Mike Flanagan's 'Carrie' series reimagines horror as teen drama

Mike Flanagan's new series "Carrie" on Amazon adapts Stephen King's 1974 novel for a 2026 release, placing the telekinetic teenager in a modern high-school setting. Summer H. Howell portrays Carrie White, a homeschooled teen who enters Ewen P.H.S. and encounters metal detectors, pervasive smartphone use and overinvolved parents. The show depicts her struggles with a strict mother, social ostracism and bullying both in person and online.

While the series retains familiar plot points, including a climactic prom scene, it emphasizes empathy for Carrie and her classmates rather than overt horror. Characters such as Sue Snell (Siena Agudong), Tommy Ross (Joel Oulette) and Chris Hargensen (Alison Thornton) are presented with varied motivations, and adult figures, particularly Carrie’s mother Margaret (Samantha Sloyan), are portrayed as controlling and hypocritical.

Critics note that the series limits its exploration of the protagonist’s telekinetic powers, offering only occasional displays of the ability. The narrative is described as more of a teen drama than a horror show, focusing on the emotional impact of high-school life and parental interference. The first season, intended as part of a three-season arc, has been graded C+ by reviewers.

"The series extends an understanding embrace not just to Carrie, but her classmates, too," one reviewer wrote.

Overall, the adaptation is seen as a departure from the genre’s traditional scares, opting for a compassionate, if sometimes preachy, portrayal of contemporary adolescent challenges.