Flanagan's "Carrie" conveys what it means to live in our modern society

 Being a huge fan of Mike Flanagan, master of horror and director of the hit Netflix series “The Haunting of Hill House” and “Midnight Mass” (along many others), 2026’s “Carrie” was naturally on my radar. 

Flanagan has written and directed multiple Stephen King adaptations such as “Gerald’s Game” (2017), “Doctor Sleep” (2019), and “The Life of Chuck” (2024). Flanagan is planning to collaborate with King once again on his upcoming version of “The Mist.”

I sat down to binge-watch all eight episodes of “Carrie” on Prime Video over this past Halloween weekend. While I had planned to tune in when it first premiered on Oct. 7,  I also needed to find the time to watch the entire 7 hours and 30 minutes of film. 

photo credit - Amazon

The premise of “Carrie” was authored by Stephen King in 1974; King’s first official publication. Since then, there have been three total remakes of the plot. One in 1976 (directed by Brian De Palma), another in 2013 (directed by Kimberly Peirce), and the last being Flanagan’s 2026 series. 

They all follow the same plots; a sheltered and bullied teenage girl in an abusive household, Carrie White, starts her first menstrual cycle in the high school gym showers, leading to intense bullying and tormentation, eventually pushing Carrie to unleash her telekinetic powers. 

In the original novel and both film adaptations, the plot sticks to a linear, uncomplicated storyline that explores harassment, religion, mental health, and, of course, supernatural powers. However, in the “Carrie” series, the plot thickens, stretches, and proves points that are meant to reach the broader audience: Generation X. 

I have admittedly never seen the 1976 version, nor have I read the novel, but exploring the depths of the series requires no further background knowledge, only a deeper understanding of today’s society. 

Starting with the depictions of modern-day high school and its students, Carrie (Summer H. Howell) is confronted with an entire new world. She was never taught most things regarding modern mankind, since her household (now run by her religious fanatic mother, Margaret — played by Samantha Sloyan) was intensively isolated. 

Carrie (Howell) and her mother, Margaret (Sloyan)
photo credit - Amazon

It is said in the first episode of the series that the White household does not have internet, cable, television, or radio. The family does not trust the outside world; the government is spying on us, poisoning our water, feeding us filth, and controlling our lives. 

Everything is based around God, as well. Margaret White has a prayer closet, to which most of Carrie’s punishments resonate. If she has sinned or defied God in some aspect, she is to repent and pray in that small Harry Potter-esque closet, symbolized with a cross on the front, until she has learned her “lesson.” 

This has been Margaret’s way of controlling her daughter all her life. And her late husband and Carrie’s father, Ralph White (Tahmoh Penikett), contributed to these outlooks. Ex-military himself, he inhabited conspiracy theories about the entirety of our working government. Satellites, chemtrails, etc. All evil.

And, some strong words and perspectives are said throughout the show, giving it more depth. Opinions that would publicly be criticized by the average person. Margaret lectures a woman during her new job (she has not worked for 15 years prior) that the ingredients in the cereal she was buying her son was not appropriate for the child; that she was poisoning her son. Red #40 causes all sorts of serious consequences. 

On the other end of things, during Carrie’s high school experience, we are shown metal detectors during initial entry, all students constantly texting, vaping, or kissing one another, and the environment showcasing altogether “toxic” behavior. One of the teachers indicates that they’re all “monsters,” and have this “slang” that they cannot understand. 

Well, throughout the progression, I do not believe that this modern high school depiction is not necessarily blown out of proportion. Teenagers drink, they vape, they cuss, and — most importantly — they backstab and bully. It’s quite indicative of the world we live in today. 

Carrie is perceived as being different because of the way she dresses. The way she acts. She is legitimately nice to everyone she sees in the beginning, and that offputs the entirety of the school. She is so new to everything and loves to learn. She doesn’t care about the societal trends that the younger generation cultivates nowadays. She just wants to absorb. And that is what pivots the plot into a societal dilemma. 

When all of the likes, the drama, the substances and the attention become unnecessary, what is there left? And I believe that “Carrie” navigates this topic really well and showcases to the rest of the audience (who aren’t just young teenagers tuning in) what this world can really be capable of. What Generation X can achieve and has achieved. And that is the true horror of this series. 

There are stereotypical figures throughout the show, and I believe that Carrie’s mother, Margaret, is a great example. Unlike most depictions, Margaret was showcased as multi-tiered and ultimately represented with a bit more brevity than most. Uber-religious, anti-government, pro-health, and anti-everything else … yet somehow soft in some aspect. 

A review by Sam Haysom from Mashable sums it up clearly: “Rather than giving it a feeling of being stretched, Flanagan’s team has added additional texture and shade to King’s novel. The characters are different because they have to be. They’re arguably more complex. King’s version of Margaret White is a strict religious nightmare with no redeeming features. The show keeps her core but makes her more subtle and manipulative.” 

She contradicts herself immensely towards the end of the show, when she becomes a “mom influencer” and “activist” by using her phone and social media to advocate for her daughter — something that is different from past interpretations. 

It is interesting comparing her arc to Carrie’s school bully, Chris Hargensen’s (Alison Thornton) father, John Hargensen (Michael Trucco). They both repeat the same lines to their daughters: “I know what’s best, listen to me,” but in very different contexts. 

The one, John, is a rich lawyer who spoils his daughter but treats her incredibly poorly. He couldn’t care less about her social life, only her status (or the status of their family name). When her family started seeing a decline in wealth, his statement was the same as above. He has wealthier claims and views, telling her daughter not to do certain things that pertain to wealth. 

On the other hand, Margaret is a low-income religious grocery clerk (turned janitor) who disciplines her daughter yet takes care of her in her own way and always makes sure that she is okay, in some way, shape or form. She repeatedly tells her daughter not to do certain things because they are bad for her. 

However, stereotypically speaking, just because she has opinions based on not wanting her daughter to eat certain foods, or engage with the rest of her generation, doesn’t necessarily mean she is the “bad guy.” Statements that she makes might be unpopular outside of that conservative, religious shield, but they still exist in this area. 

Just because a person says they’re against high fructose corn syrup doesn’t mean they are a religious conservative. Just because someone holds a belief that satellites spy on our population, doesn’t mean they are a conspiracy theorist. But unfortunately, opinions such as these are always so deeply threaded into a specific stereotype that we as a society have trained ourselves to view it as if it is simply just black and white. 

The difference between this series and some of the other streaming series is the fact that through each lens, each story arc, there is truth. And Flanagan is not afraid to stir the pot, sprinkle in truth and symbolism as the series progresses. 

Additionally, in October, Prime had announced that there will be a second season after incredible fan response, earning an 85% on the Rotten Tomatoes meter. 

In an attempt to refrain from spoilers, there was one aspect of the series that was undeniably a little unfathomable. The ending was not the best, and those who have witnessed the last episode might agree with this. 

Being a fan of Flanagan and King alike, I picked up a lot of references regarding “The Shining” and “Doctor Sleep,” and I am starting to convince myself that somehow “Carrie” is going to merge itself in that universe, where everyone with supernatural powers “shines.” 

While there are not a lot of reviews out on the show quite yet, those that give little tidbits are accurate in the fact that this is an incredible little series, with one enormous flaw: the end. And if Flanagan is set to create one or two more seasons down the line, one can only hope that he and King do the story justice. We all know how muli-season series can go sometimes. 

It seems like the series was heavily promoted (and influenced) by social media, specifically Instagram. Not only did MGM Studios/Prime post, but so did most of its cast members. And on Prime Video itself, there have been a wide variety of ads regarding the series. 

However, following Flanagan on Letterboxd has been my way of reaching out to his cinematic world. He is very active there and his upcoming films are even viewable so I always know what to expect. His next project will be “The Exorcist: Martyrs.”

It’s easy to miss all of the interpretations, easter eggs, and symbolism that hit this show. It takes a great deal to summarize it, as it would be easier to interpret each episode, one at a time. The moral of the story is: we need to be careful about today’s society, especially regarding social media. 

Everything that occurred during the show happened because of social media. The students can now bully people using this as a vessel. It’s easier to create chaos and hurt people when you’re the one hiding behind a screen. This generation has more power than people are willing to admit, and that is what is brought to the forefront. The world is scary. People are scary. 

What we can take away from this is to just be kind to one another. Not judge. Just because someone is from a different social, economic, or cultural circumstance, doesn’t mean that we have all the power to take theirs away. We need to be more cautious and careful as generations continue. 

Give the trailer a gander below.