The first Stephen King book ever published — the 1974 bestseller, Carrie — immediately put the horror writer on the map, and also led to it quickly becoming the first King story to be adapted for another medium with Brian De Palma’s 1976 film version. King would turn out to be a shockingly prolific writer who went on to write a staggering amount of work filled with tons of beloved, instantly recognizable characters in the decades since. Yet still — even with the likes of IT, The Shining, Pet Sematary, and so many more that have now been given multiple incarnations — Carrie stands out for how many times it’s been adapted. In fact, almost no other King project really comes close… except for the strange case of Children of the Corn and its 11 (!) movies, most of which were straight-to-video projects few ever mention.

It’s easy to see why Carrie continues to be revisited. King’s horror-tragedy about a sheltered teenage girl raised by a domineering religious mother and bullied by her classmates, only to lash out in bloody revenge thanks to her hidden telekinetic powers, feels like a dark fairy tale of sorts. Its touchstones, most especially the prom that ends the story — and the image of Carrie covered in pig’s blood thanks to a diabolical prank, beginning her murderous rampage — are iconic and unforgettable.

October sees the debut of yet another version of Carrie, this time told in an expanded form as a streaming series from acclaimed filmmaker, television creator, and frequent King adapter Mike Flanagan.

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