CARRIE
Starring: Summer H. Howell, Samantha Sloyan, Alison Thornton, Siena Agudong, Matthew Lillard, Amber Midthunder, Josie Totah, Thalia Dudek, Joel Oulette, Arthur Conti, Rahul Kohli, Tim Bagley, and Kate Siegel
Creator: Mike Flanagan
PAIGE
Although Carrie has been adapted several times before, Mike Flanagan delivers a fresh, modernized spin on Stephen King’s classic novel. His take reimagines the story for a new generation, offering powerful social commentary on high school bullying and social media. It may be a bit of a slow burn, and the side plots aren’t as fleshed out, but it works precisely because it isn’t afraid to take creative liberties. It’s an engaging series full of new ideas and emotional layers that allows it to stand on its own. Not to mention the young cast, especially Summer H. Howell as Carrie, which truly elevates this iteration.
BODE
It seemed like it was only a matter of time before showrunner Mike Flanagan’s journey as the Stephen King whisperer reached one of the author’s most adapted works. And if anyone could reimagine Carrie successfully in 2026, it’s Flanagan, right? If only. His version starts with some promise, especially with Summer H. Howell and Alison Thornton doing remarkable work as Carrie and Chris, respectively; however, the tragic impact and resonance of its source material are only undermined as the series continues, with a slow build that siphons out its inherent tension and creative changes that defang some of its most important plot beats. I found this update truly frustrating.
QUENTIN
I give showrunner Mike Flanagan credit for modernizing Carrie. Placing the story in today’s world of school shootings and high school bullying through social media makes it feel more relevant. However, the natural side effect of that approach is that the story becomes incredibly Gen Z, and in this case, very YA. That’s right, the brilliant and demented horror mind behind The Fall of the House of Usher has essentially turned the Stephen King classic into Euphoria for the CW crowd. As such, it’s slow, often annoying, and frankly, doesn’t have many scares. I can’t stick around for two more proposed seasons of this.
KATIE
As a big fan of his work and Brian De Palma’s horror classic, I had high hopes for Mike Flanagan’s modern rendition of Carrie. I expected contemporary issues affecting young people, like the negative impact of social media, to be a part of the story, but it doesn’t convey these problems in an engaging or relatable way. It often feels like an annoying cross between Mean Girls and Euphoria, missing the horror or scares that it needs and feeling like it's for a younger audience as a result. Although the performances are great, the dialogue feels very much like its teenagers written by adult men.
ADELAIDE
The next coming of Riverdale for Generation Alpha, Mike Flanagan’s Carrie reboot is both too serious to be camp and too maudlin to be taken seriously. It somehow manages to work in shining moments, especially when given time, with Samantha Sloyan giving an Emmy-nomination worthy performance as Mrs. White. She is the best use of Flanagan’s attempt to modernize the material and is largely the reason this show works. This expansion’s biggest sins are the new characters Flanagan introduces, which either soften the edges of this parable of how awful teenagers can be or ruin entire characters (I’m looking squarely at Thalia Dudek’s Emaline).
