10 - Carrie by Stephen King

Drawn to Darkness

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Do your friends think you’re weird because you like horror and true crime? Then join us on Drawn to Darkness.

In this episode, we discuss Carrie, Stephen King's infamous debut novel—and the one that almost didn’t make it out of the trash can. That is, until Tabitha King fished it out and told her husband to keep going. Good thing she did. Without Carrie, we might not have had Pennywise, Annie Wilkes, or even Stranger Things.

We unpack the horror and tragedy of Carrie White: a telekinetic teenage girl, bullied by her peers and tormented by her mother, whose one night of hope at prom ends in fire, death, and devastation. In classic Drawn to Darkness fashion, we dig into the literary structure, cultural influence, and why Carrie is as much a horror story as it is a heartbreaking critique of bullying, abuse, and the cost of being "other." Plus, we take a deep dive into the controversial characters of Sue, Tommy, Chris (to quote Leo, “you’re not that great”), and perhaps the worst literary mother of all time, Margaret White. And don’t forget shout-outs to 90210, Shakespeare, Stranger Things, and The Incredibles.

Spoiler + Trigger Warning

This episode discusses, school massacres, domestic abuse and religious trauma, periods and menstrual shaming, animal abuse (pigs and dogs), violence against children, rape and sexual repression, references to real-world school shootings

And yes—there are full plot spoilers for Carrie.

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Recommendations

If you want more telekinetic girls, murderous proms, or religious zealots, here’s where to go next:

• Carrie - Watch the film adaptations!
• On Writing by Stephen King – For the origin story of Carrie and King's writing wisdom
• The Institute, Dr Sleep, and The Shining – More King kids with powers
• FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven – For another epistolary narrative
• Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist – Vampires, bullying, and revenge
• Mary by Nat Cassidy – Carrie, but menopausal.
• Mean Girls, Pretty in Pink, Napoleon Dynamite, Ever After – Prom movies, with less carnage
• Stranger Things – 11 is Carrie if she only had friends
• The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson – For raining rocks, ghosts, and trauma
• Talking Scared Podcast -Neil McRobert’s episode on Carrie.

Homework:

Watch The Act on Hulu for another abusive mother Dee Dee Blanchard, and her eventual murder planned by her daughter Gypsy Rose.

Special thanks to Nancy Azano for providing our cover art. You can find her on Instagram @nancyazano.

And Harry Kidd for composing and recording our opening score. His instagram is @harryjkidd and you can check him out on Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/artist/43BiFkkOHykD8n9g4z0Qd7