Stephen King Movie Whose Director Was Called a “Worthy Pretender to Hitchcock’s Throne” Officially Finds New Streaming Home
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
Brian De Palma's 1976 film adaptation of Stephen King's "Carrie" is set to stream on HBO Max from 1 September, marking the horror classic's arrival on the platform 50 years after its release. King himself, whose debut novel provided the source material, has praised the film despite disliking certain script liberties, once calling De Palma "a worthy pretender to Hitchcock's throne."
The film follows a bullied teenage girl discovering telekinetic powers, and remains one of the highest-rated King adaptations, holding a 94% critics' score and 77% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It has been adapted multiple times since, including a 2002 television movie and a 2013 feature starring Chloë Grace Moretz, though neither matched De Palma's acclaim. A new eight-episode series from director Mike Flanagan, starring Summer H. Howell as Carrie White, is also due to premiere on Prime Video on 7 October.
- De Palma's 1976 "Carrie" streams on HBO Max from 1 September
- Stephen King once called the director "a worthy pretender to Hitchcock's throne"
- New Mike Flanagan-led "Carrie" series premieres on Prime Video 7 October
Full account
Brian De Palma’s 1976 adaptation of Stephen King’s debut novel Carrie is due to arrive on HBO Max on 1 September. The film, centred on a bullied schoolgirl whose telekinetic abilities emerge amid escalating cruelty at home and at school, became a major early screen success for King’s work.
King is reported to have objected to some of the screenplay’s departures from his novel, while nevertheless praising De Palma as “a worthy pretender to Hitchcock’s throne”. The adaptation stars Sissy Spacek as Carrie White and is especially associated with its violent prom-night climax.
Released two years after the novel, Carrie was both a commercial and critical success and has remained one of the best-regarded King adaptations. Source 1 cites Rotten Tomatoes scores of 94% from critics and 77% from audiences, and notes that later versions, including a 2002 television film and Kimberly Peirce’s 2013 feature starring Chloë Grace Moretz, did not achieve the same standing.
The HBO Max addition coincides with the film’s 50th anniversary. It also forms part of a broader September intake of Stephen King adaptations: Misery, Rob Reiner’s 1990 thriller starring Kathy Bates and James Caan, is also reported to be joining the service on the same date.
Where outlets differ
Source 1 is specifically about Carrie and De Palma, foregrounding King’s qualified admiration for the director and the film’s legacy. Source 2 chiefly focuses on Misery and Rob Reiner, describing it as another King adaptation arriving on HBO Max; it identifies Carrie as the other September addition. The supplied reports therefore differ in their main subject and emphasis, although they agree that both films are scheduled for HBO Max on 1 September.