Carrie Series Review: Carrie has been remade quite a few times in the past, with varying degrees of success, the most memorable being the 1976 remake. The miniseries, spearheaded by Mike Flanagan, brings a different take to the franchise, with a distinct X-Men-esque feel to it. The series expands into a contemporary coming-of-age horror story that makes Carrie White a more rounded character, making us root for her and relate to her troubles.
Despite this being a horror story, the series opts to focus more on the tragedy of Carrie’s life and how it came to be rather than turning it into a horror spectacle about fanatically religious doomsdayers. With fantastic performances, the series is a heartbreaking tale of a young, sheltered girl that provides a different perspective on a famous old tale.
The cast includes Summer H. Howell, Samantha Sloyan, Siena Agudong, Alison Thornton, Joel Oulette, Josie Totah, Arthur Conti, Thalia Dudek, Amber Midthunder, and Matthew Lillard, and Mike Flanagan serves as the showrunner. The series is based on the 1974 novel of the same name by Stephen King. Mike Flanagan, Kate Siegel, Axelle Carolyn, Kyra Sedgwick, and Hiromi Kamata serve as the directors.
Carrie Series Review
Carrie Is More Than Another Stephen King Remake
For horror fans, Carrie is a familiar name. It’s one of the most classic Stephen King stories that combines tragedy and horror seamlessly. Flanagan, known for some of the most memorable horror shows, including The Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep, and Midnight Mass, brings his own twist to the miniseries, digging deeper into teenage problems and turning every character into a case study in school bullying.
After losing her father, Carrie and Margaret find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place as they have to integrate themselves into a society where they have never existed. Desperate to fit in, a slew of difficult and emotionally taxing situations turn Carrie’s life upside down as she finds her telekinetic powers and embraces them. All the while, we see a sheltered Carrie coming out of the shadows and embracing the little joys that life has to offer.
In a way, the series highlights the pros and cons of a sheltered childhood. While Carrie never experienced the beauty of public school, she was also never hurt by it. She liked her life inside her home and drowning herself in books. With her father’s death, she experienced what teenage happiness can feel like, but also understood how cruel her peers can be.
The series uses its 8 episodes to showcase a complex story of growing up. It’s a coming-of-age tale in many ways and highlights the failures of adults when it comes to shaping children’s lives. In many ways, Flanagan expands King’s story and makes it something more than Carrie being bullied and taking revenge. It showcases how difficult teenage years can be, especially when someone is barred from being themselves in school and at home.
Carrie on Prime Video explores the choices and tensions that built up to the night of the fire at the school gym, giving depth to the story beyond just being another horror remake.
The Performances Add More Character to the Story
For Flanagan fans, the series brings back many well-known faces who are regulars in his shows. Summer H. Howell is fantastic as Carrie, as she takes viewers on an emotionally intense ride wherein you can’t help but root for the character. While Carrie stands out in the public school setting, Howell gives her role enough character to stand out from other renditions of the infamous heroine.
This Carrie is vulnerable and inexperienced, and you feel moved to protect her from the harsh realities of society. The curiosity beneath her vulnerability is infectious, and it showcases the bright child she is underneath it all. As she discovers a world that was previously out of bounds for her, she slowly realises the follies in her mother’s ways.
On that note, Samantha Sloyan, as Margaret, isn’t the insanely controlling mother that one might imagine, and we see her character more in-depth here. While she is controlling, there’s a reason why she is the way that she is, which gives context to her character beyond just being a villain. She’s a mother who wants to protect her child after her husband’s death, and she is a woman who is finding herself in many ways, just like her daughter.
Despite being an adult, she, too, is extremely sheltered and inexperienced, which makes her fear for her daughter, and Sloyan showcases that fear beautifully. Of course, you hate her in many ways, but underneath it all, she’s a scared mother desperately trying to hold on to the last reminders of a life that she might never get back.
The Social Media Update Works
The story takes place firmly in the present day, wherein a bullying scandal isn’t just restricted to the school – it’s all over the internet. With social media becoming an intricate part of our daily lives, the series highlights how, even if the technology changes over time, the cruelty remains the same.
Carrie finds herself in the midst of a viral bullying scandal where her infamous period scene reaches millions in the blink of an eye. The added layer is that Carrie has never used the internet or social media, so this comes as a huge shock. The casual cruelty and the pressures of the social media era become apparent at every turn and add to King’s story rather than completely changing it.
Flanagan Understands That Carrie Is a Tragedy Before It Is a Horror Story
Interestingly, Flanagan starts the series with some interesting storytelling surrounding women with similar powers who were historically killed for them. While I won’t get too deeply into them, this decision makes for interesting context and highlights how society judges, scrutinises and punishes people they think to be different.
Furthermore, the story works best when it ties its horror elements to Carrie’s emotional turmoil. While audiences already know the fallout, the deeper focus on the ups and downs that she went through as a result of simply being different and kind is shocking to witness unfold. The episodes take time to establish the settings and the characters, for which the consequences that take place in the end are especially more painful.
The Horror Is Patient Rather Than Constant
Carrie has really never been a jump-scare-type horror story, and Flanagan’s series are famously never that. And thus, it must come as no surprise that this Prime Video series builds the psychological tension and deep pain and cruelty to make the horror get under your skin. The series also features an X-Men-type deal, which is an interesting addition and makes you wait for the next season to completely answer all of your questions. Overall, the storytelling is slow but impactful and makes your heart heavy when all is said and done.
Final Verdict
Carrie, on Prime Video, is a thrilling watch that is more tragic and cruel than terrifying. It’s horror, much like Flanagan’s other stories, with an emotional undercurrent that leaves a heavy feeling in our hearts. However, the X-Men-adjacent twist is a bit confusing because it’s yet to take shape, and I don’t think it’s as easy to digest as the other changes the director has made. With fantastic performances, this one’s going to stay with you long after the runtime.
Carrie Prime Video series will stream from October 7, 2026. Are you excited to see the fourth adaptation of the famous story? Let us know in the comments below!
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