Ninja TV: Carrie is now on Prime Video

A new adaptation of Stephen King’s cult novel for those who love psychological horror, dark coming-of-age stories, and Mike Flanagan’s projects.

Carrie, a new series based on Stephen King’s debut novel, is now available on Prime Video. This time, Carrie White’s story has been brought to the screen by Mike Flanagan, the creator of “The Haunting of Hill House” and “Midnight Mass”.

The story follows a withdrawn girl who, after her father’s death, starts attending a regular school. There, Carrie faces brutal bullying and the pressure of social media while gradually discovering her telekinetic abilities.

What is the series about?

Carrie is a new adaptation of one of Stephen King’s best-known novels. Carrie White has spent her entire life under her mother’s strict control, and after her father’s death, she starts attending a regular school and truly encounters the world of her peers for the first time.

But finding her place among them proves difficult. Carrie becomes a victim of bullying, which quickly spills beyond the school hallways and spreads across social media. At the same time, she begins to realize that she can move objects with her mind.

Mike Flanagan has preserved the core of the familiar story while bringing it into the modern world. Bullying now continues online, an embarrassing moment can go viral within minutes, and hiding from school cruelty after the final bell is no longer so easy.

Who worked on the series?

Mike Flanagan serves as the showrunner, writer, and one of the directors of the series. He previously worked on “The Haunting of Hill House”, “Midnight Mass”, and “The Fall of the House of Usher”, and has already adapted Stephen King’s works for the screen.

Stephen King himself serves as one of the executive producers of Carrie. The new adaptation consists of eight episodes, giving the creators more room to explore not only Carrie’s story but the other characters as well.

Key cast members

The lead role is played by Summer H. Howell (“Curse of Chucky”). Her mother, Margaret White, is portrayed by Samantha Sloyan, known to fans of Mike Flanagan’s series for “Midnight Mass” and “The Fall of the House of Usher”.

The cast also includes:

Siena Agudong (“Resident Evil”) — Sue Snell

Alison Thornton (“Fire Country”) — Chris Hargensen

Joel Oulette (“My Life with the Walter Boys”) — Tommy Ross

Josie Totah (“Gossip Girl”, “The Buccaneers”) — Tina

Arthur Conti (“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”) — Billy Nolan

Amber Midthunder (“Prey”) — Miss Desjardin

Matthew Lillard (“Scream”, “Scooby-Doo”) — Principal Grayle

Critical reception

Early reviews of Carrie have been mostly positive. The first season currently holds an 86% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Viewers note that Mike Flanagan does not simply try to recreate Brian De Palma’s iconic 1976 film. Instead, the series gives more attention to its characters, the reasons behind their actions, and how the familiar story of school bullying looks in the age of smartphones and social media.

At the same time, not all of the changes have impressed critics. Some reviewers believe that stretching the story across eight episodes has made it less focused and taken away some of the original’s harshness. So comparisons with the classic adaptation are practically unavoidable.

Episode release schedule

Carrie premiered on Prime Video on October 7. There is no need to wait for new episodes every week: all eight episodes of the first season were released at once.

So you can already watch the entire series over a couple of evenings or turn it into one big horror marathon. With Ninja Pizza, of course.