Mike Flanagan’s Carrie reviews: critics praise a sharp cyberbullying update but say it isn’t very scary

Mike Flanagan’s Carrie, an eight-episode series reimagining Stephen King’s 1974 debut novel, is streaming on Prime Video in Canada from Wednesday, Oct. 7, after its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, according to Amazon Canada’s October lineup. All episodes arrive at once, The Verge said. Critics have been largely positive: the first season carried a certified fresh Tomatometer score of 86 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes early Wednesday.

The series moves the story to the present. Carrie White (Summer H. Howell) has spent her life hidden away at home until her father Ralph (Tahmoh Penikett) dies in a construction accident, forcing her mother, Margaret (Samantha Sloyan), to take a job and sending Carrie to public school for the first time. When she gets her first period in a locker room, classmates film it, and an anonymous Instagram account begins tormenting her and, eventually, the whole school. The cast also includes Siena Agudong as Sue Snell, Alison Thornton as Chris Hargensen, Amber Midthunder as gym teacher Rita Desjardin and Matthew Lillard as the principal.

The Verge called it a “(mostly) excellent update” that captures the terror and drama of the original while feeling “perfectly suited for 2026,” and said its focus on cyberbullying shows “just how nightmarish the high school experience has become.” It is Flanagan’s first project under the exclusive TV deal Amazon signed with him in 2022, the site noted. Its main complaint was a set of heavy-handed nods to the wider King universe of psychics, which it said take away some of Carrie’s agency and remove “a lot of the punch from the finale.”

Richard Roeper, writing for RogerEbert.com after watching all eight episodes, said three or four episodes in he had “forgotten to be scared,” but argued that is not the point. “It’s not the scariest iteration of ‘Carrie,’ but it’s the most layered,” he wrote, describing a treatise on religious fanaticism, the pack mentality and online bullying. “This is the ‘Carrie’ reboot we didn’t know we needed, and it leaves us wanting more.”

Tom’s Guide called it “a thoughtful, emotional reinvention” and “one of the strongest shows I’ve seen this year,” closer to an award-worthy character drama than a straight horror show. It shared a reservation that runs through several reviews: eight episodes is “a bit of a stretch for such a contained story,” and the introduction of other characters with powers and an ending that leaves the door open for another season “somewhat diminishes the impact” of Carrie’s story.

The Hollywood Reporter was cooler. Its review praised the show’s topicality and performances but concluded that “this Carrie is finally less distinctive and far less scary than it should be,” likening long stretches to the first season of Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why and saying the prom climax “isn’t as disturbing or terrifying as it ought to be.” Its bottom line: “Not your father’s ‘Carrie,’ for better or worse.”

Howell drew the most consistent praise. The Hollywood Reporter called her the standout, able to shift between Carrie’s withdrawn moments and growing confidence, and Tom’s Guide said she is one of the show’s biggest strengths because she does not try to imitate Sissy Spacek’s performance in Brian De Palma’s 1976 film. Reviewers also highlighted Sloyan’s Margaret, recast as a conspiracy theorist who becomes a “parents’ rights activist,” in The Verge’s words, and something of an influencer, in Roeper’s.

In Canada, Prime Video comes with an Amazon Prime membership, which Amazon.ca lists at $9.99 a month or $99 a year, plus tax, after a 30-day free trial for new members, citing “award-winning TV” among its perks. Amazon’s Canadian October lineup also includes Hometown Giants, a series following a season inside the Vancouver Giants junior hockey team, streaming Oct. 16.

Sources: Amazon Canada (Prime Video October lineup); Amazon.ca Prime membership page; Rotten Tomatoes; The Verge; RogerEbert.com; Tom’s Guide; The Hollywood Reporter.