Carrie (miniseries)

Carrie (miniseries)

Carrie is an American supernatural horror television miniseries developed by Mike Flanagan, and produced by Amazon MGM Studios for Amazon Prime Video. The first series adaptation of the eponymous franchise, it is based on the 1974 novel by Stephen King, and is the fourth screen adaptation of the novel. The series follows Carrie White (Summer H. Howell), a teenage girl who has spent her life in seclusion, as she joins high school following her father's death, and the emergence of her mysterious telekinetic powers and the events leading up to her infamous rampage. It also stars Samantha Sloyan, Siena Agudong, Alison Thornton, Joel Oulette, Josie Totah, Arthur Conti, Thalia Dudek, Amber Midthunder, and Matthew Lillard.

Plans for a television series adaptation of the novel started in 2002 with a television film intended as a backdoor pilot by MGM Television but later passed on by NBC. In 2019, a miniseries was in development at FX but was never ordered by the network. Amazon announced a new project's development for Amazon Prime Video in 2024, with Flanagan serving as showrunner, while King joined as an executive producer. It was given a series order in April 2025. Principal photography occurred in Vancouver, Canada, from June to October 2025.

Carrie premiered on October 7, 2026, on Amazon Prime Video. The series received positive reviews from critics, who praised Flanagan's modern take on the source material, themes, and the performances of the cast (particularly Howell and Sloyan), but some were divided over its changes from the novel.

Premise

Carrie (miniseries)

Carrie is described as a reimagining of the story of misfit high schooler Carrie White (Summer H. Howell), who has spent her life in seclusion with her domineering mother (Samantha Sloyan). After her father’s sudden death, Carrie finds herself contending with the challenges of attending high school, a bullying scandal, and the emergence of mysterious telekinetic powers.

Cast and characters

Main

• Summer H. Howell as Carietta "Carrie" White, a meek and socially inept teenager who uses her newfound telekinesis to exact vengeance on her bullies • Juliet Rose Foley as young Carrie • Samantha Sloyan as Margaret White, Carrie's overprotective mother • Theo Flanagan as young Margaret • Siena Agudong as Susan "Sue" Snell, a popular student who experiences remorse for partaking in Carrie's bullying • Alison Thornton as Christine "Chris" Hargensen, the ringleader of a pack of mean girls who bullies Carrie • Joel Oulette as Thomas "Tommy" Ross, Sue's goodhearted boyfriend • Josie Totah as Christina "Tina" Blake, Chris' best friend • Arthur Conti as William "Billy" Nolan, Chris' juvenile delinquent boyfriend • Thalia Dudek as Emaline West, Carrie's new friend • Amber Midthunder as Ms. Rita Desjardin, Carrie's physical education teacher • Matthew Lillard as Henry Grayle, the principal of Thomas Ewen Consolidated High School

Recurring

• Kate Siegel as Adelaide, a cult leader • Michael Trucco as John Hargensen, Chris' lawyer father • Katee Sackhoff as Amanda West, Emaline's mother, and a hunter who seeks to eliminate women with supernatural abilities. • Rahul Kohli as Seth Peist, Carrie's English teacher • Tim Bagley as Peter Morton, the guidance counselor of Ewen High School • Heather Graham as Madison Hargensen, Chris' mother and John's ex-wife • Tahmoh Penikett as Ralph White, Margaret's husband and Carrie's late father • Crystal Balint as Nancy Piper, a social worker • Danielle Klaudt as Joanie • Mapuana Makia as Eleanor Snell, Sue's mother • Rowan Danielle as Brooklyn Kirby, Kent's daughter • Naika Toussaint as Stella Horan, Carrie's neighbor • Ruth Codd as Cara, a cultist • Delainey Hayles as Caitlin, a cultist who detects Carrie's presence • Cassandra Naud as Sable, a cultist • Gil Bellows as Kent Kirby, Madison's new boyfriend and Brooklyn's father • Olive Abercrombie as Abby

Episodes

Carrie (miniseries)

<table><thead><tr><th>No.</th><th>Title</th><th>Directed by</th><th>Written by</th><th>Original release date</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><th rowspan="1">1</th><td rowspan="1">"First Period"</td><td>Mike Flanagan</td><td>Mike Flanagan</td><td>October 7, 2026 (2026-10-07)</td></tr><tr><td colspan="6">Following the death of construction worker Ralph White, social workers conduct a welfare check and find his reclusive wife, Margaret White, and their teenage daughter, Carrie, who has never left the family home. As a condition of Margaret retaining custody of Carrie, Carrie must attend the nearby Thomas Ewen Consolidated High School. On her first day, the homeschooled Carrie befriends Sue Snell but is snubbed by Chris Hargensen. Carrie panics during an active shooter drill, loosening a television set that lands on the foot of a school resource officer. The deeply religious Margaret disapproves of the drill, viewing it as validation that the wider world is sinful and evil. On her second day, Carrie experiences her first period after P.E class, which causes her to panic. At Chris' instigation, the other girls throw tampons at Carrie and livestream her on their phones, their taunts inadvertently invoking Carrie's awakening powers and causing the power to go out. Her psychic powers attract the attention of several cultists, including Caitlin and her leader, Adelaide. Interviews with Sue and former classmates and neighbors of the Whites are also shown following a disaster that destroyed much of the town, with Sue saying Carrie was not the only one responsible for what happened that night.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">2</th><td rowspan="1">"Foreign Language"</td><td>Mike Flanagan</td><td>Elizabeth Padden</td><td>October 7, 2026 (2026-10-07)</td></tr><tr><td colspan="6">While working as a supermarket cashier, Margaret is reassigned to maintenance duty after clashing with customers. Following the locker room incident, Carrie learns about puberty from gym teacher Rita Desjardin. When Carrie confronts her mother for not telling her about it, Margaret sends her to the prayer room as punishment, in which Carrie briefly sees the ghost of her father. Desjardin punishes the other girls, including Chris and Sue, by making them run laps in the gym. Desjardin also tasks a remorseful Sue with watching over Carrie. After being accepted into Duke University but being unable to go due to financial problems, Chris clashes with her separated parents, John and Madison Hargensen, and Kent Kirby, Madison's new boyfriend. After Madison warns her not to bully Kent's daughter Brooklyn, Chris creates a strawman sock puppet Instagram account to impersonate Carrie called "Carrie Red". Carrie befriends Peter Morton, the school guidance counselor, who encourages her love of literature, and fellow student Emaline West.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">3</th><td rowspan="1">"Social Studies"</td><td>Kate Siegel</td><td>Justina Ireland</td><td>October 7, 2026 (2026-10-07)</td></tr><tr><td colspan="6">With Emaline's encouragement, Carrie reads books about telekinesis and telepathy. Due to her family's financial circumstances and not having applied for financial aid sooner, Morton advises Chris to apply to a community college before transferring to Duke in the spring. Chris issues an insincere apology to Carrie and pretends to befriend her, inviting her to Sue's overnight party. While Margaret works on the night shift as a janitor, Carrie's neighbor Stella Horan brings her to the party. During the party, Carrie befriends Sue's boyfriend Tommy Ross and chats with Emaline. A drunk Chris bullies Brooklyn into leaving the party early, in the process learning that her parents are divorcing. Sue later gives Chris a ride home while Tommy brings Carrie home. Chris makes the Carrie Red Instagram account public and secretly uploads compromising photos about students and staff to it, which gains a significant following among the Ewen school population. The following morning, a horrified Carrie discovers the account, including a video of the changing room incident.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">4</th><td rowspan="1">"Dramatic Arts"</td><td>Axelle Carolyn</td><td>Dani Parker</td><td>October 7, 2026 (2026-10-07)</td></tr><tr><td colspan="6">Using the Carrie Red account, Chris sows discord among the students and teachers of Ewen High School. After Chris has her car repossessed due to her father John's debts, she seeks solace in her delinquent boyfriend Billy Nolan. Meanwhile, Margaret, who is wants to stop working night shifts (having been put on them to avoid dismissal), spreads malicious gossip about her supermarket manager, resulting in the latter facing a suspension for alleged racism. Carrie later discovers that Margaret has not collected Ralph's ashes from the crematorium, resulting in an argument. Carrie turns to Sue and becomes acquainted with her family. Chris later invites Carrie and Sue on a social outing with Billy and Tina Blake, taking them to the former construction site where Ralph died (after learning that his worksite death was what put her dad in financial difficulty). Traumatized after reliving her father's death, Carrie realizes that Chris was manipulating her and flees, seeking solace with Emaline and reconciling with Margaret, who vows vengeance on Chris. After Sue discovers that Chris was secretly recording Carrie and Tina blurts out that Chris is behind the Carrie Red account, Sue ceases her friendship with Chris.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">5</th><td rowspan="1">"Physical Education"</td><td>Kyra Sedgwick</td><td>Elan Gale & Alexandra Magistro</td><td>October 7, 2026 (2026-10-07)</td></tr><tr><td colspan="6">Following the social outing, Margaret tells Principal Grayle that Chris is behind the Carrie Red account. In response to the accusations, John defends his daughter, who refuses to let the school examine her phone. After Chris insults Margaret, Carrie uses telekinesis to break her nose. Carrie is initially terrified by her new-found power but Emaline encourages her to hone her telekinetic skills at the town's junkyard. Unwilling to back down, Chris spreads rumors that the English teacher Seth Peist is a pedophile, prompting the school faculty to realize that Carrie Red has reached a wider audience. Margaret escalates things further by creating her own Instagram account accusing Chris of being Carrie Red. In retaliation, Chris and Billy break into the Whites' home and tamper with the surveillance footage. Margaret responds by publicly calling for Chris's expulsion during a parents-teachers meeting. After failing to compel Chris to take responsibility for her actions, Sue reports her to Morton, with a recording containing Chris's admission. When Chris posts the stolen surveillance footage of Carrie's meltdown at home while she was talking to Emaline, Carrie realizes that Emaline is absent from the footage, prompting her to deduce that Emaline may have been a hallucination, similar to her experiences involving her deceased father.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">6</th><td rowspan="1">"Home Economics"</td><td>Hiromi Kamata</td><td>Rebecca Klingel</td><td>October 7, 2026 (2026-10-07)</td></tr><tr><td colspan="6">Feeling betrayed, Carrie initially shuns Emaline but later reconciles with her spiritual mentor. Grayle confronts Chris with Sue's voice recording containing her admission that she operates the "Carrie Red" Instagram account. When John claims the audio recording is a deep fake and sues Ewen High School, Chris is suspended from school. In retaliation, Chris posts a photo of Sue buying a pregnancy test kit, leading Sue and Tommy to break up their relationship. After Chris exposes Peist's underage relationship with Brooklyn, Peist kills himself, further estranging Chris from her step-relatives. In response to the ensuing media circus and heightened community tensions, Grayle and Morton attempt to broker peace between the Whites and Hargensens by getting Chris to apologize to Carrie in return for waiving her suspension. However, Margaret antagonizes Chris by insulting her parents, prompting the latter to insult Carrie. Following Chris's expulsion, a riot breaks out among the student population, with both Carrie and Chris being mobbed. Angry with her mother for further antagonizing Chris and her bullying behavior, Carrie interrupts Margaret's livestream and locks her in the prayer room.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">7</th><td rowspan="1">"Romantic Literature"</td><td>Mike Flanagan</td><td>Jamie Flanagan</td><td>October 7, 2026 (2026-10-07)</td></tr><tr><td colspan="6">Following the expulsion of Chris and student riot, Morton takes responsibility for the ensuing fallout and resigns as guidance counsellor. Peist's death leaves Desjardin conflicted in whether she can continue teaching. Chris moves in with Billy while John is imprisoned for embezzlement. Carrie uses her telekinetic powers to assert control over Margaret, who ceases her online activism. Despairing at losing control over her daughter, Margaret meets Amanda, the mother of an astral projector, who warns her about the existence of super-powered beings known as the "Others" and counsels her to kill Carrie. Tommy invites Carrie to the annual prom night, which is being debated by the school community due to the riot. Though opponents including Margaret claim the event would reward delinquent behavior, Carrie convinces the students and their parents to vote in favor of the prom night by presenting it as an opportunity for healing and restoration. A vindictive Chris conspires with Billy to sabotage the prom night by rigging the prom queen vote in favor of Carrie and pouring pig's blood on her and Tommy. Tina and Sue separately discover Chris and Billy's plot but both fail to prevent the prank from unfolding.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">8</th><td rowspan="1">"AP Physics"</td><td>Mike Flanagan</td><td>Mike Flanagan</td><td>October 7, 2026 (2026-10-07)</td></tr><tr><td colspan="6">The interviewer is revealed to be Adelaide, who questions Sue, Tina, and Margaret about the events of prom night. Goaded by Emaline, the vengeful Carrie uses her powers to exact revenge, killing many of the partygoers, including Tommy, Grayle, and Desjardin, and setting the school ablaze. Amanda attempts to kill Carrie but is stopped by cultists, while Adelaide erases Sue’s memories of the others. Chris, Billy, Tina, and Sue escape, but Billy and Chris are later killed by Carrie after attempting to run her down with their car. Liberated, Carrie and Emaline dance through Chamberlain, wreaking destruction, before Emaline disappears after seemingly being shot. Carrie returns home, where Margaret attempts to kill her on Amanda's advice. Heartbroken, Carrie destroys the house, but Margaret survives by levitating the debris with her own latent telekinesis. A wounded Emaline arrives in person to rescue Carrie. Later, Adelaide tells Margaret that Carrie is traveling with Emaline, Amanda's daughter, who can astral project. When Margaret rejects her telepathic powers, Adelaide telekinetically stops Margaret's heart, killing her. Emaline drives away with Carrie, but she refuses to reveal their destination, fearing Adelaide may be listening. She assures Carrie that the world is hers, and Carrie smiles ominously.</td></tr></tbody></table>

Production

Development

In December 2022, Mike Flanagan signed a first-look overall TV deal with Amazon Studios. Upon striking the deal, Flanagan immediately tried to launch a televised adaptation of Stephen King's novel series The Dark Tower, a passion project of his he had discussed repeatedly over the years, but Flanagan found the project "one of the most complicated properties to get started" because receiving approval was a much longer and involved process than anything he had ever approached in his life, but then Amazon brought to him the idea to launch their partnership with an adaptation of King's novel Carrie (1974), with Flanagan proposing a new take that excited even King, leading him to assemble his frequent collaborators to do so. In October 2024, it was announced that Flanagan's first project under that deal would be a new adaptation of King's Carrie novel, in the form of an eight episode miniseries, at Amazon Prime Video. A writers' room was launched to flesh out the story. Flanagan had previously helmed adaptations of King's novels including Gerald's Game (2017), Doctor Sleep (2019), and The Life of Chuck (2024). Around this time, Flanagan pitched the DC Universe (DCU) film Clayface (2026) to James Gunn and Peter Safran for DC Studios, which he developed and wrote, but when it came time to start production on it, Flanagan was unavailable to direct it due to his commitments to Carrie and The Exorcist: Martyrs (2027), resulting in James Watkins being hired instead. Flanagan served as writer and showrunner on the series, in addition to directing four episodes. King also executive produces the series.

Writing

Due to the original Carrie novel being one of King's shortest books, Flanagan expanded the story to suit a long-form series format. Flanagan acknowledged previous Carrie adaptations, including Brian De Palma's 1976 film and the 2013 film, but instead of revisiting familiar narrative ground, he sought to build something new out of the story's ingredients. He envisioned Carrie as being a three-season show.

Flanagan chose to emphasize the novel's themes of bullying, school violence, and kindness versus cruelty due to society's changing relationship with technology and the increased degree of school violence in the United States in the decades since the novel was published. Flanagan further built out from the book's mythology and featured the chapters including panicked (/wiki/911(emergencytelephonenumber)) calls, police reports, courtroom testimonies, and scientific investigations that attempted to explain Carrie's phenomenon, which implied Carrie was part of a sorority of very gifted women who had telekinetic powers. Flanagan opted to run with that plot point starting from the first episode, depicting a different, unique story of a different woman somewhere in the world coming to terms with her abilities while Carrie finds her specific place among them over the season.

Unlike previous versions, Flanagan's version of Carrie White has spent her life hidden away at home with her mother Margaret, with the state unaware of their existence until the sudden death of Carrie's father and Margaret's husband Ralph, forcing a spotlight onto their household that prompts Carrie to enter public school for the first time in her life. In addition, he added new aspects to the story's principal characters. Whereas De Palma's Carrie was a "clenched fist who's absolutely shaking out there in the world", Flanagan's Carrie is "wide open", "eager", "curious" and "earnest", walking into her teenage years without any sense of danger but with the innate trust in people and goodness. Instead of portraying Margaret White as the tyrannical parental abuser of King's novel and De Palma's film, Flanagan chose to emphasize Margaret's love for her daughter and need to protect her from the world's dangers. Despite the changes to the original novel, Flanagan confirmed that core events and characters will be mantained, such as Chris Hargensen, Sue Snell, Tommy Ross, Billy Nolan, and Rita Desjardin, as well as the period scene at the bathroom and the Black Prom. A new character introduced in Flanagan's version is Emaline.

Casting

Summer H. Howell plays the titular role of Carrie.

Over 1,400 actresses auditioned for the lead role of Carrie White in what Flanagan described as one of the biggest casting searches of his career. During auditions, many of the candidates attempted to emulate Sissy Spacek's performance from the 1976 film, despite the production team's desire to avoid similarities. Summer H. Howell's performance impressed the team so much that she was cast, despite her physical similarities to Spacek at the time. In April 2025, Howell was reported to be in talks to join as Carrie, and that Siena Agudong was cast as Sue Snell. Howell first spoke with Flanagan on April Fools' Day, believing that it was a prank with a fake job offer. In May, Matthew Lillard was in talks to join the series in an undisclosed role and Howell was officially cast as Carrie.

In June, Lillard was confirmed to join the series, alongside Samantha Sloyan, Alison Thornton, Thalia Dudek, Amber Midthunder, Josie Totah, Arthur Conti, Joel Oulette, Kate Siegel, Michael Trucco, Katee Sackhoff, Rahul Kohli, Tim Bagley, Heather Graham, Tahmoh Penikett, Crystal Balint, Danielle Klaudt, Mapuana Makia, Rowan Danielle, Naika Toussaint, Delainey Hayles and Cassandra Naud. Flanagan wrote Margaret's role specifically for Sloyan, deeming it "the part she was born to play." Thalia Dudek also joined the cast as new character Emaline.

Filming

Principal photography began in Vancouver on June 16, 2025, and concluded on October 25, 2025.

Music

On July 13, 2026, the Newton Brothers was announced to compose the series. The series soundtrack album was released on October 7, 2026 by Milan Records. Singer Ruelle performed the song "Slow Motion Memory Fade" was released as a single on October 1, 2026. It was featured in the first and last episodes of the series, with an orchestral versions of the song by the Newton Brothers appeared in the soundtrack. The alt-pop duo Haute and Freddy became the initial musical identity of the show and Flanagan even rewrote episode 8 around their song "Shy Girl". Haute and Freddy's nearly entire 2025 album "Big Disgrace" is used all over the series. Carrie wears their t-shirt in episodes two and three; she admits she doesn’t know what it is, and Miss Desjardin replies that they’re "a very cool band".

Release

Carrie (miniseries)

Carrie was released globally with all eight episodes on Amazon Prime Video on October 7, 2026. Before the global release, the series premiered in the "Primetime" program at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival on September 18.

Reception

Carrie (miniseries)

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 85% approval rating, based on 117 reviews, with an average of rated reviews of 7.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Mike Flanagan aptly expands this teen mythos with added compassion and ingenuity, bringing a modern touch to a timeless work and giving all performers involved the opportunity to shine while witnessing the ascension of a fascinatingly new Carrie." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 72 out of 100 based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Jordan Williams from Screen Rant praised Flanagan for justifying the miniseries' existence as yet another adaptation of King's first novel despite the existence of de Palma's film due to compellingly transforming King's themes and characters into an even more realized, nuanced portrait of the complex intersection of fear, anger and compassion in society through modernization and expanding on what the book originally showed. Likewise, Judy Berman in Time magazine called Carrie the first worthwhile adaptation of the novel in 50 years as Flanagan makes it relevant to current times with the series representing "a product of the Trump decade".

Nate Richard of Collider noted how many adaptations of King's works are notoriously "hits or misses" on the hands of different auteurs, but Flanagan is an exception and that, in regards to whether the property should be "dead or better", his miniseries proved to be a new take that, while imperfect, was highly addictive and feels more like a remix than a retelling.

Others were more critical of the new additions to the source material. In The Hollywood Reporter, Daniel Fienberg wrote, "Flanagan is extending and over-extending the text in ways that are fairly conventional, but with a story as familiar and previously simple as Carrie, those changes could be interpreted as surprising, if not necessarily creative." He continued, "In the process, some of the engine that steers the property toward its explosive conclusion is lost. Even if you don’t know the story in any version, you know something bad is coming at the prom, but when it comes around, it isn't as disturbing or terrifying as it ought to be."

Emma Stefansky of The Atlantic said "the show is almost too empathetic to its main characters; it doesn't allow them to revel in their spitefulness, as they do in the source material. It treats many of them as victims of larger forces beyond their control—and robs viewers of the catharsis of Carrie's big moment". She concluded, "Defanging Carrie means flinching away from the unforgiving bleakness that makes the story so memorable." In The Times, James Jackson lauded the series' timeliness but commented "an overprotracted finale and various other superfluous additions to the story did made me long for the lean, mean concision of the original film".

Prior to the show’s premiere, some fans expressed disappointment with the show. Fans and critics stated that no screen adaptation of Carrie had depicted a Carrie that matched the novel’s description, in which Carrie is described as “a chunky girl with pimples”. People note that adaptations of Carrie have cast actresses that are conventionally attractive, which some feel goes against King’s original interpretation of Carrie. A number of critics and fans expressed their desire to see an adaptation that fully explored Carrie as she is within the novel.