Shealyn Scott is a Senior Writer at Screen Rant. She has been writing for the site since 2024, focused on network, reality, streaming, and classic television.
A creative writer, journalist, and lover of the written word in all its forms, Shealyn enjoys deconstructing scenes from her favorite shows, using context clues and historical precedent to predict major plot points (which, due to her successful track record, has sparked rumors of clairvoyancy).
As an award-winning student journalist, Shealyn spent her college years advocating for the humanities while studying English Literature. Her love of storytelling propelled her to expand her degree with minors in Writing and History, believing life to be a mere collection of stories that can be framed in as many ways as a movie scene.
As a Senior member of the TV Team, Shealyn treats the series she covers like books, analyzing every line, camera angle, and lighting choice. Thankfully, her personal mission statement lines up perfectly with Screen Rant: every creative work deserves just as much thought from the viewer as it received from its creator.
Mike Flanagan has a divisive history with Stephen King adaptations, but his upcoming Carrie miniseries may be the most challenging yet. The renowned director has created some of modern horror’s most quintessential titles, ranging from Netflix powerhouses like Midnight Mass to massively influential cinematic releases like Oculus. Yet, Prime Video’s Carrie will be a pivotal Stephen King adaptation for Flanagan.
Previously, Mike Flanagan broke his no remakes or sequels rule to adapt three Stephen King stories into feature-length films: Gerald's Game, Doctor Sleep, and The Life of Chuck. Nevertheless, Carrie marks Flanagan’s first time translating Stephen King’s work into television. The director has a prolific history of loosely adapting classics into breakout hits— but none as seemingly simple as Carrie.
Is Carrie Too Short Of A Novel For A Limited Series?
Stephen King's Seminal Classic Is Just Under 200 Pages
While Carrie is embedded in the modern zeitgeist, most are unaware of the novel’s brevity. When Stephen King published Carrie in 1974, it was a mere 199 pages and just over 60k words. Though not a short story by any means, the plot of Carrie takes place over a fairly short and straightforward time period, save for some epistolary flairs.
If other TV shows based on classic books are any indication, however, Carrie’s concision won’t be an issue. There are pivotal details from the novel that most adaptations omit for clarity, meaning Mike Flanagan can easily take a slow-burn approach to develop the story organically. Conversely, he can supplement the familiar tale with original material to fulfill his creative vision.
Mike Flanagan's Carrie Will Be Compared To The 1976 Classic
For Countless Viewers, Sissy Spacek Is Synonymous With Carrie White
Undoubtedly the biggest hurdle Mike Flanagan’s Carrie will have to overcome is the novel’s prior adaptations. Since its 1974 publication, Carrie has earned four film adaptations, a Broadway musical, and even an infamous Riverdale parody. By far the most revered iteration, however, is the 1976 film starring Sissy Spacek as the eponymous teen with telekinesis.
Released two short years after the novel itself, Carrie (1976) has been lauded as one of the best horror films of all time. Furthermore, due to its centering on adolescent girls, the film is often referenced in critical discussions regarding feminism in the horror genre. Unsurprisingly, Mike Flanagan has large, nearly 60-year-old shoes to fill with his miniseries.
There Was No One Better To Reboot Carrie Than Mike Flanagan
Flanagan's Past Work Proves He Can Handle Carrie's Nuanced Themes
Luckily, Mike Flanagan’s filmography should instill viewers with a sense of cautious optimism. Past projects like The Haunting of Hill House and The Fall of the House of Usher prove Flanagan is well-versed in conveying deeper meaning in his scares, with religious trauma, non-linear storytelling, body horror, and effective— but not gratuitous— gore often emblematic of broader themes.
The only chance Prime Video’s Carrie has at survival is innovation. As such, Flanagan must toe the line of faithfully adapting the novel while enriching the story with something fresh. To revive the Carrie franchise and breathe new life into a story most think of with every prayer, period, or prom night, Mike Flanagan has to go all-in.
-
-
Summer H. Howell
Carrie White
-
Matthew Lillard
Principal Grayle
-
Samantha Sloyan
Margaret White
English (US) ·