Written by Haley Garrett, Staff Writer
On October 7, 2026, a new Carrie adaptation, directed by Mike Flanagan, was added to Prime Video, modernizing a classic Stephen King novel.
The show does a lot of good with the source material. It goes into great detail about all characters, not just Carrie and her mother. It also sets up interviews throughout the show in order to tease the viewer with what will happen, similar to the book.
The show did even better in terms of modernization. It changed the central bullying tactic of verbal and physical abuse from the 70s into a cyberbullying story, which is more similar to the world now. Before punishing characters in school, the principal and teachers give rational thought to what might happen and make decisions based off of that.
The show kept the underlying story of Carrie, and twisted it to mirror modern problems high schoolers face today. “What it has to say about social media is shocking and true,” King admits.
There was also high praise for the acting, especially from Summer H. Howell, who portrayed Carrie White, and Samantha Sloyan as Margaret White. Their performance made the story come alive, even though there were many changes in their characters.
In the show, Carrie reads lots of books, making her intelligent. The way she acquired the books, by secretly sharing with her neighbor, was not present in the book and made Carrie’s character seem more rebellious. In the book, Carrie only read the Bible and strictly obeyed with what her mother believed, as she didn’t want to anger her.
Margaret White, Carrie’s mother, is deeply religious and pours her heart into protecting Carrie. While this is present in both the show and book, the show tones down Margaret’s character. She appears nicer and more patient with Carrie, evident in many scenes with the infamous prayer closet. This change in the show makes Margaret’s character as Momma seem less intense, and makes her appeal to viewers more.
This change in the character is also justified within the plot. The show tones Margaret down because she is dealing with the loss of her husband, who in the book leaves the family when Margaret is pregnant.
Margaret also protects Carrie in ways that don’t stick true to her morals. This includes buying phones to help spread the word of who is leading the bullying account called “Carrie Red”: Chris Hargensen.
Chris Hargensen (Alison Thornton) and Sue Snell (Siena Agudong) had their characters expanded upon, giving them their own stories. For having no true source material of the inside life of their families, Flanagan does a great job explaining the character behind the name.
Carrie is living her life free from the worries of the prior episodes. Chris is expelled, and Tommy Ross, Sue Snell’s ex-boyfriend, asks her out to prom. Carrie also finds out she has telekinetic abilities and has been practicing them. She now controls Momma, and viewers visually see the power shifting in the house.
Out of fear, Margaret looks for help, just to find another woman who asks her to kill Carrie. This was added to keep readers on the edge of their seats.
As Carrie steps through the doors to enter senior prom with Tommy Ross, she is dazed by how beautiful it is. The prom scene used water and fire stunts, hundreds of extras, and a mass destruction of the practical set. It is the part of the book that all fans of Stephen King gawk at in amazement once seen on screen.
While there are many small differences in the scene, nothing is too much of a standout except for one part. Emaline, a character formally pronounced to be part of Carrie’s imagination, shows up and appears to take control of Carrie. The visuals show a shift in Carrie’s behavior and gait.
This change continues until Carrie walks out of the senior prom, killing 440 people, according to the book.
After the prom, Carrie walks around, destroying the city, her house, and killing others, including Chris Hargensen. Momma also lives the encounter, which was not present in the book, though she dies in a later scene.
The show does a phenomenal job connecting other Stephen King books to Carrie. There are references to The Shining, and its sequel Doctor Sleep. Since Carrie was King’s first published novel, it could not connect to other works in Stephen King’s universe. Due to this, Flanagan wanted to expand the story and give it the connection it deserved.
King originally didn’t want the show to be produced, but Flanagan was able to convince him because he had background in adaptations of other works, and King believed he could do Carrie justice. “I have the right of disapproval over everything. And basically I don’t use it, because I trust Mike completely. He is the King whisperer” Stephen King explains.