MOVIE BOOK CLUB | CARRIE

Read the book. See the movie. Join the discussion.

Register for the Book Club here

The Novel Neighbor and Hi-Pointe Theatre are delighted to present Movie Book Club, a special event pairing great books with their big-screen adaptations.

For October, we’re reading Stephen King’s classic novel Carrie, followed by a screening of Brian De Palma’s unforgettable 1976 film adaptation. After the movie, stick around for a 30-minute book discussion.

You do not have to be a member of the book club to purchase a ticket to the film screening. Everyone is welcome to come see Carrie on the big screen and join the conversation afterward.

Copies of Carrie will be available for pickup at The Novel Neighbor.

Read the book. See the movie. Talk about both.

About the movie

Brian De Palma’s Carrie qualifies as the first Stephen King story – his debut novel – to reach the screen, and nearly 50 years later the film still ranks among the best adaptations of the prolific author’s works. Carrie White (Sissy Spacek), kept isolated and woefully ignorant by her fundamentalist mother (Piper Laurie), is already a pariah in her high school when she
experiences her first period while showering after gym class. Carrie lacks any knowledge of menstruation, and she becomes increasingly distraught as blood begins to flow. Far from offering comfort, her merciless classmates poke relentless fun, pelting Carrie with tampons and sanitary pads. This catalyzing act of bullying creates repercussions that only grow throughout
the film, thanks to the evil machinations of mean girl Chris (Nancy Allen) and her cat’s-paw boyfriend (John Travolta), the sympathetic efforts of would-be ally Sue (Amy Irving), and the telekinetic powers that manifest whenever Carrie feels stress. Spacek, who effortlessly manages the difficult transformation from ugly duckling to beautiful swan to avenging angel, and
Laurie, who gives a terrifyingly intense performance as Margaret White, both earned well- deserved Oscar nominations. A potent example of De Palma’s grand-guignol mix of humor and horror, Carrie also features a swooning romantic interlude during the climactic prom that makes its eventual descent into expressionistic mayhem all the more effective.

About the book

Unpopular at school and subjected to her mother’s religious fanaticism at home, Carrie White does not have it easy. But while she may be picked on by her classmates, she has a gift she’s kept secret since she was a little girl: she can move things with her mind. Doors lock. Candles fall. Her ability has been both a power and a problem.

When Carrie finds herself the recipient of a sudden act of kindness, she feels like she’s finally been given a chance to be normal. She hopes that the nightmare of her classmates’ vicious taunts is over . . . until a cruel, unexpected prank unleashes the full destructive potential of her gift.