Stephen King’s Masterpiece ‘Carrie’ Is Leaving Free Streaming

Few authors have seen their work adapted as often as Stephen King. William Shakespeare has him beat, but in modern times, the horror master behind works like The Shining, It, and Pet Sematary is absolutely one of the leading figures when it comes to having one’s written work brought to life onscreen. And in such a crowded field, can you name the single best King adaptation?

There’s obviously room for disagreement, but it’s hard to top the very first. 1976’s Carrie, directed by Brian De Palma, was adapted from King’s first novel. Starring Sissy Spacek as the titular teenager with telekinetic powers, Carrie is a genre-defining movie that still feels relevant as a bloody revenge tale, 50 years after it originally arrived in theaters.

‘Carrie’ Is The Perfect Revenge Movie

Carrie follows a teenager who has always been the victim of bullying. Her classmates humiliate her when she has her first period, and constantly drive her into submission. The problem is that it doesn’t stop there. Her mother Margaret, an extremely devoted religious woman, also forces Carrie into living a life of absolute sacrifice. That’s why when Carrie gets asked to the prom by the most handsome guy in school, everything feels off.

In reality, this is just part of a plan by Carrie’s bullies. While Tommy Ross is just following his girlfriend Sue’s plan to give Carrie a break, things don’t go great. The school prom becomes the stage for a prank so vile that it will bring out the girl’s true nature. She’s hiding a strange and potentially deadly power, and it’s one she’ll inevitably use when everyone in her world turns on her.

Stephen King’s ‘Carrie’ Is His Highest-Rated Adaptation

Upon release, Carrie was very well received inside and outside the horror community. It received a limited theatrical release, but it became a blockbuster by box office standards in the 1970s, grossing nearly $34 million against a production budget of $1.8 million while putting Stephen King firmly on the map as an outstanding new voice in horror.

The critical reception was also strong, and it earned a couple of nominations at the Oscars the following year. Spacek, of course, received a Best Actress nod, but Piper Laurie was also part of the Best Supporting Actress lineup for her role as Margaret White.

So is Carrie Stephen King’s best film adaptation? Fifty years later, everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, and with a catalog as vast and diverse as King’s, it’s only natural that opinions differ. However, critics still regard Carrie highly, and with a score of 94%, it remains the author’s highest-rated project on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s higher than a list of classics that includes Stand by Me, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Dead Zone.

The thriller masterpiece is currently streaming for free on Pluto TV, but fans of King’s work should run and revisit it as soon as possible. While the streamer doesn’t provide exact dates for when titles will be removed from the library, we can assume that Carrie will leave on July 1.