Stephen King: Ranking His Films From Worst To Best

6. Carrie

Carrie, meanwhile, is a fair bit more ostentatious, but no less emotionally powerful. Stephen King initially tossed his first published novel in the trash, before his wife fished it out and urged him to complete it. The story of a bullied teenage girl, raised by a fundamentalist mother, who develops telekinetic powers was some wish fulfilment stuff. It was also the first of King's really empathetic, humanistic stories, where the supernatural elements and €œmonstrous€ characters are grounded in their experiences, anxieties and troubles. Credit to the usually OTT Brian De Palma for managing to nail the teenage drama as much as the big action sequences. Along with De Palma's unique cinematic eye and control of gore, Carrie is, erm, carried by Sissy Spacek in the title role. She has a different look from the description of the character in the book, but is unusual enough to stand out from the crowd - both the characters in the film, and the other performers alongside her.