October Stephen King Tribute Day 18: Carrie

Carrie was originally published in April of 1974.

Warning, this review does contain spoilers.

Carrie White had led a sheltered life. Her mother was a religious fanatic that believed in a strict upbringing that included sparing the rod and spoiling the child. As such, Carrie never had much social interaction with people her own age.

While in the shower after gym class, Carrie receives her first period. She is frightened as her mother had never told her anything about this. The girls make fun of her and throw tampons and napkins at her. The gym teacher is aggravated at Carrie at first until she realizes that Carrie truly has no idea what is happening to her.

The gym teacher wants the girls involved in the incident to be banned from the upcoming prom. The principal hands down a lesser punishment involving several detentions. One girl, Chris, refuses to do the detentions and is thus banned from the prom. She tries to get her influencial father to pressure the school to allow her to attend. Another girl, Sue Snell, feels bad for what happened and wishes to make things up to Carrie.

Carrie begins learning that she has telekinetic powers. She practices and gains some control over her abilities even learning a lesser telepathic talent. Sue Snell convinces her boyfriend, Tommy, to ask Carrie to the prom in attempt to atone for her bad behavior. Carrie accepts even though her mother is strongly opposed. Carrie makes a red velvet gown and goes to prom with Tommy.

She has a good time at first. However, Chris has a payback planned with the help of her boyfriend Billy. They rig the vote and Carrie is chosen as prom queen. While on stage, a bucket of pig's blood is dumped on Carrie. Everyone, including the teachers, laugh at Carrie's misfortune. She runs from the school. She uses her power to lock everyone in the school and then turn on the sprinkler system. Some are electrocuted and most of the others die in the resulting fire.

Carrie returns home and is stabbed by her mother who is convinced that her daughter is being controlled by Satan. Carrie uses her ability to stop her mother's heart. Carrie catches up to Chris and Billy and forces their car to crash, killing them both. Sue Snell catches up to Carrie and has a telepathic conversation with her. Carrie forgives her and then dies.

Stephen King first explores a theme that he uses in several books and stories, that of a child being bullied and ridiculed by other kids. Carrie is unusual and is abused by the other children. Revenge is had when she attacks during her most humiliating abuse. A lot of people feel they have been in similar situations as they grew up and King plays on this emotion within us.

This story is quite edgy and combined with just enough realism to give the plot line a punch. One can only wonder what Carrie's life would have been like if her mother had treated her differently as she grew up. Would her powers have ever manifested? If so, would she have had the same abilities?

Carrie has been adapted into a movie, a Broadway play, and a made-for-television movie. The Broadway play was a complete failure. The TV movie was much better in my opinion than the original movie. This version did change the ending, leaving Carrie alive, in a failed attempt to spin the movie into a television series.