Stephen King's debut novel, Carrie, was published nearly 50 years ago, but thanks to Brian De Palma's 1977 movie starring Sissy Spacek and the 2013 remake with Chloe Gracë Moretz, among other offshoots, the story and its titular character, Carrie White, continue to be in the spotlight half a century later.
The character's lasting cultural impact is made clear by the number of memes that circulate on the internet, suggesting that there is still an audience to ensure a remake's success. Here are nine memes that summarize Carrie White the best.
9 Her Impact
Prom has become synonymous with Carrie White, to the point where she is still referenced in relation to the rite of age event despite the novel being published in 1974. This is understandable since even those who are unfamiliar with the Stephen King novel and its multiple adaptations can at least recognize the infamous gymnasium scene.
This meme does not necessarily sum up Carrie White as a character, at least not in of personality, but it does reflect her impact on popular culture.
8 Her Memorability
Like the previous meme, this one evidences the long-lasting impact of the character that has transcended the decades to arrive at the age of memes. It could be a reference to the 1977 movie poster, whose tagline reads "If you've got a taste for terror... take Carrie to the prom".
Again, the meme does not necessarily sum up the character as a whole, but it does allude to the terror and destruction caused by her powers at prom and how this event has solidified her as a horror icon.
7 Her Horror Icon Status
This fan-made chart depicting how horror icons would introduce themselves to their classmates is fun if not entirely reflective of the characters. Carrie is labeled as someone who says random information about themselves that no one cares about, but this isn't reflective of her shy, unassertive personality.
However, the classroom template does align with Carrie's role as a high school student. Her ranking among some of the most famous monsters and villains also evidences her status as a horror icon.
6 Her Sympathies For Those Who Help Her
Carrie White's surviving classmates condemn her to "burn in hell" after she uses her powers to kill nearly everyone at prom in a telekinetic rage. Then later she kills her mother and herself following an altercation at home. However, how Carrie is ed is not reflective of her character.
This meme, using a screenshot of Chloe Grace Moretz's Carrie at prom, draws attention to the sympathies she expressed toward those who were kind to her. Unfortunately, this wasn't many — she spares a teacher and a pregnant classmate — which is reflective of her awful treatment by others that makes fans think "good for her."
5 Alternative Icon
The character Carrie White resonates with fans who see themselves as outsiders, so it is no surprise that she attracts people who enjoy alternative music. Although she is not aesthetically alternative, her telekinetic powers and experiences at home and school put her on the edge of society and make her a relatable figure for others.
This meme depicting Carrie as a fan of the heavy metal band GWAR does not directly reflect her character, but it sums up this sentiment of her as an outsider and alternative icon. Of course, it's also a gag about just how messy one gets from attending a GWAR concert.
4 Her Godlike Abilities
Throughout the course of her story, Carrie While goes from being powerless to becoming the character with the most power. This meme is Carrie's character in a nutshell. It summarizes the two main experiences that trigger her telekinetic outbursts - her abusive mother and the bullies at school.
It also references her godlike abilities but does so in a way that is slightly out of character. Carrie's power is more about survival, which isn't reflected by this meme. Hers is more a satisfying act of karmic justice.
3 Her Pain
Carrie White's story is full of pain, suffering, and humiliation. In this meme, the original poster shows sympathy with Ellie from The Last of Us, a character who endures her own fair share of hardships throughout the Naughty Dog video game saga in which she fights to survive following a zombie apocalypse.
In response to the poster writing "Name a character that went thru more pain than her. I'll wait," the meme adds a screenshot of Carrie at the prom, covered in pig blood following a cruel prank by her peers. Although their situations are incomparable, Carrie's is more relatable and thus easier to empathize with.
2 Her Emotional Range
Carrie White's experiences throughout the novel and its film adaptations are emotionally exhausting for the audience to endure, never mind the character herself. At times, she is overwrought with emotion, yet in the story's climactic moments when she is at her most powerful, she seems to detach from her surroundings.
The use of this meme format effectively captures Carrie's disconnect from her actions and the people she harms as her rage and powers take over.
1 Cute Yet Destructive
Carrie White is depicted as an awkward teenager in of personality and looks, for which she is bullied by her classmates. Despite this and her troubled home life, Carrie remains to be a sweet but timid character until it all comes to a head at prom when her abilities take over and the gymnasium ends up in flames.
This meme uses the "felt cute" format to perfectly sum up the duality of Carrie's character. The accompanying image of Sissy Spacek out of character is used tongue-in-cheek but effectively captures this cute yet destructive nature.
