Carrie: Limited Edition (4K UHD Review)
Director
Brian De PalmaRelease Date(s)
1976 (November 12, 2025)Studio(s)
Red Bank Films/United Artists (Imprint Films/Via Vision Entertainment)- Film/Program Grade: A
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: B-
Review
[Editor’s Note: This is a Region-Free Australian 4K Ultra HD import.]
Carrie was the first adaptation of a Stephen King story in any form, and arguably, the best of the lot with very few contenders for the title. With career-defining performances from Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie, this drama/horror hybrid about an awkward teenage girl was a hit with both critics and audiences, doing very well financially when it was released. And although it wasn’t the first to do so, its conclusion involving a shock ending became something that was adopted by other filmmakers to the point of it becoming passé. It may be dated due to the timeframe that it takes place in, but it’s still considered by many to be one of the top horror films ever made.
Getting into the specifics feels a bit unnecessary at this point. It’s one of those stories that’s gone beyond mere fiction and has become a part of the cultural tableau. However, one would be remiss not to cover it at least a little for newcomers. Carrie is a shy high school girl, constantly bullied by her fellow students, as well as her overbearing, unbalanced, religion-obsessed mother. In response, she develops telekinetic powers that she keeps hidden from the world, but once the pranks played upon her by her classmates reaches their zenith, she suddenly finds within herself the need for revenge against those who simply wouldn’t leave her alone.
Carrie isn’t one of those horror films that can you can simply pop in and rewatch ad infinitum for its camp factor or its comedic value; it has little to none of either, acting more as a drama than a horror film, which is partly why it’s so effective. The final minutes of the film, which include the blood-soaked night at the prom, aren’t quite as interesting as those that proceed them. We come to understand the pain and anguish that Carrie goes through on a daily basis, both at school and at home. Once we reach the moment when she can’t take any more of it and lashes out, we’re on her side. Yet at the same time, we’re also not on her side during these moments, creating a quandary that makes her character fascinating, and why the setup is so much more important than the payoff.
Carrie is also one of Brian De Palma’s most accomplished films. He freely admits that he had more time to prep than almost any of the other films that he made. Because it was so influential and such a big hit, he would be known through the marketing of his other films as “the master of suspense,” or some variation thereof. He would go on to produce a staggering body of work, much of it polarizing to some degree, but all of it worthy of either celebrating or re-evaluating. He would later make another film about telekinesis, The Fury, and Carrie would eventually serve the needs of the sequel and remake machine, but nobody can deny the power or the legacy of the original film. It’s a masterpiece, through and through.
Carrie was shot by cinematographer Mario Tosi on 35mm film using Arriflex 35 IIC and Cinema Products XR35 (Mitchell NC) cameras with various lenses and filters, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Imprint Films brings the film to Ultra HD from an existing 4K Digital Intermediate via Park Circus, which is a 2022 4K restoration of the film by Shout! Factory that was also used by Arrow Video for their Ultra HD release in 2024. It has been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and encoded to triple-layered BD-100 disc. (It should be noted that the modern MGM logo is included at the front of the film, but the vintage United Artists logo remains.) The chief difference between Shout’s and Arrow’s UHD presentations of the film is in the encoding. Shout’s release mostly sits in the range of 70 to 80Mbps, whereas the Arrow upgrade is in the range of 80 to 100Mbps. The latter is definitely the case with Imprint’s release, which is a most impressive picture. Textures are rich and grain is tight, which is heavy, but intricately woven. The film’s use of split diopter shots and soft focus lenses gives it a thoroughly cinematic look, and this release retains that stylistic and organic appearance. The HDR grades allow for deeper hues and added dimension. There’s some blue push present in certain scenes, but it doesn’t detract from flesh tones or other colors. Blacks are deep with excellent contrast, particularly in Carrie’s home wherein all of the shadowy interiors are laden with darkness. The image is stable and clean throughout, as well. In essence, the additional data muscle makes what was already a fantastic 4K presentation even better.
Audio is included in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and English 2.0 mono LPCM, with optional subtitles in English SDH. Previous releases included a stereo option, but that’s not present here. The 5.1 mix does a very good job of reproducing the film’s soundtrack in a wider field. Dialogue is clean and clear on both tracks, but a bit too quiet in certain sections. Sound effects and score benefit the most from the extra channels, and there are some nice atmospheric and low end moments to be had as well, especially during the prom sequences. The mono track is a personal preference point, but the surround track is faithful to the original sound design without spoiling it.
The Imprint Films 2-Disc Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD release of Carrie sits in a black Amaray case with a 1080p Blu-ray containing the film and additional extras, as well as a folder insert containing 6 art cards that are reproductions of Mexican lobby cards for the film, but with English text. Everything is housed in lenticular hardbox packaging and the following extras are included on each disc:
DISC ONE (UHD)
- Original Theatrical Trailer (HD – 2:06)
DISC TWO (BD)
- Acting Carrie (Upscaled SD – 42:22)
- Visualizing Carrie: From Words to Images (Upscaled SD – 41:33)
- Singing Carrie (Upscaled SD – 6:23)
- Image Gallery (HD – 104 in all)
- Original Theatrical Trailer (HD – 2:06)
- Stephen King and the Evolution of Carrie Text Gallery:
- Stephen King and the Writing of Carrie (HD – 7 in all)
- From Novel to Script (HD – 3 in all)
- Book & Film Comparison (HD – 3 in all)
While this release doesn’t feature all of the great bonus materials from the Shout! Factory and Arrow Video releases, it does cart over some substantial documentaries and featurettes. Acting Carrie features interviews with actors Sissy Spacek, Amy Irving, Betty Buckley, Nancy Allen, William Katt, Piper Laurie, Priscilla Pointer, P.J. Soles, art director Jack Fisk, and Brian De Palma. Visualizing Carrie features interviews with De Palma, Fisk, producer Lawrence D. Cohen, and editor Paul Hirsch. Singing Carrie discusses the musical version of Carrie. The Still Gallery combines two image galleries from the Shout! Factory release for a total of 104 stills, featuring behind-the-scenes photos, posters, lobby cards, and the film’s press booklet. The Stephen King and the Evolution of Carrie Text Gallery, created by Laurent Bouzereau, is broken up into three sections: Stephen King and the Writing of Carrie, From Novel to Script, and Book & Film Comparison.
Missing from the Shout! Factory release is the following:
- Audio Commentary with Joseph Aisenberg
- Newspaper Ad Gallery (HD – 26 in all – 4:29)
- Theatrical Trailer (HD – 2:06)
- The Carrie Trailer Gallery (HD – 3 in all – 6:09)
- Writing Carrie: An Interview with Screenwriter Lawrence Cohen (HD – 29:07)
- Shooting Carrie: An Interview with Director of Photography Mario Tosi (HD – 15:22)
- Cutting Carrie: An Interview with Editor Paul Hirsch (HD – 25:09)
- Casting Carrie: An Interview with Casting Director Harriet B. Helberg (HD – 16:03)
- More Acting Carrie (HD – 20:19)
- Bucket of Blood (HD – 23:53)
- Horror’s Hallowed Grounds (HD – 11:25)
- TV Spots (HD – 5 in all – 3:11)
- Radio Spots (HD – 2 in all – 1:29)
Not carried over from the Arrow Video release is an audio commentary with Lee Gambin and Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, the Comparing Carrie featurette, and an alternate TV opening. Seemingly locked away forever on the Criterion Collection LaserDisc release is an audio commentary with Laurent Bouzereau and Lawrence D. Cohen. It’s also a shame that the deleted scenes still haven’t been found, including the lost prologue.
In truth, there’s no fully comprehensive 4K Ultra HD release of Carrie, though the Shout! Factory and Arrow Video releases come the closest in tandem with each other. Imprint’s release certainly offers a satisfying video and audio presentation in a nice package, but with merely a decent set of incomplete bonus materials. It’s still a fine release, all said and done.
- Tim Salmons
(You can follow Tim on social media at these links: Twitter, Facebook, BlueSky, and Letterboxd. And be sure to subscribe to his YouTube channel here.)