The King of Horrors story celebrates the 50th anniversary of his book Carrie. Hear about it at urban legends and stranger truths. This week marks 50 years since Stephen King's debut novel, Carrie. Its 1974 release launched King's decades long influential literary career in horror and beyond. King was born in 1947 in Maine, where many of his stories are based. He was on an english teacher before Carrie and its 1976 film adaptation about a high school outcast propelled him to fame