:

20. Scream (1996, Wes Craven)

Even knowing the twist, the suspense and fear factor is always fresh. Great performances from the large ensemble, including Drew Barrymore and Rose McGowan. Glenn is through the Scream franchise scene by scene over at Stale Popcorn; it's a great read.

19. The Phantom of the Opera (1925, Rupert Julian)

Can you believe I first saw this in a large theatre with a live organist? It was Halloween night, I was in third grade, and my father insisted. Thanks, Dad! Lon Chaney's performance still haunts and touches me today.

18. Hausu (1977, Nobuhiku Obayashi)

The most recent addition to my List o' Love. Impossible to describe, except to say that it's a haunted house tale that's...highly original, to say the least. Criterion just released it, so try to snag a copy. You will never ever forget it.

17. Dracula (1931, Tod Browning)

My first favorite, and not just of horror. 'Twas this film that birthed my love of cinema. Blame Bela Lugosi's legendary performance, blame Tod Browning's mastery of the eerie, blame Universal for greenlighting it in the first place. Blame who you want, just let me have it!

16. The Haunted Palace (1963, Roger Corman)

The Tomb of Ligeia may be the best of the Corman/Price collaborations, but this one is my favorite. The opening credit sequence (above) is equaled only by the James Bond flicks. Vincent Price was at his best when he had a list of victims and a theme: in this case, the descendants of those who burned his warlock ancestor are the victims; fire is the method. It's also got Elisha Cook, Jr.!

15. The Wolf Man (1941, George Waggner)

Complicated protagonist? Questions on the nature of good and evil? Maria Ouspenskaya? This landmark Universal horror becomes more profound the older I get.

14. Night of the Living Dead (1968, George Romero)

Another cherished memory between father and son. Dad, me, Romero at midnight makes three. The end shocked and shook me...and I loved it.

13. House on Haunted Hill (1999, William Malone)

I know it's blasphemy to prefer a remake to the original, especially since the original starred my all-time favorite actor. Truth be told, though: I'm a bit of a gorehound, and this version does not disappoint. Geoffrey Rush rocks.

12. Trick 'R Treat (2008, Michael Doughtery)

Douglas Pipes' score alone! I'm a sucker for an ensemble flick, and with its four intersecting horror subplots, Trick 'R Treat is one of the more original ones. Funny and freaky. Deaky.

11. Village of the Damned (1960, Wolf Rilla)

Civilized horror, all the more chilling for the cold deliberateness of the perpetrators: children. The finale is suspenseful and exciting, anchored by a magnificent performance from George Sanders.

10. Theatre of Blood (1973, Douglas Hickox)

Price hams it up, murdering unkind critics in ways resembling the works of Shakespeare. The Titus Andronicus and Henry VI: Part One murders are my personal favorites, the latter significant for Price's fey mannerisms and large afro. Diana Rigg lends some sexy support.

9. The Wicker Man (2006, Neil LaBute)

I find the original dull; I find the remake incomprehensible in the best way possible. Hilarious, illogical, legendary. Nicolas Cage has gone OTT in many films, but this one is his masterpiece."How did she burn? How did she burn how did she burn?"

8. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935, James Whale)

Beautiful and atmospheric. Furhter exploring the themes of life and death, good and evil, God and Man, the film boasts Elsa Lanchester's bewigged Bride, Franz Waxman's score, and startling special effects that still hold up. Ernest Thesiger's Dr. Pretorius is Oscar-worthy, but there was no Supporting Actor category at the time. Alas.

7. House II: The Second Story (1987, Ethan Wiley)

It's almost a family film! Crystal skulls, drunk-driving zombies, John Ratzenberger as an electrician/adventurer! Bill Maher! Prehistoric pets! An adorable dogerpillar! House II, you're so good, you're so good, you're so good, baby you're so good!

6. Carrie (1976, Brian De Palma)

Pino Donaggio's score first got to me, along with that slo-mo tracking shot in the locker room. Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie received Oscar Nominations for their performances as awkward telekinetic teen Carrie White and her abusive, religious mother, respectively; Laurie should have won. The second-best thing Brian De Palma's done.

5. Halloween (1978, John Carpenter)

This will never not be scary. Never. I even have the score, as strange as that may seem. This movie gets under my skin. Every time I'm walking at night, even if it's just to put a garbage bag in the dumpster, I expect to see Michael Meyers creeping behind a bush...

4. Phantom of the Paradise (1974, Brian De Palma)

Horror-musical from Brian De Palma boasts campy performances and great songs. I admit, I get a litle misty-eyed at the end: the love story is too heartbreaking. Jessica Harper's heroine, Phoenix, is one of my greatest Cinema Crushes.

3. The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971, Robert Fuest)

Price's greatest performance, as silent and brooding organist/inventor Anton Phibes. Phibes is the most sympathetic character Price played, a man striking back methodically, madly, at the surgeons who allowed his wife to die on the operating table. Use the Ten Plagues of Egypt as a blueprint, each kill is more glorious than the last. A brilliant horror-comedy.

2. Freaks (1932, Tod Browning)

A slow-burn thriller that used real sideshow attractions in its cast, Freaks is unforgettable, atmospheric and just plain weird. The finale is terrifying, but the greatest scene, of course, is the Loving Cup. "Gooble gobble, one of us!" Even the Ramones couldn't resist!

1. The Black Cat (1934, Edgar G. Ulmer)

Bela Lugosi as the unexpected hero, Karloff as the Satanic villain. It doesn't show on this list, but no subgenre of horror makes me happier than Look Out for Satanists! This film has the most to do with that. But why #1? There are all sorts of reasons, actually. Every character is fully-developed, even the mute manservant Thamal (Harry Cording). The production design does not rely on Gothic architecture or decaying manors, but an art-deco mansion with sliding doors and modern conveniences. Terror can be anywhere. The finale with the Witches' Sabbath and Lugosi's shocking revenge has yet to be equaled. And you know what? I think Julie Bishop's heroine is fairly brave, smart, and well-rounded. Not for a 1930s character; for any character. Period.

Don't Waste the Moon

Holy crap, holy crap, excerpt from my new favorite song from Carrie: The Musical:

GIRLS
All we ever do is park,
Then for hours you grope me in the dark.
We would go bowling if you really cared.
You don't.

BOYS
I do.

GIRLS
You don't!

BOYS
Hey, be that way.
Good girls go to Heaven, so they say,
But bad girls, they go everywhere.

------

How long do you think it took to come up with that? Two hours? Less?

Shall I make this the fourth Casting Coup for the month of May? Readers -- what say ye?

Music I am Listening to At the Moment

Mamma Mia!, but specifically "Super Trouper" more often than not
Featuring the following lyrics:
"Super Trouper
Lights are gonna find me
Shining like the sun
Smiling, having fun
Feeling like a number one"
Yeah! What?




Carrie: The Musical
Featuring the following lyrics:
"Come on, ladies!
I wanna see sweat!
I keep a-lookin' but I ain't seen it yet!"
Poetry, truly.



The song "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree", as performed by Tony Orlando & Dawn, Dean Martin, Perry Como, etc.
Featuring the following lyrics:
"Tie a yellow ribbon 'round the old oak tree
It's been three long years
Do you still want me?
If I don't see a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree
I'll stay on the bus
Forget about us
Put the blame on me
If I don't see a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree"
Aw, that's sweet. But where he has been for three years? What are the other lyrics?
"I'm comin' home, I've done my time"
"I'm really still in prison, my love she holds the key"
"If you received my letter telling you I'd soon be free"
So....this is about a convict? One who apparently isn't innocent? And we don't know what crime he committed? This is just bizarre. Maybe I don't get the whole romanticism of the prison system, but man the 60s and 70s were full of that, weren't they?

Faith and Frocks

This is the post I wrote for my class, as referenced by the previous blogpost. Enjoy.

Maybe it's just my fascination with the fashion of the time, maybe it's my Higgins-esque desire to make a woman into a lady, but I found the costumes in Carrie to be most telling. Most telling, indeed.

I love, for example, Margaret White's frock. For the majority of the film, she is only seen in that huge black frock. It is like a nun's habit, but without the head covering, appropriate enough for a woman as tied to God as Margaret believes herself to be. But oh! It is so much more than just a frumpy frock donned by your everyday religious nut (Is there any other type? In the movies, I mean?). That final monologue Margaret delivers on her knees, in confession to the "devil child", is so telling. Succumbing to sex not once, but twice, despite praying for the strength to resist -- AND SHE LIKED IT! And at the beginning, the recitation of Eve's original sin as she smacks her daughter in the face with a pamphlet. It is clear that Margaret sees herself as Eve: having been tempted by the devil's forbidden fruit (sex, sex, sex!), she is forced to cover herself to hide her shame. A fig leaf for Eve is a black gown for Margaret.

Likewise, Carrie covers herself after the prom. She dishonors her mother, even forcing the woman down so that she can go to the prom. She allows herself to be "tempted" by a cute boy and a shallow gym teacher, even committing the sin of pride when she votes for herself for Queen, even tempting the Devil himself as she does so! And yes, she is punished for this by the blood of a pig, an animal sacrifice, perhaps, though one that comes from an unclean meat (Leviticus 11:7). (May I point out, though, how even at the prom, she still has a bit of her mother's infuence, covering her "dirty pillows" with a shawl until her name is called to go onstage?)

So, yes, after the humiliation of it all, after the mass murder, after sending John Travolta and Chris into a roadside fireball, after bathing the blood off (high school can be so treacherous, you know?) -- Carrie comes out of the bathroom in a white frock, matching her mother. And yes, it is a nightgown, and perhaps that's all there is to it, but think about it. After she commits her own sins, not only does she return to her mother, the only person left who she thinks can understand her -- she dresses conservatively, covering her body. Covering her shame.

And now she and her mother both wear white gowns, white ceremonial gowns. Which only makes sense, because Margaret is about to murder her daughter with a huge fucking butcher knife (can I say fucking in a post, Andrew?). Now, this follows two Biblical passages. While the action of murdering her daughter with that huge knife is primarily reminiscient of Abraham showing his dedication to the Lord by sacrificing his son Isaac, it is also in accordance with Deuteronomy 21:18-21, in which it is outlined that a disobedient child should be stoned to death. "You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid (DEU 21:21, NIV)."

Margaret becomes avenging angel, with her white gown, sleeves spread like wings. Check out that ceiling above her, with the light reflecting just so; a halo, perhaps? And she is so gleeful. She is finally doing the Lord's work, just the way she always saw herself doing. The Old Testament fire-and-brimstone thing, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the death of Aaron's sons, Jezebel mauled by dogs. Of course, Piper Laurie's Oscar-nominated performance is just incredible, but the gown! The gown is really what sells this!

The religious elements of this film are just fascinating, and I adore how much of this is conveyed, not just through Margaret's dialogue or the creepy Jesus figure, but through these costumes. There is no better way to contrast high school and home, popular girls and outcasts, prophets and prom, than through these ingenious designs.

Do forgive the length, but Hot Damn do I love this movie!