Summer H. Howell in “Carrie.”
Prime Video/Robert Falconer
Carrie, Mike Flanagan’s episodic adaptation of Stephen King’s 1974 classic supernatural horror novel, is getting glowing reviews from Rotten Tomatoes critics.
Created by Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep), Carrie stars Summer H. Howell (Cult of Chucky) in the title role as Carrie White, a shy teenager sheltered by her obsessively overprotective and mentally abusive mother, Margaret (Samantha Sloyan). After Carrie’s father dies in a tragic accident, Margaret is forced to go to work, while the teen attends high school for the first time and is immediately subject to the cruel realities of bullying and social media.
With Carrie’s shocking introduction to high school life comes another awakening as she discovers that she possesses rapidly developing — and very dangerous — telekinetic powers.
Rated TV-MA, Carrie also stars Siena Agudong (live-action Lilo & Stitch), Arthur Conti (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice), Amber Midthunder (Prey) and Matthew Lillard (Scream 7), Alison Thornton (School Spirits), Joel Oulette, Josie Totah and Thalia Dudek.
All eight episodes of Carrie begin streaming on Prime Video on Wednesday. As of Monday, Carrie has earned an 84% “fresh” critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer based on 69 reviews. RT’s Audience Summary and Popcornmeter score based on verified user ratings are still pending.
RT’s Critics Consensus for the series reads, “Mike Flanagan aptly expands this teen mythos with added compassion and ingenuity, bringing a modern touch to a timeless work and giving all performers involved the opportunity to shine while witnessing the ascension of a fascinatingly new Carrie.”
Carrie, of course, was first adapted by director Brian DePalma in 1976, starring Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie as Carrie and Margaret White, respectively. Spacek earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, while Laurie earned a Best Supporting Actress nod.
The 1976 version of Carrie earned a 94% “fresh” critics’ score on RT based on 82 reviews, while audiences awarded the film a 77% “fresh” Popcornmeter score based on 250,000-plus verified user ratings. RT’s Critics Consensus for the film reads, “Carrie is a horrifying look at supernatural powers, high school cruelty, and teen angst — and it brings us one of the most memorable and disturbing prom scenes in history.”
Carrie was adapted two other times after the 1976 film, first in a 2002 TV movie starring Angela Bettis as Carrie and Patricia Clarkson as Margaret. The adaptation was trashed on RT, earning a 32% “rotten” critics’ score based on 41 reviews and a 49% “rotten” Popcornmeter score based on 50,000-plus verified user ratings.
The first big-screen remake of Carrie was released in 2013, starring Chloë Grace Moretz in the title role and Julianne Moore as Margaret. The film fared a bit better than the 2002 TV movie on RT, but still was deemed “rotten” with a 51% critics’ score based on 185 reviews and a 44% Popcornmeter score based on 50,000-plus verified user ratings.
What Are Individual Critics Saying About The New ‘Carrie’ Series?
Lauren Sarner of the New York Post is among the top critics on RT who give the new adaptation of Carrie a “fresh” score on RT, writing, “Horror king Mike Flanagan’s new reboot is an engrossing update of the classic story for the Gen-Z era. It honors the original, while tweaking enough details to make it fresh.
Referring to the first adaptation of Stephen King’s novel in 1976 in her “fresh” take of the series on RT, Judy Berman of Time Magazine writes, “Carrie is the first that manages to fully get out from under the shadow of De Palma’s. Yet it confirms a gradual shift in how the story is being told.”
Nick Schager of The Daily Beast also refers to Brian DePalma in his “fresh” take of Carrie on RT, writing, “It doesn’t necessarily improve on the author’s original (or De Palma’s gem), but it’s a worthy reinvention that carves out its own unique identity in fire and blood.”
Jared Richards of the Sydney Morning Herald also gives Carrie a “fresh” score. Richards writes in his RT review summary that in “Flanagan’s telling, it’s Carrie’s contact with modern life – not her family’s lifelong abuse – that corrupts her kind heart. This is perhaps the most brutal retelling of the story yet, for a particularly brutal time.”
Jamie Graham of Empire Magazine is also a fan of Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of the series. Graham writes in his RT review summary, “Flanagan offers a strikingly fresh, superbly acted version of King’s story, with enough ideas and nuance to fill a high-school gymnasium.”
Ed Power of the Daily Telegraph (U.K.) is among RT’s top critics who give Carrie a “rotten” score, writing, “One of the most brutally relentless horror novels ever written — so what a disappointment to see his classic tale of high school bullying and the prom from hell reduced to another vapid teen drama.”
Megan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting isn’t impressed by Carrie, either. Navarro writes in her “rotten” RT review summary, “This new adaptation saves its most radical departures for last, setting up a bizarre continuation not fully earned by the eight-ep first season.”
Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter praises some aspects of Carrie but ultimately gives the series a “rotten” score on RT, writing, “Kudos for its topicality and its performances, especially that of star Summer H. Howell, but this Carrie is finally less distinctive and far less scary than it should be.”
Thalia Dudek, Summer H. Howell and Alison Thornton in “Carrie.”
Prime Video/Robert Falconer
My Take On ‘Carrie’
RT’s critics got this one right with their “fresh” critics’ score for Carrie. Mike Flanagan’s command of Stephen King’s material continues to impress, as he makes the author’s work feel just a relevant as it was with Brian DePalma’s movie adaptation 50 years ago. This time, though, the story’s stakes are raised by addressing the cruel realities of social media in the hands of teenagers (Here’s an idea: Ban the use of cell phones in high schools).
The performances in Carrie are stellar across the board, especially by Summer H. Howell’s tragically innocent turn in the title role. Flanagan series regular — the always great Samantha Sloyan (Midnight Mass) — is also compelling throughout, as is Alison Thornton, who brings startling new life to the high school “mean girl” trope by turning in one of the most villainous screen performances of 2026.
Perhaps the biggest criticism I have with Carrie is how Flanagan changes the ending of King’s original story to basically create the option for a second season should big ratings demand it. As such, the final scene in the series comes nothing near to the heart-stopping conclusion of DePalma’s masterpiece.
All eight episodes of Carrie are new on Prime Video.
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