Carrie Review: Stephen King’s Classic Feels New Again

Mike Flanagan’s Carrie takes one of Stephen King’s most iconic stories and proves there was still much more to explore.

Turning King’s relatively short novel into an eight-episode TV series could easily have resulted in a stretched-out remake. Instead, Flanagan uses the extra time to dig deeper into Carrie White, Margaret White, Chris Hargensen, the town of Chamberlain, and the larger forces that push these characters toward disaster.

The series transforms Carrie into a deliberate slow burn about bullying, cruelty, anger, fear, control, compassion, and systemic failure. It also brings the story firmly into the modern era, where smartphones and social media fundamentally change how teenage humiliation can spread and escalate.

Most importantly, the expanded format allows Flanagan to complicate characters who have traditionally been easier to categorize as villains. Margaret’s abuse remains horrifying, while the series explores the fear and warped love behind her actions. Chris is similarly given more dimension without excusing her cruelty.

And when the story finally reaches prom night, the patience pays off with an ambitious horror sequence worthy of Flanagan’s best work.

Chapters:
0:00 Does Carrie Need Another Adaptation?
0:54 The Challenge Of Eight Episodes
1:17 Reinventing Carrie White
1:39 Building Toward Prom Night
2:01 Carrie’s Modern Social Media Horror
2:24 Why Serialization Changes The Characters
2:52 Margaret And Chris Get New Layers

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Video by: Jordan Williams, Jon Alba, & Kem Ramirez

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