I’m on record expressing a certain amount of skepticism about Mike Flanagan’s rebooted Carrie miniseries for Prime Video. We don’t need another disappointing remake, so what story is there left to tell—especially stretched out over six episodes?
On the plus side, I’m a staunch fan of Flanagan’s excellent Netflix horror fare, and he has a particular affinity for the works of Stephen King. He insists he has no intention of creating yet another straight adaptation of the novel.
“Carrie was written half a century ago,” Flanagan said at San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year. “Carrie was adapted spectacularly by Brian De Palma. It is iconic. It is untouchable. There is no reason whatsoever to try to follow in those footsteps and to try to walk on that path. However, the world has changed quite a lot. I think a lot of people think they know what the show is. And the biggest thing I’m excited about today is just knowing what a big surprise our Carrie is going to be.”
Per Prime Video’s synopsis:
The official trailer begins to pull back the curtain on the urgent and arresting reinvention of Stephen King’s iconic story, offering a revealing glimpse at how the series expands the world, bringing new depth and complexity to its beloved characters while exploring the forces that shape Carrie White as she navigates the cruelty and pressure of the modern world—building toward a single, shattering night. But how much do we really know about Carrie—or what happened in Chamberlain?
Summer H. Howell stars as Carrie, with Siena Agudong as Sue Snell, the only popular girl to feel remorse for bullying Carrie; Joel Oulette (no relation) as Sue’s boyfriend, Tommy Ross; Amber Midthunder as gym teacher Rita Desjardin; Arthur Conti as Chris’ boyfriend, Billy Nolan; Josie Totah as Chris’s BFF, Tina Blake; and Thalia Dudek as Emaline, a new character created for the miniseries.