Whether you’re a horror fan or not, you’ve heard the nameStephen King. He’s a legend in the genre, and for good reason. He is behind some of the most iconic and well-known horror stories ever made, fromThe Shining, toIt, andMisery– just to name a few.
What begin as novels, eventually get adapted into haunting and visceral film or television adaptations that chill to the bone. All of King’s novels are well-done, but some adaptations remain superior, and the one that remains the best is the very first adaptation:Carrie.
1. It Was the First King Adaptation – and It Started a Legacy
Without ‘Carrie,’ we wouldn’t have ‘It’ or ‘The Shining.’
Carriewas the first of King’s novels to be adapted for the big screen, andit started a legacy. Since then, over fifty of his novels have been made into movies. They vary in quality, but regardless, it is impressive for the sheer amount of Stephen King adaptations out there, and it’s all because ofCarrie.
Both the novel and its subsequent film adaptation were trailblazers, and changed the horror game.WithoutCarrie, we may not have the rest of the King adaptations we’ve seen since, and wouldn’t that be a shame?
2. ‘Carrie’ Captures the Core of Stephen King’s Stories
The original King story is still the most primal.
Many of King’s stories incorporate similar themes of loneliness, vulnerability, humans as the monster, etc… I’d argue thatCarrieis the story that captures these the most, and the film adaptation really brings these themes to life in an especially poignant and heartbreaking way.
Carrie (Sissy Spacek) is a very sympathetic character, even if she’s technically a villain by the end. She perfectly encapsulates the struggles of coming of age in a world that looks down on people who are different.This is a theme that King looks at a lot in his stories, andCarriewas the first to really encapsulate that.
3. Margaret White Is One of the Most Terrifying Stephen King Villains
“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.”
Carrieis an interesting story because Carrie is both the hero and villain of her own story. She becomes the villainby the end when she burns down the gymnasiumafter being pushed to her breaking point. But before that switch, there are a few other villains to fill in. There’s Chris Hargensen (Nancy Allen), the ringleader of Carrie’s bullies. But the biggest villain of the film is Margaret White (Piper Laurie), Carrie’s mother.
Margaret may not be the typical King villain because she’s human and not in the least bit supernatural, but that’s actually what makes her so frightening. She’s a religious fanatic, and lets it consume her to the point where she believes Carrie getting her period – a very natural part of growing up – is a sign of sin and a mark of the devil. She is so abusive to Carrie, she locks her in a prayer closet and has her pray for her sins. And by the end of the movie, she even tries to kill her.She’s frighteningly realistic – if a little over the top – and is easily one of King’s best, and most frightening villains.
4. ‘Carrie’ Is Devastating
It’s a study in cruelty.
What setsCarrieapart from most horror movies is how gut-wrenching it is to watch. Right from the start you meet this sad, shy, girl who is ruthlessly bullied. You see her get laughed at and harassed for being scared. She’s utterly humiliated by everyone. The only person she can trust isMiss. Collins (Betty Buckley), her gym teacher, who takes Carrie under her wing and tries to help her through.
Then the prom comes along, and Carrie is having what is very likely the best night of her young life. She has a handsome date, her peers are treating her like an actual person, and she’s crowned prom queen. Then it all comes crashing down, and pig’s blood is dumped on her, and she starts imagining everyone laughing at her.Suddenly, the facade fades, and she’s back to being the weird girl that everyone looked down on.She was so sweet, and she never did anything to anyone before the prom, so for her to be treated so cruelly is just devastating.
5. Carrie Is Stephen King’s Most Sympathetic Character
…and his most sympathetic villain.
When it comes to Stephen King’s characters, Carrie is by far the most sympathetic.You can’t help but feel for her. She’s so innocent and has such a hard home life. Her mom is abusive and cruel to her. She’s ruthlessly bullied at school despite seemingly keeping to herself. The only person who genuinely cares for her is her gym teacher. As the film goes on, we see Carrie’s confidence slowly build, and it’s such a beautiful thing to witness. If it were any other movie, or really, any other genre, this would be such a triumphant turn for her.
However, we all know about the prom scene and how she sets the gym ablaze when she imagines everyone laughing at her. Then she goes home, and on the way she kills Chris, and later kills her mom, and herself. But surprisingly, you still sympathize with her right up until the very end of the movie, even after all the carnage that she has caused. It’s a strange sense of“You go, girl!”because in a way, she’s taking her power back from all these people, even if it is in the most tragic of ways. She’s such a fascinating and intricate character, and Spacek’s performance really elevates the film, and the character of Carrie.
6. ‘Carrie’ Doesn’t Over-Explain Itself
Simplicity is a strength.
One of the best things aboutCarrieis that it doesn’t over explain itself. A lot of the time, King can get carried away with his work, which results in some very long stories (Itis basically a brick!). And while they’re still incredible pieces of work,part of the charm ofCarrieis how simplistic it is. It doesn’t require a bunch of brain power or lore delivery to understand the story or magic behind it, unlike some of his other adaptations that take up too much runtime exposition dumping the supernatural element.
InCarrieit’s pretty straightforward. We see her move things accidentally a few times, then we see her researching it in the library, thus giving it a name. Then we see her practice it some more later on, which ultimately prepares us for the big climax at the end.
7. ‘Carrie’ Balances Multiple Genres
Is this the scariest coming-of-age movie?
One of the most interesting things aboutCarrieis that, although it is a horror movie at its core, it also balances multiple other genres throughout.Since it’s such a slow-burn film, the horror elements don’t really kick in until the end of the movie, and it feels like a drama for most of the run. It also feels like a coming-of-age drama, much like many of King’s other stories and subsequent adaptations.
Carriehelped redefine what a horror movie could be. It showed that a horror movie didn’t have to be scary the entire time to be classified as horror, it didn’t have to be super gory, or super scary.That was a huge deal for 1976, and it really paved the way for the horror genre going forward.
8. ‘Carrie’s Monsters Are Human
“They’re all gonna laugh at you.”
Unlike a lot of King’s stories, the villains inCarrieare not supernatural but human. There are certainly supernatural elements, namely inCarrie, who has telekinesis, but the other villains don’t have supernatural powers, and are just everyday humans.
The horror comes from the fact thatCarrie’s villains are just terrible people, and the way they treat everyone around them is so cruel thatthere doesn’t even need to be a supernatural monster – they’re terrifying enough on their own.
9. ‘Carrie’ Can Resonate With Everyone
It’s as universally relevant as the source material.
Carrieis a great King adaptation because it’s a story that everyone can resonate with.AllCarrieasks of you to relate to it is that you’ve felt vulnerable in your life, and just about everyone can relate to that feeling. Everyone has had a time in their life when they’ve felt like an outcast. Everyone has encountered a bully. Because of this,Carrieis a story that can get under just about anyone’s skin and make them feel something.
It also makesCarriea perfect horror film for beginners.It’s not too scary, it’s not too hard to understand, and since everyone can relate to it in some way or another, it is a great way of showing a beginner to the genre how a horror movie can affect you and leave its mark.
10. ‘Carrie’ Paved the Way For Female-Led Horror
Carrie walked so others could run.
Nowadays, female-led horror films are more and more common.But back in 1976, they were quite rare. ThenCarriecame on to the scene and proved that women can, and should, be the stars of horror movies, and that they are more than capable of creating intricate stories and characters to appeal to audiences.
Movies likeHereditary,Midsommar, andMisery, which is another King adaptation, likely wouldn’t have been half as successful if it weren’t for Carrie blazing a trail in the genre. She set the stage for not only female-led horror, but also final girls, female villains, and sympathetic villains. She’s so intricate, so important, and she’s one of a kind.Carriechanged the horror genre, and is the best King adaptation without a doubt.
