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Stephen King’s Carrie remains one of horror’s most enduring stories—a tale of teenage cruelty, awakening power and the devastating consequences that follow when an isolated girl discovers she can move objects with her mind. First published in 1974, the novel has shaped popular culture for decades and inspired multiple screen adaptations. Looper’s video above offers a guide to everything viewers should know about the upcoming television series.
Mike Flanagan, who has already brought several Stephen King stories to the screen, has earned the author’s enthusiastic support for his Prime Video adaptation of Carrie. A serialized format gives the series room to remain faithful to King’s original 1974 novel while also expanding its world and updating its themes for a contemporary audience. The trailer has already indicated that modern forms of bullying will be central to the story, signaling a version designed to reflect the realities of today’s teenagers.
Carrie is a story that leaves plenty of room for expansion
Robert Falconer/Prime Video
The most celebrated adaptation remains Brian De Palma’s 1976 film, which earned Sissy Spacek an Oscar nomination for her performance as Carrie White. But the property has been revisited several times. The Rage: Carrie 2, released in 1999, shifted the focus to Rachel Lang, Carrie’s similarly troubled and telekinetic half-sister, played by Emily Bergl. NBC followed with a 2002 television movie starring Angela Bettis, and Kimberly Peirce later directed a 2013 theatrical remake featuring Chloé Grace Moretz in the title role.
In Prime Video’s 2026 series, Summer H. Howell plays Carrie White, a teenager entering school for the first time in the age of social media—an especially cruel setting for someone already struggling to fit in. The novel’s layered history leaves Flanagan plenty of space to reinterpret its horrors, and his previous Stephen King adaptations suggest he understands how to translate the author’s work for television. The new series could therefore offer longtime fans a distinctly modern take on Carrie’s tragedy. Looper’s video above is a useful primer before Flanagan’s version arrives.
