I’m sure many of us have bittersweet memories of prom, and in such a tumultuous year, it’s a shame that most teens won’t get to experience it this time around. Whether a fairytale romantic evening, a night of awkward dancing and cheesy photos, or even a fiery hellscape – it almost always turns out to be a night to remember.
1976’s Carrie, adapted from the novel by Stephen King, and directed by Brian De Palma, culminates in one of the most iconic proms of all time. The film deftly captures the teenage experience, from angst and cruelty to surprising moments of kindness. Sissy Spacek’s performance as Carrie is painful and delicate, as she moves from artless innocence to wounded, lashing rage.
Poor Carrie is a naïve girl, relentlessly bullied at school, and with a home life shadowed by an abusive and psychotically religious mother. Her world is small and dark. And yet, somehow, through pity and benevolence, her prom night begins as a sparkling fairytale. The theme is delightfully cheesy, A Night Among the Stars, and she’s surrounded by glittery decorations and smiling faces. This is what makes the outcome so heartbreaking. She finally has what she always wanted – friends, a veritable Prince Charming, and she’s beautiful, shining, and adored. But we know how this story ends; without going into detail, it’s a blood-drenched fiery nightmare.
….on to the recipe! Prom is going to have some snacks, cheese and crackers, fruit, various sundries, but then there is the ubiquitous punch. It’s in every teen movie, for the gentlemen to fetch for their dates, for the kind teacher to chaperone over, for the troublemakers to spike. This particular punch is peach juice based. No fruit is more sweet or innocent than a peach. Though Carrie’s wicked, crazed mother snaps “Red. I might have known it would be red,” her lovely prom dress is clearly pale pink. With that, and her angelic face and long golden hair, Carrie is a vision of peaches and cream.
When Carrie arrives at the prom, she’s surrounded by bubbly friends and dazzling prom decorations. So next we’re adding sparkling orange juice, and a secret ingredient – edible glitter! The peach juice is little heavy and sweet, so the sparkling orange juice lightens and brightens it up, and the glitter is that extra starlight twinkle. But then the tragic twist. We’re adding pomegranate juice (which if you’ve been following these horror recipes for any amount of time, you’ll know is my favorite stand in for blood), which adds a pleasant tang and a striking color, and balances the sweet flavors nicely. I told you prom was bittersweet.
Sparkling Pig’s Blood Punch
- 3 cups (24 ounces) peach juice
- 1 cup (8 ounces) pomegranate juice
- 2 cups (16 ounces) orange soda (such as Izze)
- 1 teaspoon edible glitter
Simply mix all ingredients and chill! This recipe can easily be multiplied if you are making it for a party or crowd. If you have a punch bowl, even better. You can also freeze the juice into ice cubes that will keep the punch cool without diluting it.
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