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We're getting another adaptation of Stephen King's classic horror Carrie - how will it live up to previous iterations?
Based on the 1974 novel, the eight-episode series follows Carrie White (Summer H. Howell) "who has spent her life hidden away inside the walls of her home with her fiercely protective mother, Margaret (Samantha Sloyan)."
The plot synopsis continues, "After her father’s sudden, untimely death thrusts her into the unforgiving ecosystem of public high school, Carrie is forced to navigate a viral bullying scandal that tears through her community, the relentless pressure and casual cruelty of the social‑media age, and the awakening of mysterious telekinetic powers that rise alongside her adolescence."
Amazon MGM Studios
Showrunner Mike Flanagan is no stranger to adapting King's novels, which include Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep, and The Life of Chuck, while his other work consists of The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and The Fall of the House of Usher.
Previous Carrie adaptations include the 1976 film directed by Brian De Palma and Sissy Spacek as Carrie, The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999) directed by Katt Shea and Angela Bettis as Carrie, with the most recent one being the 2013 theatrical remake directed by Kimberly Peirce, starring Chloë Grace Moretz.
What are critics saying?
Ahead of it's release, critic reviews for Carrie have been pouring in and at the time of writing the series has a critics score of 84 per cent on film, and TV review aggregate website, Rotten Tomatoes, meanwhile on IMDb the series has been rated a 6.9 out of 10.
Screen Rant's Jordan Williams said "Mike Flanagan’s timely Carrie TV series not only justifies its existence, but compellingly transforms King’s themes and characters into an even more realized, nuanced portrait of the complex intersection of fear, anger, and compassion in society,"
"...it probably wasn’t the adaptation of Carrie that I wanted. Kudos for its topicality and its performances, especially that of star Summer H. Howell, but this Carrie is finally less distinctive and far less scary than it should be," wrote The Hollywood Reporter's Feinberg.
"Flanagan has created a new take on Carrie White that, while imperfect, is highly addictive," noted Collider's Nate Richard. On Flanagan's adaptation he described it as "less of a slow-burn than his other works but still maintains his exploration of existentialist and spiritual themes."
IndieWire's Ben Travers graded the series a C+ and commented, "In scenes big and small, Flanagan’s trademark empathy is moving and earned, creating timely interpretations of age-old conflicts and eloquent emotional beats between characters in conflict. But it’s also flattening, for Carrie and for 'Carrie'".
"Flanagan offers a strikingly fresh, superbly acted version of King’s story, with enough ideas and nuance to fill a high-school gymnasium," according to Empire's Jamie Graham who rated the series four out of five stars.
When is the release date?
Liane Hentscher/Prime
Carrie will be released on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, exclusively on Prime Video.
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