Since Wednesday, all eight episodes of Mike Flanagan's "Carrie" have been streaming on Prime Video. It is the first series adaptation of Stephen King's 1974 debut novel. Summer H. Howell plays Carrie White, Matthew Lillard the principal. Flanagan has moved the story firmly into the present: students walk through metal detectors every day, Carrie's first day includes an active-shooter drill, and every humiliation is filmed, shared and archived.
Flanagan told Reuters he never really intended to remake "Carrie". His view changed as his eldest son was about to start high school. In other interviews he has described his worry that teenagers' mistakes now live online forever.
In 1974 Carrie needed telekinesis to expose an entire school. In 2026 a phone on 12 per cent battery will do.
That is the real point of the remake. Updating it mostly meant swapping the gadgets. Humanity's willingness to grind each other down proved remarkably timeless. Flanagan is already thinking about three seasons. The internet will reliably supply the material.
What actually happened
- Mike Flanagan's eight-part series "Carrie" was released in full on Prime Video on 7 October 2026. It is set in the present day, with social media, cyberbullying and lockdown drills. iHorror, TV Insider
- Flanagan said his perspective changed as his son approached high school. /Film