Carrie (2026): A Binge-Worthy Reimagining That Stumbles at the Finish Line

Rating: 4/5

Platform: Prime Video
Genre: Horror, Drama, Thriller
Created by: Mike Flanagan
Based on: Carrie by Stephen King

There are certain stories you keep returning to because they leave such a lasting impression. Carrie has always been one of those stories for me. As a longtime fan of the franchise, I went into Mike Flanagan’s 2026 television adaptation with high expectations. Bringing such an iconic Stephen King story to television offered an opportunity to explore its characters and tensions at greater length, but it also meant there was a lot to live up to.

The good news? For most of its run, this series is an engaging, absorbing and thoroughly enjoyable ride. The disappointing news is that its ending kept it from becoming the exceptional Carrie adaptation I hoped it would be.

A Longtime Fan, and a Series That Had a Lot to Live Up To

The series takes the familiar foundations of King’s story and places them in a world where cruelty can travel far beyond the school corridors. Carrie White has to navigate the unforgiving social ecosystem of high school while confronting bullying, public humiliation and the emergence of her telekinetic powers.

That modern setting gives the story a natural point of connection with today’s audience. The pressure of being watched, judged and talked about can follow a teenager everywhere, and the series understands how frightening that can become when a community decides someone is an acceptable target.

What I appreciated most was that the show did not feel like it was simply rushing from one famous Carrie moment to the next. It gives its story room to breathe, allowing the people and tensions around Carrie to develop before everything builds towards its inevitable reckoning.

Mike Flanagan Understands That Carrie Is About More Than Horror

Mike Flanagan did not disappoint me here. The horror is important, of course, but the series is at its best when it recognises that the frightening elements work because we have been given reasons to care about the people caught up in them.

Across the episodes, the story builds character motivations, relationships and emotional pressure. The material has depth, and the narrative generally gives its characters enough room to feel like people rather than pieces being moved into position for the next shock.

The pacing also worked for me. I found myself invested early, and that interest held across the season. Each episode contributes to the larger experience; none felt as though it was simply taking up space. That is particularly important for an eight-episode adaptation of a story this well known. Expanding the material only works when the added space makes the world and its characters more compelling.

The Characters Are Given Room to Grow

One of the series’ biggest strengths is how much attention it gives the people around Carrie. The story becomes more involving when we understand the social dynamics, the pressures people face and the choices they make when cruelty becomes normalised.

The show does not need every character to be sympathetic. It needs them to be convincing, and for the most part, the cast and writing make that happen. Relationships develop, tensions accumulate, and the consequences of apparently small decisions become increasingly difficult to ignore.

That broader character work helps the adaptation feel like a television series in its own right instead of a stretched-out retelling of a familiar film. It also makes the darker turns more effective because there is a human context behind them.

Summer H. Howell Is a Strong Carrie White

Summer H. Howell does a terrific job as Carrie. The role comes with a substantial legacy, and stepping into such an iconic character is no small task. Howell gives the performance the vulnerability and emotional presence it needs, making Carrie someone the audience can remain invested in even as the story grows increasingly intense.

For me, her work is central to why the series succeeds. Carrie needs to be more than a symbol of fear or revenge. She needs to feel like a person whose experiences have shaped her, and Howell helps anchor the story in that emotional reality.

I was pleased with this casting choice. She carries the role well and gives the series a strong centre.

Alison Thornton Makes Chris Hargensen Effortlessly Infuriating

Alison Thornton deserves special mention for her portrayal of Chris Hargensen. She makes Chris the kind of character who can get under your skin without needing to force the performance. The cruelty is infuriating precisely because it feels so casual and socially enabled.

You know the sort of character who makes you want to reach through the screen and tell them exactly what you think? Thornton gets that reaction. She gives Chris a presence that makes the bullying and its consequences harder to brush aside.

That is an important part of the series’ success. The audience needs to feel the ugliness of what Carrie experiences, not merely be told that it is happening. Thornton makes that ugliness tangible.

The Supporting Cast Makes the World Feel Complete

The wider ensemble deserves credit, too. Samantha Sloyan, Siena Agudong, Joel Oulette, Josie Totah, Arthur Conti, Thalia Dudek, Amber Midthunder and Matthew Lillard all contribute to the world around Carrie. The performances help establish the different relationships and pressures that give the story its shape.

The cast feels committed to the material, and that commitment matters in a story where the emotional stakes build gradually. The performances work together to create a community with its own social rules, loyalties and cruelties, rather than a collection of characters who exist only to serve the central plot.

Nobody felt noticeably out of place to me. The ensemble is one of the reasons the episodes maintain their momentum.

The Binge-Watch Factor Is Absolutely There

This is a series I wanted to keep watching. The character development, the escalating tension and the way the story gradually brings its threads together made it easy to move from one episode to the next. I binge-watched as much of it as I could, and that is probably the clearest indication of how engaging I found the experience.

All the episodes contribute something to the larger story. Even when the show takes time to build relationships and atmosphere, that time generally feels purposeful. The result is a season that holds your attention and makes you curious about what comes next.

For viewers who enjoy character-driven horror as much as the scares themselves, there is a lot to appreciate here. It is not just a story about supernatural power; it is also about cruelty, vulnerability, responsibility and what can happen when people keep pushing someone who is already struggling.

The One Big Problem: The Ending

And now for the part that disappointed me.

After spending so much time investing in the characters and watching the story build, I wanted the ending to land with the force the series had been working towards. Instead, it left me feeling that something was missing. It did not feel like the Carrie ending I had been hoping for, and it fell short of what the preceding episodes had led me to expect.

This is not a case of the whole series suddenly becoming a bad watch. The journey is still engaging, and much of the character work remains effective. But the conclusion matters enormously in a story like this. It is the point where all that accumulated tension, emotion and expectation needs to come together.

For me, it simply did not come together in a sufficiently satisfying way. I finished the series appreciating what it had done well while wishing its final stretch had delivered something stronger and more definitive. The ending is the main reason I cannot give this a perfect score.

A Great Carrie Series That Could Have Been Even Better

There is plenty here that works. The story has depth, the characters are given space to develop, the performances are strong, and the season remains consistently watchable. Summer H. Howell makes a compelling Carrie, Alison Thornton is remarkably effective as Chris, and the ensemble helps the world feel fully inhabited.

Most importantly, the series kept me engaged. As a longtime fan of the franchise, I enjoyed the ride and found a lot to admire in Flanagan’s approach. I wanted to keep watching, and the episodes rarely felt like they were there simply to fill out the season.

But that final impression matters. A stronger ending could have elevated the whole experience and made this a truly outstanding adaptation. Instead, I am left with a very good series that does not quite fulfil all of its potential.

Parental Guidance

This series contains bullying and emotional cruelty, supernatural horror, threatening situations, and intense scenes involving telekinetic violence. The story explores humiliation, trauma, social exclusion, and escalating harm. Viewer discretion is advised.

Final Verdict

Carrie (2026) is a solid, binge-worthy reimagining that gets a great deal right. Mike Flanagan’s approach, the character development and the committed performances make it an engaging watch, with Summer H. Howell and Alison Thornton standing out for me.

The ending is the stumbling block. It does not undo the good work that came before it, but it keeps the series from reaching the level I had hoped for.

My rating: 4/5. If the ending had been stronger, this could have been the Carrie series I was hoping for—a near-perfect take on a story that continues to resonate.

Promotional imagery: Amazon / Prime Video.