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When it comes to horror, there’s no denying that Carrie is one of the most iconic titles. The story about the shy, outcast teenager who uses her telekinetic powers for revenge was first put on page in King’s 1974 novel of the same name before being brought to the big screen for the first time in Brian De Palma’s 1976 horror classic starring Sissy Spacek as Carrie White. That movie, as well as Kimberly Peirce’s 2013 remake starring Chloë Grace Moretz in the lead role, started streaming on Prime Video on March 1st. Both films center around Carrie, a friendless teenager relentlessly bullied by peers and abused by her fanatically religious mother, resulting in trauma that culminates in a violent, supernatural revenge rampage.
Carrie Remains a Quintessential Classic of the Horror Genre
King’s Carrie remains one of the most influential pieces of horror. The 1974 novel not only launched King’s career but resulted in a big screen adaptation that remains a horror staple and revolutionized the genre by elevating horror from B-movie status to critically acclaimed, high-art cinema and a mainstream blockbuster. De Palma’s adaptation grounded its supernatural terror in relatable teenage angst, bullying, and adolescence, effectively establishing the coming-of-age horror subgenre. The movie successfully maintained the spirit and plot of the book and perfectly captured Carrie’s isolation and trauma and built unbearable tension through De Palma’s use of split-screen, slow motion, and split diopter shots and Spacek’s unforgettable performance as Carrie. The film also delivered some of the most iconic moments in horror, such as the prom scene.
