Stephen Kingis one of the most recognizable writers of our time, and his mastery of the horror genre has spawned several iconic film adaptations of his work including classics likeThe ShiningandMisery. When King wroteCarriein 1974, this would result in a franchise which has been hugely successful, resulting in continued remakes and several different adaptions of the book in film, tv and theatre. The series is mostly recognisable for its film adaptations; however, it iscurrently being worked into a tv mini-series, proving the continued impact of the franchise.
Carriehas become a pop culture landmark, and every year we seeCarrieHalloween costumes and references to the series throughout the media. Over the years, several film adaptations ofCarriehave been created, so let’s look at the film entries, ranked.
4The Rage: Carrie 2
The beloved franchise received a revamp in 1999 in the form of a sequel directed by Katt Shea, whenThe Rage: Carrie 2was created. The film follows the story of Rachel Lang, who is Carrie White’s half sister who similarly develops powers such as telekinesis. The film failed to achieve the commercial or critical success of its originator and hasn’t stood the test of time or achieved cult classic status like the original. Emily Bergl’s performance as the lead is strong; however, the dialogue makes the film awkward and cliché, unlike the original.
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3Carrie (2002)
TheCarriefranchise received another addition with the 2002 TV movie adaptationCarrie. The film was directed by David Carson and cast Angela Bettis as the title role. 2002’sCarrie, tells the same story of the first adaptation with a different angle, making use of flashbacks to tell different stories, and offers an alternative ending and insights into what happened after the events of the original film. This ultimately served as another poorly received addition to the franchise that many critics viewed as unnecessary. It was critiqued over its poor special effects and underwhelming ending, though Bettis' performance was praised and the movie was better received by audiences than critics.
2Carrie (2013)
2013’s remake directed by Kimberly Peirce served as another addiction to the Carrie franchise, and is aremake of the 1976 film, moving the original story into a more modern setting. Thefilm has an alternate endingwhich took the story in a different direction, but for the most part the story is similar to the original, with the addition of social media and a modern backdrop.Carriefeatured Chloe Grace Moretz as Carrie, and Julianne Moore as Carrie’s mother, both of whom delivered strong performances.Carriewas moderately well received, with the special effects being praised, but some audiences,including Stephen Kinghimself felt that a remake was perhaps unnecessary.
1Related:Everything We Know About Stephen King’s Christine RemakeCarrie (1976)
The undisputed most impactful and acclaimed addition to theCarriefranchise was the original film adaptation, directed by Brian De Palma and starring Sissy Spacek as Carrie.Carrieleft a huge legacyand stands the test of time as one of the most critically acclaimed horror films of all time. The film represented the beginning of a very successful career for Spacek, a role which shewas not originally first pick for.Carrieis one of the most iconic horror films of all time and deserves its place at the top of the list of theCarriefranchise.
