By: Salisa Wellenreuther, Skyline Reporter
ALPINE – 17-year-old Carietta White faces constant ridicule by her peers and relentless abuse from her tyrannical religious mother, but a particularly traumatic event throws her life into a downward spiral. Unbeknownst to her peers, Carrie possesses the unique ability of telekinesis which helps her enact her revenge on those who made her life unbearable.
In the spirit of the Halloween season, I decided to read one of Stephen King’s debut novels: Carrie. Unfortunately, the famed novel did not impress me and further solidified my distaste for King’s writing. What had the potential to be a haunting coming-of-age story ended up being much less than that.
The largest overlying issue in “Carrie” was King’s utter lack of understanding of the female body and experience. Carrie getting her first period was written so atrociously and, as a woman, I was offended at King’s descriptions and uneducated, male perception. Though King is definitely a product of his time, the act of him writing an entire novel based off experiences he simply does not understand is questionable at best. King has a track record of misogyny in his work, so it isn’t surprising that he was unable to write about young women in a way that wasn’t offensive, tone deaf, and just plain boring.
What he did make sure to include was the constant sexualization of minors and complete disregard for character motivation. King spent more time describing sex scenes and the shape of Carrie’s breasts rather than adding any depth or motivations to characters that are pivotal to the plot of the novel.
In October of this year, Prime Video released an eight-episode adaptation of Carrie created by Mike Flanagan. Flanagan is mostly known for his work on The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and several Stephen King adaptations. His reputation held up with his modernized version of Carrie. The addition of social media, feminism, and historical connections turns the story from a middle-aged man’s perverted project into something meaningful, empowering, and thoroughly entertaining.
Usually, when an adaptation differs from its source material, it acts as a deterrent, but in my personal opinion, it was a welcome change. The show gave the character’s real desires, backstories, and expanded Carrie’s story. A second season of the show is set to come out, though the release date has not been disclosed yet.
The show changed a lot for the better, adding depth to Carrie’s mom, the bullies, the teachers, and Carrie herself. Carrie is someone the viewer actually roots for and can truly resonate with. The complexities of their actions make every character compelling; something lost in King’s writing.
Overall, the 2026 adaptation of Carrie was enjoyable, jarring, and tastefully done. A common finding of mine is that I tend to like movies based on Stephen King’s novels a lot more than the books because they keep the interesting storyline but abandon everything that makes King’s novels unreadable. I would highly recommend watching the show and not giving the novel a single thought.