This time, "Carrie" isn't retreading old ground. After the trailer dropped for Mike Flanagan's—the director behind "Doctor Sleep" and "Life Of Chuck"—TV adaptation of Stephen King's 1974 novel, what first caught viewers' attention wasn't the supernatural gore, but a distinctly "mournful" tone.
This marks the fifth time "Carrie" has been brought to screen, following Brian De Palma's original 1976 film and the 2013 remake starring Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore. Instead of a film, Flanagan is doing a series this time, launching on Prime October 7.
The trailer pulls the story into the present day. The bullying Carrie endures is no longer just whispers and pranks in the hallway, but collective humiliation amplified and accelerated by social media. Summer H. Howell plays Carrie, with the main cast also including Siena Agudong, Alison Thornton, Joel Oulette, Josie Tota, Arthur Conti, Thalia Dudek, Amber Midthunder, and Matthew Lillard.
The official synopsis (as reported by Empire) describes misfit high schooler Carrie White (Howell) as having spent years sheltered and isolated from the outside world by her mother Margaret (Samantha Sloyan). After her father's sudden death, she's forced into the dog-eat-dog environment of public high school, getting caught up in a viral wave of bullying while enduring the relentless pressure and casual cruelty unique to the social media age—all while a mysterious telekinetic power awakens alongside her adolescence.
The trailer has already sparked mixed reactions in the Instagram comments. One viewer wrote: "I really like that this trailer leans into a sadder, heavier tone instead of going full horror or supernatural thriller—Carrie's story is inherently sad and tragic at its core." Others expressed conflicted feelings: "On one hand, I wonder does everything really need a remake? But on the other, this is a story that resonates across generations, and it looks like it could be a solid version—I'll probably watch it like I did the others." Another commenter said, "Every generation deserves their own Carrie," while someone else hoped the adaptation stays true to the source material's spirit: "My only ask is fidelity to the original novel. Carrie isn't a hero—she's an avenger who exposes what the bullies did in the light of day."
The project has been in development since 2024. Flanagan's previous directorial effort "Doctor Sleep" received a four-star review from NME critic Alex Flood, who wrote that the film was "largely a thrilling, nostalgia-soaked ride that works hard to please fans of the original while also catering to those who grew up on later King adaptations like 'Pet Sematary' and 'It: Chapter Two'... 'Doctor Sleep' is undoubtedly a great story, but ultimately fails to step out from under its predecessor's shadow."
