Mike Flanagan (Oculus: Origin of Evil, Dr. Sleep, The Exorcist: Martyrs) created this television series on Amazon Prime Video based on the best selling novel by Stephen King. Mary Elizabeth "Sissy" Spacek, Emily Bergl, Angela Bettis & Chloë Grace Moretz were playing Carrieta "Carrie" White in film & TV. Now, a 22 year old actress from Manitoba, Canada named Summer H. Howell will portray the titular character where 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 & casual cruelty of the social‑media age, & the awakening of mysterious telekinetic powers that rise alongside her adolescence. All she wanted was a friend & they want a fight.

The debut season delivers a genuinely good and atmospheric horror drama that successfully breathes new life into an iconic tale. Expanding the story across eight episodes allows the narrative to build a remarkable setup, grounding the tragic descent in the cruel realities of modern social media, cyberbullying, and suffocating small town claustrophobia.

Summer H. Howell gives an extraordinary lead performance, balancing fragile vulnerability and quiet heartbreak with an unsettling, raw power as Carrie White. Samantha Sloyan matches her at every turn with a terrifying, layered portrayal of Margaret, turning their fractured domestic life into the psychological emotional anchor of the entire series.

While a few midseason stretches meander through unnecessary subplots, Mike Flanagan's deliberate direction keeps the dread simmering beneath the surface. The meticulous character work ensures that the inevitable catastrophe carries genuine emotional weight rather than relying solely on bloody spectacle, making the season an engrossing and thoroughly compelling watch.

Disclaimer: there's no option to mark reviews as a spoiler, so consider this as a major spoiler warning

I've never read the books or seen the movies, so I was pretty much going in 99% blind, which was nice cuz I got to see this completely unbiased. But I had a few thoughts on the final episode, especially, given I found it to be a bit convoluted.



1: What a crazy way to end things between Carrie and her mom! I did not expect things to go the way they did! I thought they were gonna just forgive each other and that that'd be how the show ended.



2: I THINK I understand the Emaline character, and if I do, then I was mind-blown when the show explained her, but I still have questions about her. When the show showed the young girl that astral projected, I had a feeling that was Emaline. But I was confused why she had that power, given that was the only time they showed her powers. But it's crazy knowing that when Carrie saw her in school, that they were just her astral projections. But if that's the case, then why was Carrie and Emaline's mom able to see her when no one else could?



3: Why did the interviewer kill Carrie's mom? I don't get it.