The ‘Carrie’ Trailer From Prime Video Has Fans Split Over The Adaptation

With spooky season upon us, horror genre fans continue to add to their long list of scary shows and movies to watch this fall. At the top of the list is the revamp of Stephen King’s classic horror tale Carrie. This classic Halloween character is getting modernized in Prime Video’s eight-episode series, hitting the streamer on Oct. 7. If you’re anything like me and are terrified of scary movies, believe me, you’ll still want to watch Mike Flanagan’s adaptation. Recognized for his creepy-yet-addictive horror projects like Ouji: Origin of Evil and The Haunting of Hill House, Flanagan seems to be the one to do Carrie justice. But fans are torn on whether this series — like other attempted adaptations — won’t hold up to the original, or actually be an interesting modern twist. 

Here’s the plot: Previously homeschooled teen Carrie White starts public high school, where she gets bullied by her classmates. (Right off the bat, fans noticed that the plot was changed from Carrie being a small town nobody to her being the new girl.) Where Flanagan adds more flair — unlike the original — Carrie is cyberbullied and called “Carrie Red” after getting publicly humiliated. When her telekinetic powers come into play, she uses them to her advantage and seeks revenge on the bullies that did her wrong. The trailer ends with the iconic prom scene, but viewers just don’t know how that will all fall into place. The eerie-yet-dramatic setup of the series caught my attention, so I’m sure the actual show will have everyone on the edge of their seats. 

Besides the plot, the cast itself has fans questioning the accuracy of Flanagan’s Carrie. Carrie is played by none other than Summer H. Howell, who started her acting career at 8 years old as Alice in Curse of Chucky. She was basically made to star in a Stephen King adaptation series.

However, some fans are upset about her casting, saying that casting conventionally attractive people and then convincing the audience that they were unnoticeable by the rest of the school is just unrealistic. Stephen King’s description of the character Carrie is far from a normal girl with messy hair — the original description is “overweight, covered in acne, and awkward.” Based on the trailer, it doesn’t seem like Carrie fits the original description.

On the other hand, fans think that the appearance of Carrie being a wholesome and innocent-looking girl will make it harder for viewers to watch her get bullied. They believe that it will add a layer of empathy to the series, whereas Stephen King’s Carrie was just plain scary.

Some other longtime Carrie fans are just excited to get a new adaptation to compare to the original. After all, who doesn’t want another binge-worthy series to add to their fall 2026 watch list? With a spooky season around the corner, there’s no reason to discount a Flanagan series before watching it.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how this vision of a modern-day Carrie comes to life. The twist on the Stephen King original hits Prime Video on Oct. 7, and fans are already impatiently anticipating how far Mike Flanagan will take the adaptation.

• culture
• entertainment
• Streaming