Ten Reasons Carrie Is Scary

The re-imagination of Carrie is in theaters October 18.

Ten Reasons Carrie Is Still Scary

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Ten Reasons Carrie Is Still Scary

King's Creation - 35 years after Stephen King's terrifying tale made generations afraid of the prom, his novel is getting the big screen treatment once again. Director Kimberly Peirce's re-imagining of Carrie is deeply influenced by King's classic horror tale, which focuses on suspense and character rather than cheap thrills. The countdown is on for Carrie — which hits theaters on October 18, just in time for Halloween — and in anticipation of the big event, we made a list of ten reasons Carrie is scary. (Photo: HRC/WENN.com)

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King's Creation - 35 years after Stephen King's terrifying tale made generations afraid of the prom, his novel is getting the big screen treatment once again. Director Kimberly Peirce's re-imagining of Carrie is deeply influenced by King's classic horror tale, which focuses on suspense and character rather than cheap thrills. The countdown is on for Carrie — which hits theaters on October 18, just in time for Halloween — and in anticipation of the big event, we made a list of ten reasons Carrie is scary. (Photo: HRC/WENN.com)

Carrie Makes Telekinesis Cool  - Carrie White's hidden power is front-and-center of the film, with Peirce and lead actress Chloë Grace Moretz exploring how the teenager discovers and, ultimately, learns to harness her special skill. In fact, Peirce considered Carrie's power to be a character in itself. The result? Terrifying scenes of levitating beds, stone showers and mass destruction. (Photo: Michael Gibson/MGM/Screen Gems)

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Carrie Makes Telekinesis Cool  - Carrie White's hidden power is front-and-center of the film, with Peirce and lead actress Chloë Grace Moretz exploring how the teenager discovers and, ultimately, learns to harness her special skill. In fact, Peirce considered Carrie's power to be a character in itself. The result? Terrifying scenes of levitating beds, stone showers and mass destruction. (Photo: Michael Gibson/MGM/Screen Gems)

Pig Blood! - Carrie's most iconic moment is, of course, the one in which our telekinetic teen gets drenched in pig's blood. Peirce's vision of the defining scene, which sets into motion all the havoc of the film, required weeks of preparation and multiple 5-gallon buckets of the red goo. When it came time to shoot the all-important sequence, Moretz recalls, "the entire cast and crew gathered to watch." The filmmakers' efforts paid off: they nailed the shot in one take. (Photo: Michael Gibson/MGM/Screen Gems)

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Pig Blood! - Carrie's most iconic moment is, of course, the one in which our telekinetic teen gets drenched in pig's blood. Peirce's vision of the defining scene, which sets into motion all the havoc of the film, required weeks of preparation and multiple 5-gallon buckets of the red goo. When it came time to shoot the all-important sequence, Moretz recalls, "the entire cast and crew gathered to watch." The filmmakers' efforts paid off: they nailed the shot in one take. (Photo: Michael Gibson/MGM/Screen Gems)

Brian de Palma's Stamp of Approval - While Peirce's version of Stephen King's best-selling novel differs significantly from Brian de Palma's 1976 film (for one thing, she decided to focus more on Carrie's relationship with her mother Margaret, played unnervingly by Julianne Moore), the director sought de Palma's blessings before tackling the film. "She called me up and we talked about the film before she started it," says de Palma. "I'm fascinated to see what she does with it. I’m looking forward to seeing it."

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Brian de Palma's Stamp of Approval - While Peirce's version of Stephen King's best-selling novel differs significantly from Brian de Palma's 1976 film (for one thing, she decided to focus more on Carrie's relationship with her mother Margaret, played unnervingly by Julianne Moore), the director sought de Palma's blessings before tackling the film. "She called me up and we talked about the film before she started it," says de Palma. "I'm fascinated to see what she does with it. I’m looking forward to seeing it."

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Carrie's Mama - If there's one character in this film whose creepiness can hold its own against Carrie's gift, it's her mother, Margaret White. Oscar winner Julianne Moore plays the ultra-religious, oppressive and over-protective mother figure to bone-chilling perfection. And you think your mom is crazy?(Photo: Michael Gibson/MGM/Screen Gems)

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Carrie's Mama - If there's one character in this film whose creepiness can hold its own against Carrie's gift, it's her mother, Margaret White. Oscar winner Julianne Moore plays the ultra-religious, oppressive and over-protective mother figure to bone-chilling perfection. And you think your mom is crazy?(Photo: Michael Gibson/MGM/Screen Gems)

Best Line Ever: They're All Going to Laugh at You! - The most quoted line from Carrie is so iconic, it became a ring tone. First uttered by Carrie's crazy mother to dissuade her from going to the prom and later heard echoing in the teen's head, "they're all gonna laugh at you" turned out to be prophetic.(Photo: Michael Gibson/MGM/Screen Gems)

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Best Line Ever: They're All Going to Laugh at You! - The most quoted line from Carrie is so iconic, it became a ring tone. First uttered by Carrie's crazy mother to dissuade her from going to the prom and later heard echoing in the teen's head, "they're all gonna laugh at you" turned out to be prophetic.(Photo: Michael Gibson/MGM/Screen Gems)

Girl Power - Believe it or not, this re-imagining of Carrie is all about female empowerment. Peirce, herself a groundbreaking director whose film Boys Don't Cry launched Hilary Swank's career, aimed to put Carrie White in control of her powers. "It's a superhero story, but the kind of superhero that Carrie is," she explained. Chloë Grace Moretz, one of Hollywood's most-watched rising stars since her roles in Kick-Ass and Let Me In, brings confidence to the character.(Photo: Michael Gibson/MGM/Screen Gems)

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Girl Power - Believe it or not, this re-imagining of Carrie is all about female empowerment. Peirce, herself a groundbreaking director whose film Boys Don't Cry launched Hilary Swank's career, aimed to put Carrie White in control of her powers. "It's a superhero story, but the kind of superhero that Carrie is," she explained. Chloë Grace Moretz, one of Hollywood's most-watched rising stars since her roles in Kick-Ass and Let Me In, brings confidence to the character.(Photo: Michael Gibson/MGM/Screen Gems)

Scary Things Come to Those Who Wait - Audiences have been eagerly awaiting Carrie 2.0 since early 2012, but as lead actress Chloë Grace Moretz explains, good things come to those who wait. "We actually prolonged the film...and added three extra scenes with Julianne [Moore] and I to make the movie even deeper and darker," she said. "It was about making the movie scarier and more intense." We know what film we’ll be watching when Halloween rolls around. (Photo: Michael Gibson/MGM/Screen Gems)

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Scary Things Come to Those Who Wait - Audiences have been eagerly awaiting Carrie 2.0 since early 2012, but as lead actress Chloë Grace Moretz explains, good things come to those who wait. "We actually prolonged the film...and added three extra scenes with Julianne [Moore] and I to make the movie even deeper and darker," she said. "It was about making the movie scarier and more intense." We know what film we’ll be watching when Halloween rolls around. (Photo: Michael Gibson/MGM/Screen Gems)

Call Carrie - The trailer for Carrie is so scary you probably don't want to watch it alone, but for the fearless, the filmmakers drop an enticing tease at the end of the clip — a phone number pops up imploring you to "Call Carrie." We tried it, and we're not ashamed to admit we had to hang up after the first scream. Think you're brave enough? Give Carrie a ring at 855-522-7713 (Carrie Charges May Apply).(Photo: Michael Gibson/MGM/Screen Gems)

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Call Carrie - The trailer for Carrie is so scary you probably don't want to watch it alone, but for the fearless, the filmmakers drop an enticing tease at the end of the clip — a phone number pops up imploring you to "Call Carrie." We tried it, and we're not ashamed to admit we had to hang up after the first scream. Think you're brave enough? Give Carrie a ring at 855-522-7713 (Carrie Charges May Apply).(Photo: Michael Gibson/MGM/Screen Gems)

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Best Prom Scene Ever - It's a scene so much a part of pop culture history, you probably know it even if you've never ready the novel. Carrie's prom experience puts all others to shame. She’s doomed from the moment she takes the stage. And though we all know what's coming next (pig's blood, psychic carnage), it's no less suspenseful and terrifying in Peirce's modern-day retelling.(Photo: Michael Gibson/MGM/Screen Gems)

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Best Prom Scene Ever - It's a scene so much a part of pop culture history, you probably know it even if you've never ready the novel. Carrie's prom experience puts all others to shame. She’s doomed from the moment she takes the stage. And though we all know what's coming next (pig's blood, psychic carnage), it's no less suspenseful and terrifying in Peirce's modern-day retelling.(Photo: Michael Gibson/MGM/Screen Gems)

Sue's Story - Every girl should have a friend like Sue Snell watching her back. The character of Carrie's sympathetic classmate doesn't often get her props, but Peirce chose to pay close attention to her in the film. "There's a huge opportunity with the relationships in the book," she says. Indeed, much of King's terrifying story is told from Sue's perspective, an aspect Peirce plays up in her version.(Photo: Michael Gibson/MGM/Screen Gems)

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Sue's Story - Every girl should have a friend like Sue Snell watching her back. The character of Carrie's sympathetic classmate doesn't often get her props, but Peirce chose to pay close attention to her in the film. "There's a huge opportunity with the relationships in the book," she says. Indeed, much of King's terrifying story is told from Sue's perspective, an aspect Peirce plays up in her version.(Photo: Michael Gibson/MGM/Screen Gems)