Continuity mistake: When Norma and Helen are in the salon, and they are talking about Carrie going to the prom with Tommy, Norma is getting a fancy hairdo done for the prom. But in the next gym scene, she has her plain braids and a cap on. (00:48:20)
Carrie (1976)
Directed by: Brian De Palma
Starring: John Travolta, Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Nancy Allen, Amy Irving, William Katt, P.J. Soles
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Suggested correction: When you watch the movie leading up to that event, it's obvious that Norma is a tomboy, and is always wearing a ball cap and wearing her hair like that. It's who she is and perhaps decided after her hair was done that it didn't feel right and decided to go back to her look.
Continuity mistake: Billy Nolan's 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS changes to a 1967 Pontiac Firebird with a white vinyl roof, then back to the Chevelle SS as Carrie overturns it. (01:17:50 - 01:21:10)
Character mistake: During the opening scene, the girls are playing volleyball. The score was announced, and game point was announced. When the ball is served it comes to Sue, she hits the ball twice, in succession, which is against the rules, she is on the same team as Carrie. This should have ended the game, but the point continues, the team they are both on gets the ball over the net, then it comes back, right at Carrie, she does not hit the ball, then the game is over, and a few of her teammates can be heard saying various insults about her inability to play the game and so forth. If they would have been playing by the rules, the ball should have never even came to Carrie.
Trivia: Betty Buckley really slapped Nancy Allen across the face during the detention scene. Brian DePalma wanted the right reaction.
Trivia: Director Brian de Palma originally wanted Sissy Spacek to play Chris Hargenson (eventually portrayed by Nancy Allen). But Spacek wanted to be the star, so she showed up for her audition in a dress her mother made for her in 7th grade. She looked so awkward and hopelessly out of touch with fashion that De Palma cast her as Carrie.
More trivia for Carrie
Margaret White: Carrie, you haven't touched your apple cake.
Carrie: It gives me pimples, Mama.
Margaret White: Pimples are the Lord's way of chastising you.
Carrie: Tommy?
Tommy Ross: Yeah?
Carrie: Why?
Tommy Ross: Why what?
Carrie: Why am I here?
Tommy Ross: Because it's the prom.
Carrie: Why am I here with you?
Tommy Ross: Because I asked you.
Carrie: Why'd you ask me?
Tommy Ross: Because I wanted to.
Carrie: Why'd you want to?
Tommy Ross: Because you liked my poem. Only I didn't write it. Somebody else did.
Carrie: Oh.
Margaret White: Witch. Got Satan's Power.
Carrie: It has nothing to do with Satan, Mama. It's me. Me. If I concentrate hard enough, I can move things.
Question: Carrie is seen crying after she realizes that Tommy is dead. I can only assume that she actually cared about him but she still believes he was good and didn't take part in the prank, right? And at the end does she actually care about Sue and forgive her?
Answer: Since blood was dumped on him too she must have realized that he wasn't a part of it, so yes, she cared for him. In the book when Carrie touches Sue, they link minds and Carrie sees that Sue felt bad about teasing her and was trying to do something nice to atone, and had nothing to do with Chris' nasty prank. So yes it's safe to say she grieved for Tommy and forgave Sue.
Answer: In this version, Carrie never weeps for Tommy's death, and it's never indicated whether or not she was even aware that he died. And she never directly encounters Sue in this version, so we don't know her thoughts about her either. The film was likely trying to leave some things open-ended, so that audiences could interpret them as they wanted.
Question: Did Tommy die? If so, did his body get burned up?
Answer: He did die in the end when the mother sue was on the phone she mentions "losing tommy and the others" or something like that.
Answer: Most likely he did die. After Carrie set the gym on fire, she walked out and locked the gym doors behind her so that no one could escape, leaving Tommy to die too.
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