Carrie review: Does Mike Flanagans modern take on Stephen Kings classic novel work?
How do you remake a story that’s as well-known as Carrie?
Stephen King‘s first published novel has been a part of the horror canon for over half a century. It already has two film adaptations, a sequel, a miniseries adaptation, and even a Royal Shakespeare Company musical (yes, really). How can you possibly take a tale that’s such a big part of popular culture and do something new with it?
Well, Mike Flanagan has had a good go. His Prime Video adaptation of the novel places King’s story of a tormented telekinetic high-schooler in a modern day setting, filled with the horrors of school shooting drills and online bullying. It’s an interesting idea that undoubtedly gives the story a new flavour. The question is, does it work?
What’s Carrie about?
First, a recap. For anyone who hasn’t read the novel or seen the previous adaptations, Carrie follows the titular main character (Summer H. Howell) as she starts high school. Carrie has lived a sheltered, paranoid existence with her religious mother, Margaret (Samantha Sloyan,) and conspiracy theorist father (Tahmot Penikett), but the sudden death of the latter throws her into a new and overwhelming teenage world.
Unsurprisingly, it’s not easy. With her homemade clothes and complete naivety, Carrie stands out. She’s soon picked out as a target by popular girl Chris (Alison Thornton), and what first seemed like it could be an escape from her domineering mother quickly because a fresh source of horror and anxiety.
What everybody doesn’t know, though, is that Carrie has the gift of telekinesis. And as her anger at her own mistreatment grows, so do her powers.
Credit: Prime
Carrie makes several key changes from the book
We already know Mike Flanagan makes high-quality TV shows. As a showrunner he typically brings recurring team members between projects, and as such you can normally expect the direction and scripts to be solid. Carrie is no exception. The bigger question is whether the story works. Is it for Stephen King fans, or people unfamiliar with the original story? Or both?
Flanagan’s show makes several key changes from the book. One works well, the other works brilliantly, and the last feels like it’ll divide. First, the 2026 setting. It’s effective. The presence of social media and the internet adds a hellish new dimension to Carrie’s suffering, as almost every interaction she has in school is now captured on multiple smartphones. The book’s infamous “plug it up” scene in the girls’ changing room remains, but now it’s the seed for an anonymous Instagram account set up by Chris to bully fellow students and spread rumours about staff. Wherever they are, and whether they’re perpetrating the abuse or absorbing it, students’ faces are permanently bathed in the glow of their phone screens. It’s an element of the show that’s even more constant than Carrie’s telekinesis — a force that has just as much power to ruin lives. The presence of technology works well in Carrie, which is really more about bullying — and the consequences that bullying can have — than it is about psychic powers. It adds something new to the story and will likely introduce it to a fresh audience.
Another key change from the book that feels a little more divisive, however, comes in the first episode. The show is bookended by interviews with survivors of Carrie’s infamous prom night, but early on it’s made clear that Carrie “wasn’t the only one” there that night with powers. This, coupled with a storyline that has echoes of The Umbrella Academy, feels like world-building that risks falling into well-trodden territory and dividing fans. Personally I think the show gets away with it in the end, but I can see how it might put some people off.
Fortunately, it’s a small part of a chilling and effective story that’s been well adapted to fit an eight-episode series. Which brings us to our last point…
Credit: Robert Falconer/Prime
Carrie does an excellent job of fleshing out its characters
Rather than giving it a feeling of being stretched, Flanagan’s team has added additional texture and shade to King’s novel. The characters are different because they have to be. They’re arguably more complex. King’s version of Margaret White is a strict religious nightmare with no redeeming features. The show keeps her core but makes her more subtle and manipulative. Carrie’s teachers are given more to do, including their own storyline that ties in effectively — and unexpectedly — with that of the students. Chris’ home life is expanded to draw attention to why she’s a bully, with Thornton doing an excellent job of showing her character’s repressed vulnerability, which you can almost see turning to anger on her face in real time.
Overall, this is a series that will be enjoyed by people unfamiliar with Carrie, while keeping and changing enough of the book to also appeal to Stephen King readers. It’s not a perfect adaptation, but it is a visceral and engaging take on a story that looks set to keep its grip on horror fans for many more years to come.
