Why the Original ‘Carrie’ Opening Scene Didn’t Work and Was Changed

In 1976, United Artists released a supernatural horror film that showed a very dark side of the high school experience. Carrie was its name, and with an ultra-gory execution of a very simple premise, it shook the entire nation. Mainly because the film touched on religious aspects that, at the time, were considered controversial. In Carrie, religion wasn’t exactly a safe haven of prayer, faith, and kindness.

The film also put Stephen King’s name in the spotlight. Then a 29-year-old horror author, King had published Carrie, his first novel, just two years prior in 1974, and it quickly became a paperback bestseller. Director Brian De Palma, known for his radical approach to cinema, read King’s novel and went on a quest to adapt it. Lawrence D. Cohen, then a completely inexperienced screenwriter, was hired to adapt the epistolary novel into a feature film script.

The result was a widely acclaimed supernatural horror film that received a couple of nominations at the Academy Awards and changed the careers of everyone involved with it. Sissy Spacek, nominated for Best Actress, eventually turned into a Hollywood star (four years later, she won an Oscar for Coal Miner’s Daughter). Piper Laurie, nominated for Best Supporting Actress, saw her career grow exponentially for her role as the worst mother in cinema. De Palma continued to deliver classics through the following decades, the likes of which included The Untouchables and Mission: Impossible.

And Stephen King? Well, we don’t have to tell you what happened with the bestselling author.

So, yes. A classic horror film that also proved that the 1970s was a seminal decade in terms of horror. Many horror scenes imprinted in horror culture were part of that period, and Carrie has several of those. From her glowing blood-drenched figure leaving a burning school to an opening sequence that would distress everyone. But did you know the opening sequence, the one that takes place after gym class, wasn’t the original one in the script?

Why the Original Opening Sequence of ‘Carrie’ Didn’t Work

Carrie, the movie, isn’t 100% faithful to King’s novel. It takes a lot of the best parts, but like any book-to-screen adaptation, considerations had to be made, particularly because of the style it’s written in; it’s mostly based on testimony from those who “survived” the events depicted toward the end of the film.

When Cohen was writing the screenplay, he was given enough liberties to tweak a few details, and that he did. The scene from the book that was originally chosen to open the film was completely different from the one that was eventually used: Carrie, then a small child, asks a neighbor about her breasts. When Carrie’s mom, Margaret, overhears this, she drags poor Carrie back into her religious prison of a house, at which point stones literally begin to rain down from the sky. This is what Cohen had to say:

“Brian [De Palma] kept that to the very end, so it was shot on the last day and the last night. And it had nothing but problems. In addition [to other issues], Brian chose, somewhat perversely, to use Sissy [Spacek] playing herself at the age of five or six – which was a strange idea, but it was the least of the problems when all was said and done.”

It didn’t look good. The rain of stones wasn’t working. This was due to De Palma’s limited budget of $1.8 million (other horror movies of the era, like The Exorcist, cost $12 million), and the fact that neighbors around the area weren’t happy with the disturbance:

“The stones didn’t work. They were making an incredible racket; the neighbors were complaining and called the police, and it looked like crap. I mean, it’s a hard scene. Nobody’s figured it out. You’re either in little pebbles or in monster big things that are falling. And either way, it’s a disaster. So it disappointed me that it was gone, but on reflection, starting the movie right off with the volleyball game was fantastic. You were in it. So it turned out to be a sort of happy coincidence.”

The Opening Scene of ‘Carrie’ Is a Perfect Portrayal of Teenage Trauma

Cohen has a great point. It all turned out for the best. The decision to change the opening sequence was smart because it made Carrie’s introduction more grounded and realistic. After all, who hasn’t gone through the trauma of bullying? In the opening sequence that ended up in the theatrical cut, we witness the emotional battlefield that is Carrie’’s life at school. In gym class, she fails to hit a volleyball, and her classmates viciously bully her. And what comes after gym class? Well, they hit the showers.

Carrie’s classmates are confident teenagers, and they have the toxic energy to match. Carrie is as quiet as a mouse and prefers to shower by herself, probably because of shame and fear. At 16 years old, Carrie gets her first period when showering. In shock, she pleads for help and extends her bloody hands. All her classmates do is throw tampons and menstrual pads at her, yelling, “Plug it up!” and failing to consider Carrie’s broken emotional state.

It’s a perfect introduction and catalyst for what comes after: Carrie’s discovery of womanhood and how her powers go from a curious and unexplored side of her personality to weapons in a perfect vendetta. Carrie is a film about teenage trauma taken to the extreme, and the opening sequence that remained in the final cut is the best way to introduce this theme.

The Legacy of ‘Carrie,’ Stephen King’s First Film

As we mentioned above, everything changed for all those involved in Carrie. Stephen King became the literary world’s best source for contemporary horror, with well-designed book characters that could be transported to the big screen easily. His legacy is unequaled, and it all started with the religious horror film that would make everyone afraid of the underdog.

Carrie also launched an entire franchise that, although it didn’t have the best follow-ups, is still being “rearranged” for modern audiences. The next adaptation will be a TV series by Stephen King expert, Mike Flanagan.

What It did for clowns and The Shining did for old hotels, Carrie did for the high-school experience. However, it’s safe to say that the original opening sequence would have resulted in an entirely different film in regards to setting the initial tone.