Stephen King’s first published novel, CARRIE, turned 50 this year, and the 1976 film adaptation is celebrating its 48th anniversary. The film, directed by Brian De Palma, became an instant classic, earning Oscar® nominations for both Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie. This story about a shy, bullied girl who discovers her telekinetic powers and unleashes them on her tormentors remains a compelling Monster in the House story that has stood the test of time. The house is both Carrie’s home and school, places of oppression. The sin is the abuse, bullying, and cruelty she faces, which awakens the monster: Carrie’s telekinetic powers.
September 8, 2024
Genre: Monster in the House (Supra-Natural Monster)
Opening Image: During a physical ed. class volleyball game, the opening scene establishes Carrie White’s (Sissy Spacek) world. She’s the omega of the girl group, missing the ball and mocked and struck by her cruel classmates. Carrie represents everything they hate about themselves, and they punish her for it. She is their scapegoat, an easy target of ridicule.
Theme Stated: Blood and martyrdom are central themes. Blood will define Carrie’s journey, from the menstruation that begins her torment to the pig’s blood that seals her fate, as well as asking, What is sin? Is it Carrie’s unearthly abilities, or is it the monsters that make the eponymous character into a monster?
Set-Up: We meet the girls—Chris Hargensen (Nancy Allen) is the ringleader of the group, followed by Norma Watson (P.J. Soles) and Helen Shyres (Edie McClurg). Sue Snell (Amy Irving) is part of the group, but she grows more socially conscious. Carrie menstruates in the school shower for the first time and is terrified. Her classmates throw tampons at her and chant, “Plug it up! Plug it up! Plug it up!”
Mrs. Collins (Betty Buckley) intervenes and sends Carrie home (and tells her to take study hall the following week). But something else is happening. Carrie involuntarily moves things by thinking about them in several instances—shattering a light bulb, flipping an ashtray off the school principal’s desk, and knocking a kid calling her “Creepy Carrie” off his bike.
Back home, we meet Carrie’s religious fanatic mother, the terrifying Margaret White (Piper Laurie). Her mom is controlling and delusional. And upon getting a call from Mrs. Collins from school…
Catalyst: Margaret throws Carrie into the prayer closet and locks the door. This is the moment when Carrie’s power and tragedy truly begin.
Debate: Carrie starts grappling with her telekinesis, which mirrors her inner turmoil. Meanwhile, Tommy Ross (William Katt) reads a poem in which Carrie tells the class she loves Tommy and is ridiculed by the teacher. Tommy secretly takes Carrie’s side. The gym teacher, Miss Collins, punishes the girls for their cruelty with detention and the threat of not getting their prom tickets, but Chris refuses to comply and gets kicked out of prom.
Break into Two: During her appointed study hall in the library, Carrie investigates her new telekinetic abilities, starting to understand and embrace her powers. This is where she begins to take control, even though she’s still unsure of her place.
B Story: Sue, feeling guilty, asks Tommy to take Carrie to prom. He reluctantly agrees, setting the stage for the significant plot shift. This is where we see the first signs of someone trying to do right by Carrie, contrasting the cruelty she’s used to. The only allies she has in her corner are Sue, Tommy, and Mrs. Collins.
Fun and Games: While Carrie slowly builds confidence, Chris seduces her hotrod boyfriend, Billy Nolan (John Travolta), to get him on board with her ultimate revenge plan against her nemesis. Meanwhile, Tommy asks Carrie to prom in the library, but she’s suspicious, thinking it’s another cruel joke. With encouragement from Miss Collins, Carrie decides to go, hoping for a positive experience.
Midpoint: Carrie confronts her mother about going to prom, tying A and B Stories together. Margaret reacts with cruelty, revealing her deep-seated fears about Carrie’s abilities. Carrie uses her telekinesis to subdue her mother for the first time, raising the stakes and starting the ticking clock for the inevitable disaster at prom.
Bad Guys Close In: Chris and Billy execute their plan at the school gym, filling a bucket with pig’s blood and rigging it above the stage with rope. Carrie, meanwhile, prepares her dress while her mother chants and prays, slipping deeper into religious madness.
All Is Lost: Margaret self-harms and threatens Carrie with more punishment, but Carrie uses her powers to stop her mother. This is a whiff of death moment—Margaret’s dark prediction about “they’re all going to laugh at you” and “thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” looms over Carrie’s fate as she heads out to prom.
Dark Night of the Soul: Carrie and Tommy arrive at prom. It’s awkward at first, but soon they start having a good time, even sharing a kiss on the dance floor. Freddy (Michael Talbott), Billy’s friend, rigs the votes so Carrie and Tommy win prom queen and king. This feels like a moment of victory, but we know something terrible is coming with a nod to Hitchcockian suspense.
Break into Three: Carrie and Tommy are crowned on stage. The A and B Stories tie together as Sue’s plan to redeem herself and Chris’s plot for revenge converge.
Five-Point Finale:
1. Gathering the Team: Chris, Billy, and their conspirators unite to humiliate Carrie at the prom. This group, representing the real monsters in Carrie’s life, is unified in their cruelty, and their plan will ultimately trigger Carrie’s transformation into the very thing they feared.
2. Executing the Plan: Chris and Billy carry out their cruel prank, dumping a bucket of pig’s blood on Carrie as she stands on stage, crowned prom queen. This public humiliation becomes the catalyst for Carrie’s complete transformation. Like Grendel in “Beowulf,” Carrie unleashes her inner monster upon those who have tormented her.
The high school gym becomes her hall of destruction, with flames, chaos, and death as Carrie exacts her revenge. Sue, Chris, and Billy manage to escape before the slaughter.
As Carrie walks home, Chris attempts to run her down while driving Billy’s car. Carrie uses her powers to destroy the car and burn Billy and Nancy alive.
3. Dig Down Deep: Carrie returns home covered in blood after the carnage at prom. She washes herself in a desperate attempt to cleanse the night away. Still, her mother confronts her with religious fanaticism, declaring that “sin never dies” and revealing the dark truth about Carrie’s conception. Her mother then stabs her in an attempt to “save” her from the sin she believes Carrie embodies. This moment echoes the ongoing theme of sin and punishment.
4. Executing the New Plan: In an act of self-defense, Carrie uses her telekinetic powers to kill her mother. She sends knives flying into Margaret, pinning her to the wall in a crucifix-like pose. This act of matricide is the culmination of Carrie’s struggle—she breaks free from the oppressive control her mother has held over her for years. With her powers fully unleashed, Carrie brings down the house upon herself and her mother, sealing their tragic fate.
Final Image: Sue Snell, the sole survivor of the prom, returns to the site of Carrie’s destroyed home. A “For Sale” sign shaped like a crucifix marks the charred lot. It reads: “CARRIE WHITE BURNS IN HELL.” As Sue lays flowers, she is pulled into a nightmare: Carrie’s bloody hand reaches up from the rubble, grabbing Sue and pulling her down into the earth. Though it’s only a dream, it symbolizes how Carrie’s actions will haunt Sue for the rest of her life. She screams in terror, paralyzed in fear, as her mother appears and futilely attempts to comfort her.