As Stephen King’s first novel, Carrie was the start of a career that has spanned decades and solidified his place as a master of horror storytelling. The story centers around the struggles of a teen girl who is ostracized and ridiculed by her friends and who harbors a dark secret. King’s writing shows a deep understanding of the despair caused by being considered “other” by peers, especially for a teenager. This angst drives much of the story, and the cruelty of others provides some of the horror. Of course, as with most of Stephen King’s works, there is a component of supernatural horror, as well, but it serves to provide a backdrop for the very human and relatable interactions of the characters. The small-town setting further isolates the participants in the story, and this isolation is something that King uses with great effect in this novel. This book is a great selection for horror fans and especially for fans of Stephen King if they have never read the book that began it all.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language: 29 religious exclamations; 12 mild obscenities; 13 religious profanities; 26 derogatory names; 18 scatological words; 10 anatomical terms; 18 f-word derivatives.

Violence/Gore: A few verbal threats; a few mentions or reports of rape with minor details given; a report of property damage; a few instances of an adult attacking a young girl, including one in which the adult chokes her and threatens her with a knife; a few instances of property damage, including some buildings destroyed by explosions and fire; a discussion of bleeding in relation to hemophilia; blood is mentioned in relation to a girl’s period; report of a teen being shot; a character beats and scratches herself intentionally; a descriptive scene in which animals are killed in a bloody manner; report of a murder; a few reports of death by natural causes; an adult contemplates killing a teen; a few accidents without major injury; a scene with property damage and deaths by fire, which is retold a few times; a few reports of many people killed by fire or electrocution; a report of man hitting a teen girl; a few scenes in which many people are electrocuted, burned to death, or killed by blunt-force trauma, including graphic descriptions; a character finds a trail of blood; a character has a knife in their shoulder, which remains there through several scenes; a report of a natural disaster; a character threatens suicide; mention of arson; report of a suicide; report of a baby born with lots of blood mentioned; a few reports of a teen beating another teen, including one where a boy hits his girlfriend; a few scenes in which teens imagine hurting or killing other teens; a woman intentionally harms herself in a minor way in a fit of rage; mention of a miscarriage; a woman beats her teen daughter; a teacher hits a teenage student; report of a teen boy deliberately running over animals with his car; characters are drenched in blood; report of a person hit by a truck; an instance of vandalism; a report of deaths in an explosion; report of a man killed in an accident; a few reports of a woman contemplating killing her child; a character uses supernatural abilities to kill another; a discussion of killing children to get rid of a genetic defect; teens are killed in a car wreck and fire, with descriptive details.

Sex/Nudity: Teens are naked in a shower in a nonsexual way during a few scenes, blood is mentioned in relation to a girl’s period; a mention of a love letter; a mention of an obscene picture; an extended scene centers on a girl’s period; a few discussions of menstruation; report of a baby born with lots of blood mentioned; report of characters having intercourse; a girl’s breasts are exposed accidentally and a child comments on them; a girl touches her own breasts, and the sensation is described; a few mature discussions about sex; a girl’s clothing is revealing; teens have sex, and details are given; a few scenes in which teens are dressing or in bed, and it is implied they had sex; a few reports of teens making out and having sex; it is implied that that two adults had sex before marriage; a mention of miscarriage; a few mentions or reports of rape with minor details given; mention of masturbation; report of dirty books sold; teens hold hands a few times; a teen boy fantasies about having sex with a teen girl; a comment that a teen girl’s period is late; a mention of the word rape in a non-sexual context; a boy rubs a girl’s shoulder; a teen boy kisses and then gropes a teen girl’s body; a teen girl muses that if she hadn’t let a boy sleep with her he would have forced her; teens have a violent sex encounter, with a few details given; characters are naked after sex.

Mature Subject Matter:

Bullying, vandalism, religious discrimination, religious fundamentalism bordering on a cult; child abuse; mental illness; gambling; report of theft; gambling; arson; murder; report of rape; discussion of killing children to get rid of a genetic defect; death (parent, friend, significant other); mass murder. 

Alcohol/Drug Use:

Teens smoke cigarettes and pot; teens drink alcohol; adults smoke cigarettes; report of a drug bust; alcohol is sold in a store; a vehicle has empty beer bottles in it.