Horror maestro Mike Flanagan has reinvented Carrie for streaming, and as we first reported on FearHQ.com, the review embargo for the series has lifted ahead of its premiere on Prime Video next week.
With 39 reviews counted, Carrie has debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with 85%. It should be "Certified Fresh" imminently, and this score is a vast improvement over 2002's Carrie (32%) and the 2013 movie starring Chloë Grace Moretz (51%). The 1976 original, helmed by Brian De Palma, remains the most critically acclaimed effort with 94%.
While not everyone was a fan of the decision to modernise the story with a present-day high school setting, the vast majority are praising Flanagan's vision for his latest Stephen King adaptation. The consensus is that the prolific showrunner has found a compelling, fresh approach to the well-known horror tale, with a timely and very relevant take.
Lead star Summer H. Howell is also being praised, delivering what sounds like a star-making performance as the titular Carrie White.
The Hollywood Reporter was largely unimpressed with the series, writing, "Kudos for its topicality and its performances, especially that of star Summer H. Howell, but this Carrie is finally less distinctive and far less scary than it should be."
However, The New York Post counters, "Horror king Mike Flanagan’s new reboot is an engrossing update of the classic story for the Gen-Z era. It honors the original, while tweaking enough details to make it fresh." Empire agreed, concluding, "Flanagan offers a strikingly fresh, superbly acted version of King’s story, with enough ideas and nuance to fill a high-school gymnasium."
The Telegraph skewed far more negative. "One of the most brutally relentless horror novels ever written—so what a disappointment to see his classic tale of high school bullying and the prom from hell reduced to another vapid teen drama," the British outlet bemoaned.
Radio Times, however, enthused, "This show certainly won’t make you miss high school, but this is for anyone who has ever felt a bit different, alone, or 'weird' – and fully emphasises the value of being kind in an unkind world." Polygon concurred: "The eight episodes that exist right now are a daring and complete retelling of the iconic story of Carrie White."
TIME took that one step further, explaining, "Carrie is the first that manages to fully get out from under the shadow of De Palma’s. Yet it confirms a gradual shift in how the story is being told."
In its review, GamesRadar+ said, "Mike Flanagan's Carrie acts as a timely cautionary tale about the dangers of social media. This departure from its source material breathes new life into Stephen King's beloved novel." Finally, The Verge notes, "It's not only a largely great retelling of the classic story, but one that uses that familiar tale to dig deep into an important current topic."
So, it sounds like another hit for Flanagan after a hugely successful run on Netflix that included titles like The Haunting of Hill House (93%), The Haunting of Bly Manor (88%), Midnight Mass (87%), The Midnight Club (85%), and The Fall of the House of Usher (91%). He's also no stranger to Stephen King after adapting Gerald's Game (91%), Doctor Sleep (79%), and The Life of Chuck (80%).
In Prime Video's Carrie, misfit high‑schooler Carrie White (Summer H. Howell) has spent her life hidden away inside the walls of her home with her fiercely protective mother, Margaret (Samantha Sloyan).
After her father’s sudden, untimely death thrusts her into the unforgiving ecosystem of public high school, Carrie is forced to navigate a viral bullying scandal that tears through her community, the relentless pressure and casual cruelty of the social‑media age, and the awakening of mysterious telekinetic powers that rise alongside her adolescence.
From showrunner Mike Flanagan, Carrie stars Summer H. Howell, Samantha Sloyan, Siena Agudong, Alison Thornton, Joel Oulette, Josie Totah, Arthur Conti, Thalia Dudek, Amber Midthunder, Matthew Lillard, Heather Graham, Kate Siegel, Michael Trucco, Rowan Danielle, Rahul Kohli, and Tim Bagley.
Carrie premieres worldwide on October 7 on Prime Video.