Ari Asterhas created a distinct niche in the horror genre for himself, focusing on the slow creep of emotional devastation rather than jump scares. WithHereditaryandMidsommar, Aster made it clear that the scariest things humans can endure are not monsters or murderers, but grief, trauma, and the terrifying fragility of the human psyche.Aster namedBrian De Palma’sCarrieas one of his favorite horror films, referencing theStephen Kingadaptation as the “film that traumatized [him] most as a kid.” Just as he’s branching into genres other than horror, with his next film, the neo-Western thriller,Eddington, set for release this July,it is heartbreakingly clear that he would’ve been the perfect director to handle a newCarrieadaptation, an honor that has gone toMike Flanagan.
Ari Aster Would Be a Perfect Horror Filmmaker to Adapt ‘Carrie’
When comparing Aster’s horror filmography to Carrie,it’s easy to see why the narrative would resonate with him.King’s debut novel and Del Palma’s 1976 adaptation are both steeped in the horrors that Aster excels at exploring – religious trauma, isolation, grief, repression, and feminine rage. InMidsommar,Florence Pugh’s Dani is allowed to grieve, unravel, and transform, but her suffering is never glamorized; her breakdown is raw, unpolished, and deeply human. This commitment to emotional realism, particularly portraying women’s pain without sensationalism, could have made for a far more grounded and heartbreaking adaptation ofCarrie.
Where many adaptations have leaned into Carrie White as a spectacle, Aster’s previous work indicates he would have approached her with a tender touch of tragedy, and he might have focused instead on the emotional aftermath of a girl denied love and taught to be ashamed of her very existence. His own statement thatCarrieis“distinguished by a profound sense of empathy and sadness”suggests a vision that would have prioritized sorrow over vengeance. And given Aster’s history of letting his female characters be messy, real, and visibly distressed, it’s likely he would have made a casting choice that better reflect the book’s central themes, including the bullying Carrie endures for her appearance, unlikeMike Flanagan’s upcoming adaptation that hascast a thin, conventionally beautiful actress as the titular role. That approach could have restored one of the novel’s most painful truths: Carrie is not just a horror story; it’s a tragedy.
’Carrie’s Story Is Centered on Tragedy, Not Spectacle
A lot of people can’t look past Carrie’s rage to see the tragedy behind the young girl. Her tears carry more weight than her powers ever could, and there should be no neat lesson on morality in the end – just silence and the kind of sorrow that lingers. Also expressing an understanding of howCarrie’s “cruelty feels unfathomable,” Aster would be the director to focus on the impact those around her have on Carrie, andhow her undoing was inevitable in the face ofthe everyday horrors inflicted on her.
Aster’s trademark storytelling thrives on this kind of prolonged, psychological decay, not only due to what we experience in our lives,but because of what we inherit.Hereditaryexplored the trauma and doom passed through bloodlinesand the dangers of inherited madness.Midsommarused grief as a gateway to religious ritual, the weight of loss blossoming into cultish devotion.Carriewould sit tragically – and beautifully – at that intersection. Margaret White’s religious fanaticism is more than a backstory; it is a representation of systems of control. Patriarchal madness infects her daughter’s sense of self, and it would’ve been great to see Aster dig into these themes, likely givingCarriethefull emotional excavation it has always been begging for and deserved.
The Horror Of What Could Have Been
While Aster would be a perfect choice to tell Carrie’s story,it’s unlikely that we’ll ever see him step behind the camera for an adaptation. He has signaled a desire to move away from horror, as was reflected in his most recent film,Beau Is Afraid, which was more unsettling than straightforwardly horrific. Just as important to note is that Aster has never adapted another writer’s work. His horror has always been pulled from his own mind, shaping into original, deeply personal descents into his thematic fascinations.
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Regardless of the valid reasons why we won’t see Aster adapt Carrie,it doesn’t make the loss sting any less.In a cinematic landscape obsessed with reboots and retellings, the question should never be about whocanadapt a story like Carrie, butwhoshould. Few filmmakers have demonstrated the kind of empathetic understanding of women’s suffering, repression, and emotional upheaval that Aster has. Where others lean into spectacle and celebrations of the climax, Aster relishes in the silence and build.Carrie,at its heart, is not a revenge fantasy –it’s a tragedy.A story about a girl who wants to be loved but is told she cannot be.
The real horror of Carrie isn’t what she does; it’s what’s done to her, and that’s a truth Aster could have captured with devastating clarity. In a way, the fact we’ll likely never see Aster adaptCarriefeels like poetry in the form of a missed opportunity –like Carrie White herself, it’s a story full of potential crushed under the weight of what could have been. Still, there is reason for hope. While the casting for Flanagan’s upcoming series is a disappointing concession to beauty standards that run counter to King’s novel,Flanagan’s own track record with King adaptations suggests the story is still in capable hands. And yet, it’s hard not to long for a version of Carrie shaped by an auteur like Aster –someone who wouldn’t just retell her story, but mourn it for the tragedy it is.
