MovieChat Forums > Carrie (1976) Discussion > Anyone read the book..?

Anyone read the book..?


I love the movie and watch it every time it’s on. It’s based on Stephen Kings novel - how close is the movie to the book? Any difference in the characters?

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I just finished reading the 1974 book "Carrie" and am currently approximately twenty-five minutes away from finishing the 1976 movie "Carrie;" finished reading the book a week ago on Monday, April 10, 2023 in Beaverton, Oregon, United States.

I went to ChatGBT and asked the question and instead of trying to think of what to write, I will quote ChatGBT directly. Do not read if you do not want spoilers for the book and/or movie.

The 1974 book "Carrie" and the 1976 movie adaptation differ in several ways. While the basic story remains the same, there are some significant differences in how the story is presented and certain details of the plot.

One of the most significant differences between the book and the movie is the portrayal of Carrie White's telekinetic abilities. In the book, the extent of Carrie's powers is much greater than what is shown in the movie. In the book, Carrie is able to move objects with her mind, create illusions, and even communicate telepathically with other people. In the movie, her powers are more limited, and she mainly uses them to move objects and cause destruction.

Another difference is in the portrayal of Carrie's mother, Margaret. In the book, Margaret is a much more sympathetic character, as her abusive behavior towards Carrie is shown to be a result of her extreme religious beliefs and mental illness. In the movie, Margaret is portrayed as more of a villainous character, with her religious fervor portrayed in a more negative light.

The movie also adds several new scenes and subplots not present in the book. For example, there is a scene in the movie where a group of students go on a camping trip and one of them has a vision of Carrie's mother. Additionally, the ending of the movie is somewhat different from the book, with a more explosive and dramatic conclusion.

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That is great info! Thanks

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One thing - I f do o not remember the scene in the movie where the students go camping and one of them has a vision of Carries mother . Perhaps that is a deleted scene …?

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It's been a while since I read the book or saw the movie, but I remember a few differences.

In the book, Carrie is less attractive physically. She's overweight and has an acne problem. Sissy Spacek isn't a great beauty or anything, but she was a decent looking gal.

The ending of the movie. The book ends with a scene showing another young girl who is showing signs of having powers similar to Carrie's.

Generally the story follows the book fairly closely, with a few new scenes and some others removed from the book, like Joshua Gibson said.

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Interesting. Thanks. Does the book go into better detail about the bad girls club and their boyfriends? Were they truly as mean as depicted in the movie or were they more layered?

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My memory of the book is that they were just as nasty as they were in the movie.

Most of the girls bullied Carrie to some extent, but the bad girls really went above and beyond.

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Thanks. I read that King based Carrie White on two girls he actually went to school with .. one committed suicide in her 20s . Sad

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One really cool difference in the book is that it tells you from the beginning that there was this strange unexplained disaster on prom night, every once in a while there will be something like an excerpt from a newspaper report about what happened that night. So the whole time you're reading the book, you're just waiting to finally get to prom night and find out exactly what happened.

Also, after Carrie destroys the prom, she goes on a rampage across the town and kills a lot more people. The death toll is in the hundreds.

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