Carrie Mini-series Review

Carrie (2026)

Mini-series - 8 episodes
Watch Carrie on Amazon Prime (paid link) // Buy the book (paid link) 
Based on: Carrie by Stephen King
Created by: Mike Flanagan
Starring: Summer H. Howell, Samantha Sloyan, Siena Agudong, Alison Thornton, Joel Oulette, Josie Totah, Arthur Conti, Thalia Dudek, Amber Midthunder, Matthew Lillard
Rated: TV-MA
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Plot
After her father's sudden death, sheltered teenager Carrie White, raised by her domineering mother, enters public high school. She faces a viral bullying scandal and the awakening of mysterious telekinetic powers.

Verdict
You could summarize this as two teens who's parents have stunted their growth, leading to turmoil and conflict. Carrie's life has expanded dramatically, and she's unprepared for it all. While she realizes her mother is an impediment to this world, Carrie has the additional burden of developing telekinetic powers. High school is difficult, even worse with the bullies. Chris is upset with her life and at her parents, taking it out on the unsuspecting Carrie. This does a great job of expanding the book, and developing the characters while also modernizing the details. This derives incredible tension from what Chris will do next to torment Carrie. With burgeoning ability, will Carrie retaliate? The series also doesn't shy away from the famous prom scene, giving us a quick clip in the first episode. While this is a limited series, it leaves a huge opening for additional seasons. 
Watch It.

Review
Based on Stephen King's 1974 novel, that book launched his career. While this is advertised as a mini-series, creator Flanagan has stated his dream scenario would be a three season trilogy.

Mike Flanagan is best known for The Fall of the House of Usher (2023), Midnight Mass (2021), and The Haunting of Hill House (2018). He also directed the Stephen King inspired Doctor Sleep (2019) and Gerald's Game (2017). I love Mike Flanagan's projects, especially his series. He's adept at creating an unsettling mood.

Carrie (Summer H. Howell) deals with a new world, leaving her house for the first time and entering high school. Her parents, afraid of the world at large, isolated her. They believe that everything in the world is conspiratorial or dangerous. With her father's death in the first episode and the fact that her parents did register her home schooling, she's forced to go to public school until that can be resolved.

The series does a great job of bringing the story elements into modern life, highlighting the dangers of social media and even how online voting for the prom queen can be sabotaged. High school is difficult, even worse when Carrie is so unprepared and naive. Teenagers can be ruthless, and Carrie is somehow developing telekinetic abilities. Initially I wondered how this would expand the story, but it does a great job of fleshing out known characters while adding more.

E1: Summer H. Howell plays Carrie White

The first episode provides a preview of what's to come, showing us a fire at the high school that we assume is a result of Carrie. That's intercut with video interviews as students describe Carrie with varied and contradictory accounts. I appreciate that this doesn't hide from the prom moment. We get a teaser, and we know it's coming. By showing just a glimpse, it creates a sense of foreboding. As Carrie gets ready for her first day, it's clear this is wealthy high school. Carrie is not going to fit in. More than that, she's excited for school which puts her odds with her classmates. A school shooting drill frightens her. It's understandable as she's never seen such a thing. She didn't even realize shootings had ever occurred. Why the school uses a masked man with a rifle is levels beyond, but it works for the narrative.

Sue (Siena Agudong) and Chris (Alison Thornton) are best friends, both recently accepted to Duke. Chris's father can't afford it due to a separation and refuses financial aid due to social implications. He tells Chris he doesn't want her going into debt, but it's purely ego related. Chris's frustrations with her situation lead to her taking it out on Carrie, an easy target. It gets even worse when Carrie has her first period. Clearly her mom hasn't prepare her at all. That sets off an event where the class taunts and even films her in distress. In the age of social media, it's posted online which perpetuates the bullying.

In just the second episode we've had several glimpses of Carrie's telekinetic power, though she doesn't fully realize or understand it. We've also seen a group that is tracking her, though what that is or will lead to is unclear for much of the season.

Social media and cyber bullying makes this more relevant. Chris starts a social media account just to attack classmates and teachers, starting with Carrie. In the third episode she's nice to Carrie, but that seems like a setup to create another avenue to publicly humiliate her. Chris invites her to a party, and there's an impending sense of dread. What's going to happen and when? Will Carrie embarrass herself or will Chris do something?

While I don't condone Chris's action, I appreciate how this explores the character. Chris has never been taught how to cope with or address adversity. Her parents neglect her while her father throws money at any problem. She's never had to take accountability. Kids like Chris act out and react, attacking others. Her father has always gotten her out of it. Chris isn't the only person seeking control. Carrie's mom Margaret (Samantha Sloyan) deals with her dissatisfaction at her job passively aggressively. Carrie attempts to figure out where she fits in the world. Sue is stuck in the middle. Chris is her best friend, but Sue is distancing herself due to the bullying. Sue hanging out with Carrie only makes Chris more upset. In response, Chris gives Carrie edibles and takes her to the site where her father died.

By episode five, I began wondering about Carrie's friend Emaline. She's also new, and she's the one that figures out Carrie has powers. I wondered if she was linked to the organization that's tracking Carrie.

E6: Samantha Sloyan, Summer H. Howell play Margaret, Carrie White

Instead of realizing the harm she is causing, Chris adamantly refuses to shut down her social media account even when confronted by the school principal. That leads to her getting expelled, and of course her father is trying to re-negotiate and threatening the school. He's the reason Chris is a bully. In episode six, her media account claims another victim. It's a salacious turn, but it affects several characters. The school principal and counselor get Carrie, Chris, and their parents to agree to mediation. All Chris has to do is apologize. Margaret wants it public. Chris refuses. Even when Carrie asks for a simple apology without cameras, Chris again refuses. This sparks a protest outside of the school in Carrie's support. The few that support Chris seemingly just want to cause trouble. The school cancels the prom as a result of the protest with students arguing to keep it. A town hall style meeting leads to it being reinstated, and we know what that means.

It's a nice touch that the title card begins slightly pink, becoming more saturated and completely red by the seventh episode.

Margaret held Carrie hostage for years, with Carrie's newfound abilities, Margaret holds a lot less power. She's afraid of Carrie, even if she doesn't fully understand the telekinesis. 

The final episode resumes the snippets of interviews we saw in the first episode, interspersing it with events at prom. That is more intense than I could have imagined. It's riveting with Carrie going on a rampage. With every second the collateral damage increases. The twist in the moment is that it is and isn't Carrie. The interviewer ends up being the person that provided voice over throughout the series of incredible stories where women exceeded all physical boundaries. She has an interest in people with unique abilities.

While this has been advertised as a mini-series, it ends on a cliff hanger. The looming question is what's next for Carrie? It's likely she's headed to see this group that seeks people with abilities.

This does a great job of showing us several people that are seeking control in a world full of hardships. Eventually all of them do something that causes harm to others. For some, all they know how to do is redirect their despair onto others, dragging everyone down. Carrie's mom sought safety in a scary society. Forced out of her home, she attacks her boss passively. Chris bullies the new kid, and Carrie's positivity and naivete reached a breaking point. While I don't feel bad for Chris, we see how her parents failed her and in turn shaped her. The show uses the famous prom scene to it's advantage, instead of saving it as some kind of reveal. We know it's coming, and the series shows a glimpse in the first episode. The question then becomes, how do things get to that point. This concludes with a revelation of Carrie's power while she leaves town. If this gets another season, I'm guessing Carrie will find a group with similar abilities.