'' Carrie '' was theatrically released on November 3 , 1976 by United Artists . The film became a critical and commercial success , grossing over $ 33.8 million against its $ 1.8 million budget . It received two nominations at the 49th Academy Awards : Best Actress ( for Spacek ) and Best Supporting Actress ( for Laurie ) . It is widely cited by critics and audience members alike as the best adaption of the novel amongst the numerous films and television shows based on the character , as well as one of the best films based on King 's publications . The film has had a significant influence on popular culture . Several publications have regarded it as one of the greatest horror films of all time . In 2008 , '' Carrie '' was ranked 86th on '' Empire '' 's list of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time . It was ranked 15th on '' Entertainment Weekly '' 's list of the 50 Best High School Movies , 46th on the '' American Film Institute '' list '' AFI 's 100 Years ... 100 Thrills '' . The film 's prom scene has had a major influence on popular culture and has been discussed , analysed and parodied numerous times and was ranked 8th on '' Bravo '' s The 100 Scariest Moments in Cinematic History ( 2004 )
49th Academy Awards
49th Academy Awards
Carrie (1976 film)