Bad Bitches Good Books

Dirty pillows. A blood-soaked prom. And a teenage girl who's had just about enough of everyone's bullshit. Welcome to the first episode of Bad Bitches, Good Books, where Ashlan, Tory, and Sam kick things off with Stephen King's debut horror novel, Carrie. Published in 1974, this iconic story of a bullied teenage girl with telekinetic powers is so much more than a supernatural revenge fantasy. We're digging into female rage, religious trauma, the cruelty of high school, and why Carrie's story still hits a little too close to home more than 50 years later.

In Part 1 of our Carrie deep dive, we're comparing Stephen King's original novel with the 1976 horror movie starring Sissy Spacek and the 2013 remake starring Chloë Grace Moretz. Which adaptation captures the terror of the book? Why does Hollywood insist on casting conventionally beautiful actresses as the supposedly awkward Carrie White? And what does King's unconventional storytelling reveal about guilt, empathy, and the people who stand by while someone suffers? We're also exploring the fascinating origin story behind King's first published novel, the women who inspired Carrie, and the role his wife, Tabitha King, played in saving the manuscript from the trash.

Along the way, we're talking horror movie history, the cultural legacy of Carrie, the uncomfortable parallels to school violence, and what makes this book such a masterclass in storytelling. Whether you're a lifelong Stephen King fan, a horror movie obsessive, or a business owner who believes fiction can teach us more about people than another productivity book, pull up a chair. No required reading, no book reports, and absolutely no judgment if you've only seen the movie.

Spoiler alert: We're discussing major plot points and endings from the novel and its film adaptations.

Content note: This episode contains adult language and discussion of bullying, child abuse, religious trauma, school shootings, suicide, and graphic violence.

Key Topics Discussed

• The origin of Carrie, Stephen King's first published novel, and how Tabitha King helped save it
• King's unconventional writing style, shifting points of view, fictional news reports, and foreshadowing
• Female rage, menstruation, religious shame, and the horror of teenage girlhood
• Carrie White's telekinetic powers and the novel's fictional genetic explanation
• How the 1976 and 2013 Carrie film adaptations compare with the book
• Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Hollywood's portrayal of Carrie White
• Sue Snell, Chris Hargensen, Billy Nolan, and the complicated motivations behind their actions
• Miss Desjardin, adult responsibility, empathy, and the consequences of ignoring bullying and abuse
• The cultural legacy of Carrie, prom night horror, and the relationship between fictional revenge and real-world school violence
• What we hope to see from Mike Flanagan's television adaptation

Key Takeaways

• Stephen King makes you dread an ending you already know. The novel's shifting perspectives, fictional interviews, and news reports reveal pieces of the disaster before it happens, proving that suspense isn't always about keeping the ending a secret.
• Carrie is more than a monster or a victim. Beneath the supernatural horror is a complicated exploration of bullying, religious oppression, isolation, female rage, and what happens when the people responsible for protecting someone fail to act.
• Good intentions don't automatically make someone good. Sue Snell's guilt and Miss Desjardin's conflicting feelings toward Carrie raise uncomfortable questions about performative compassion, genuine empathy, and whether doing the right thing for selfish reasons still counts.
• The book and movies tell surprisingly different stories. From the scale of Carrie's destruction to character motivations and portrayals of her appearance, the 1976 and 2013 adaptations make creative decisions that change how audiences experience the horror.
• Great horror has a way of reflecting the fears of its time. More than five decades after publication, Carrie continues to spark conversations about cruelty, gender, social exclusion, and violence, showing why fiction remains a powerful way to examine the world around us.

Resources & Links Mentioned

For anyone who wants to go even further down the Carrie rabbit hole, here are the articles, literary analyses, and resources accompanying our discussion.

Stephen King's Writing & the History of Carrie

• The Guardian – Stephen King on How He Wrote Carrie
• The Guardian – Carrie and Stephen King's Horror Legacy
• Esquire – Carrie at 50: Stephen King's Debut Novel
• Wikipedia – Carrie (Novel)

Book vs. Movie Adaptations

• LitReactor – Book vs. Films: Carrie

Literary Analysis & Cultural Commentary

• Ghost Horses Writing – Carrie White, the School Shooter
• Bright Wall/Dark Room – Carrie and the Uneasy Legacy of the Outcast Queen
• Literariness – Analysis of Stephen King's Carrie

Connect With Bad Bitches, Good Books

We're here for the stories that make us think, the characters we can't stop talking about, and the books that challenge how we see the world.

Want more? Join us for Part 2 of our conversation about Stephen King's Carrie, where we continue unpacking this unforgettable horror classic.

Website: badbitchesgoodbooks.com

Instagram: @badbitchesgoodbookspod

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Welcome to Bad Bitches, Good Books: the illicit fiction pod for business owners. 

We believe reading fiction makes you better at your job than the stacks of nonfiction and self-help books that get shoved down our throats. It also makes you a more flexible thinker, develops your taste,  and helps you become a kinder and more thoughtful human being. 

We’ve flipped through all the “best fiction” stacks and snuck in six books that have had a profound influence on the zeitgeist. If there’s an adaptation (or twenty), we’ll watch those too... And you get to cheat off our homework.

C’mon. Let us corrupt you with our snide-but-sharp cultural commentary, childhood church trauma, philosophical business takeaways, and intergenerational hijinx.  

The Bad Bitches, Good Books Co-Host Team: 

Ashlan Glazier-Anderson 

Sam Pollack 

Victoria Proppe

Want more?  Be sure to like and subscribe, and follow us on Youtube & Instagram.