‘Carrie’ Review: Mike Flanagan Makes Carrie Hurt All Over Again
Words By Dio Anthony
Mike Flanagan’s Carrie will leave you with goosebumps in ways no iteration has before.
Every nightmare you’ve ever had as a teenager, or as the parent of a teenager, comes to fruition here. Flanagan takes the ’70s classic and plops it right into 2026 and boy does it work. It’s still Carrie, but now it’s loaded with conversations about growing up, being misunderstood, influence, cruelty, and who gets to guide you when you’re still figuring out who you are.
“Lies travel fast, the truth grows roots.”
That line kind of says everything about this version of the story. Just like Carrie’s anger, the pressure and dread boil and boil with every episode. You know where this is all headed, but Flanagan somehow still makes the getting there feel terrifying.
And though it’s carnal and tragic, it’s also beautiful. He’s made something addictive out of this really layered take on an outsider. There’s a scene in episode three that feels maybe the most unlike the original Carrie, and it’s also the moment that made me understand exactly why this version exists.
Also, has Flanagan always mastered music this way? Because the music here haunts. The needle drops feel emotional instead of obvious, and even a lyric like Lana Del Rey’s “when’s it gonna be my turn?” starts to feel like it belongs to Carrie.
There are little things I keep thinking about too. Billy’s car. Certain images that just sit with you. The way every act of cruelty seems to have a consequence waiting somewhere down the road.
Mike Flanagan’s Carrie is an emotional rollercoaster that I don’t think even the most avid Carrie fans are ready for. He’s made something special, and Summer Howell is a star, just the way Sissy Spacek was — completely vulnerable, completely strange, and impossible not to watch.
