Carrie review: Mike Flanagan reinvents the bloody revenge saga from Stephen King for a generation living via social media and familiar with violence

The new adaptation of Stephen King's classic horror saga stars Summer H. Howell as Carrie White. Here, she is a victim of a worse kind of social media bullying.

Carrie

Cast: Summer H Howell, Samantha Sloyan, Siena Agudong, Alison Thornton

Creator: Mike Flanagan

Star rating: ★★★.5

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

I cannot think of anyone as Carrie other than Sissy Spacek. The Brian De Palma adaptation is plastered on my mind as the definitive adaptation that truly takes the tone and atmosphere of its source seriously. That being said, the Stephen King novel continues to remain timeless, almost mythic in its coming-of-age exploration of violence and cruelty that is part of human nature. Carrie is naive when we meet her first, and by the time the book ends, she is altered forever. It is her rebirth in a world that hunts down the weak. That loss of innocence is never getting old, come what generation may.

Summer H. Howell is effective as Carrie White in the new Prime Video show.

The premise

The new Prime Video adaptation by Mike Flanagan understands this facet of human nature. It makes several changes from the traditional arc of the book, often fashioning Carrie's new-found telekinetic powers as a means of seeking revenge. Here she is not the weird one out, she is just different. When Carrie (Summer H Howell) arrives as a sophomore at Ewen High School, she must learn the ways of this completely new world, one that her toxic mother, Margaret (Samantha Sloyan), has managed to keep her away from. Her father is dead in an accident, and Carrie sees him around in the house, gently observing her from afar.

What works

But of course, there are bullies, as Carrie has to face Christine Hargensen (Alison Thornton)- whose decision to make an alternate Instagram account of Carrie ‘Red’ will lead to severe consequences. Flanagan, adapting the show with 8 hour-long episodes helmed by Miguel Arteta, Norman Buckley, and Nanette Burstein, stays faithful to the text in its core and simultaneously expanding its themes for a new generation. She is now facing a world where every school kid wants to be an influencer, updates their life on Instagram 24/7 and are disproportionately aware of the violence that surrounds them. Begrudgingly, they practice drills and portray themselves in a completely inauthentic way on social media.

Here, Carrie is not just the weird girl in school with severe acne and weight issues. Played competently and with wide-eyed wonder by Summer H Howell, Carrie is a sweet and harmless presence who simply wants to make new friends and have a good time. An extended party sequence is perhaps the show's biggest strength, excellently capturing the contradiction of experiences that range from Carrie to Christine. Carrie says she always wanted this, and looking at her, Christine is hiding a deep-seated hatred that stems from something far more complex. This adaptation offers a lot of space for Christine to be shown more than just as a bully. Even the teachers get sufficient backstory, as Carrie traces one indignity after another in school. “A few years ago, it would’ve been me torturing Carrie White in that locker room,” says Miss Desjardin, played in scene-stealing effect from Anber Midthunder.

Final thoughts

I also liked how attentively Flanagan adapts the telekinetic powers of Carrie that are so central to the text. In a sequence, the show links such powers through the annals of history, underlining the fact that women who were believed to possess such powers were routinely called frauds or demonised by the sexist society at large. However, my concerns mainly lie with the characterisation of Carrie's mom, whose misplaced anger, frustration and lies never fully materialises into something deep, and ultimately feels stretched beyond will. The key prom sequence is also a little disappointing in the rather-heroic display of revenge that is in play with bloodied abundance. The show almost gets lost in its depiction of high school drama at times, just escaping the rush of melodrama.

Carrie is not without its flaws, but I found myself moved in its thoughtful interrogation of the limits of empathy and kindness for the tortured soul. The middle episodes do feel stretched and repetitive. Carrie faces a level of apathy and disdain that arrives without a warning sign, a label. The show tracks Carrie as a girl lost in a world filled with dangerous and twisted people and all she can do is walk right ahead. Confront it, blood dripping from her face. Confront it whole. Carrie is a desperately timely adaptation for a generation fed with social media and addicted to their phones. Carrie will be heard, but never forgotten.