Three or four episodes into Mike Flanagan’s visceral, searing, and provocative eight-part adaptation of “Carrie,” something occurred to me: I had forgotten to be scared.
Maybe it’s because we’ve seen so many adaptations and updates of Stephen King’s classic 1974 novel, from Brian De Palma’s masterful and terrifying 1976 film to the stage work “Carrie: The Musical” to largely forgotten efforts such as “The Rage: Carrie 2” (1999) and made-for-TV “Carrie” (2002), not to mention Kimberly Peirce’s well-constructed remake in 2013 starring Julianne Moore and Chloë Grace Moretz.
We know what goes down: Carrie’s awakening to her powers, the trauma she endures, the prom, the bucket of blood, etc. Even though Flanagan has successfully interpreted King works such as “Doctor Sleep” and “Gerald’s Game,” even King’s initial reaction to yet another telling of the telekinetic tale was to say, “Let the poor girl rest.” (He wasn’t fully supportive, though he’s since changed his tune.)
So yes, there’s the familiarity with the material. But creator/writer/executive producer Flanagan wisely leans into that element, mirroring the novel’s epistolary framework by starting with a series of 911 calls on the night of the prom as the school is consumed by fire, and then pivoting to a documentary, with survivors trying to piece together the horrifying events of that night.
Prime Video’s take on “Carrie” won’t shock us out of our seats because we, too, know what happened. Sure, the series has its share of effective scare moments, but it’s more impressive as a treatise on religious fanaticism, the pack mentality, repression, social isolation, and how high school cruelty has been exacerbated by the ubiquity and frightening power of anonymous keyboard bullies on social media. It’s not the scariest iteration of “Carrie,” but it’s the most layered.
Far too often, films from decades ago are updated into overlong series that dilute the material. “Fatal Attraction,” “American Gigolo,” “Presumed Innocent.” The latest version of “Carrie” breaks that curse. While the core story is still there, the eight-episode arc allows for deeper explorations into the backstories of more than a half-dozen supporting players, and a larger examination of the long history of women who seemingly had extraordinary gifts, e.g., Joan of Arc, and how those powers created “fear, betrayal [and] oblivion.”
The series has the sheen of a “Twilight” movie, with pitch-perfect, ethereal and suitably haunting needle drops such as “Weightless” by Katie Garfield, “In the Bleak Midwinter” by Wolf Alice and “All of Human Knowledge Made Us Dumb” by Sofia Isella. (Nearly all the songs on the soundtrack feature female lead singers and often accompany Carrie’s point of view.)
The series kicks off with an aftermath scene in which a bruised and shaken Sue Snell (Siena Agudong) tells a documentarian, “There’s one thing no one understands about what happened here in Chamberlain…200 deaths, the destruction of an entire town, it’s so easy to forget we were kids. We were kids. We were kids, just trying to do our best.”
And we know how that worked out.
Flashback to conspiracy-minded prepper Ralph White (Tahmoh Penikett) getting killed in a construction accident, which leads authorities to discover the family almost nobody knew existed: Ralph’s wife Margaret (Samantha Sloyan) and their teen daughter Carrie (Summer H. Howell), who knows nothing of the outside world. In order for Margaret to retain custody of Carrie, she must take a job at a local supermarket, and Carrie has to attend Ewing High School, where she quickly becomes the object of ridicule because she doesn’t have a phone—and then suffers a horrific episode in the girls’ locker room that is filmed by her laughing classmates and posted all over the Internet.
Well, now you’ve started it, Ewing High, Class of, well, many of you aren’t going to make it to graduation.
The “Carrie” cast is loaded with Flanagan regulars, and some welcome newcomers as well. Alison Thornton is a hiss-worthy villain as Chris Hargensen, the alpha Mean Girl who leads the bullying of Carrie. (A subplot about Chris’ crumbling home life lends depth to her story, but she’s so awful that the empathy quickly dwindles.)
Amber Midthunder is terrific as Rita Desjardin, the well-meaning but overwhelmed gym teacher who tries to protect Carrie, while Matthew Lillard is the ineffectual Principal Grayle. Tim Bagley plays arguably the series’ most sympathetic character, Peter Morton’s guidance counselor, who connects with Carrie over their shared love of literature. (The show is not without its dark laughs, as when Morton quotes Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” and Carrie says, “Oh. I don’t do scary.”)
An anonymous Instagram account called “CarrieRed_” is the catalyst for chaos within the hallways of Ewing High, with vicious rumors about students and teachers abounding. For the sake of the plot, the film ignores some real-world realities of social media, as we watch adults behave at least as badly as their children.
“Carrie” hums along on the strengths of the stylish visuals, the black humor, and the universally excellent performances. Summer H. Howell personifies Carrie’s callow nature but is up to the task when the blood hits the fan. Samantha Sloyan’s Margaret White is still an oppressive monster, but it’s a fun twist to see Margaret manipulate the community and become something of an influencer.
This is the “Carrie” reboot we didn’t know we needed, and it leaves us wanting more.
All eight episodes of “Carrie” were screened for review.
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