Carrie: When Stephen King Called The Movie Version Better Than His Book
Advertisement
American author Stephen King is well-known for his honest opinion. He has penned nearly 61 books and more than 50 novels have been adapted into films and TV series. When he doesn’t like them, he isn’t afraid to admit it.
The famous author, who is described as “King of Horror”, had previously expressed that he hates Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining. He also called Maximum Overdrive terrible. However, when it comes to the 1976 film version, King claimed that the movie was better than his own book.
Stephen King, in his memoir On Writing, had revealed about the moment he threw the first few pages of his debut novel Carrie in the trash. At that time, the author was working as a school teacher, who was earning approximately six thousand dollars a year. He was hardly making his ends meet and his novel would eventually become his big break.
While Carrie was considered as successful, King couldn’t see the story’s potential. He tossed his manuscript in the trash. However, his wife Tabitha King went through the trash and stumbled upon the pages. And after reading through it, she wanted to find out what happened next. She encouraged him to keep writing because she could see the story’s full potential. And the rest was history. The novel about the telekinetic teen became King’s one-way ticket to success.
Stephen King during an interview with Play Magazine in 1983, said that he was the first to admit that Carrie is a “clumsy and artless” novel. According to him, the movie version starring Sissy Spacek was much more artistic and well crafted than his own book.
The celebrated author during a chat with Entertainment Weekly echoed similar opinion. He claimed the 1976 film is “a really good horror-suspense film,” and it’s “much better than the book.” He also questioned about the point in a Carrie remake, which was released 2013 and Chloë Grace Moretz played the lead role.
Stephen King during the interview with the publication said, “I’ve heard rumblings about a Carrie remake, as I have about The Stand and It. Who knows if it will happen? The real question is why, when the original was so good? I mean, not Casablanca, or anything, but a really good horror-suspense film, much better than the book.”
What do you think about Stephen King’s opinion about his novel Carrie? Let us know in the comments.
