Mike Flanagan’s ‘Carrie’ Reboot First Look: Can It Live Up to Brian De Palma’s Horror Classic? Do We Even Need to Ask?

Two years after winning the TIFF People’s Choice Award for “The Life of Chuck,” Mike Flanagan has lined up three reboots. First, there’s his “Exorcist” movie, starring Scarlett Johansson and scheduled for release in March 2027. He’s also developing “The Mist,” a new take on the Stephen King story previously adapted for film. But first up: “Carrie.”

Flanagan’s latest horror IP project, “Carrie,” another adaptation of a Stephen King novel, will arrive as an eight-episode limited series for Amazon Prime, premiering this fall.

We now have first-look images via Entertainment Weekly, and I’m not convinced, sorry. I’m allergic to revisiting existing IP, no matter how different the approach might be, and this project is no exception. That said, Flanagan describes his version as “very different” to both Brian De Palma’s film, and Stephen King’s book.

In Flanagan’s take, Summer Howell portrays Carrie, a withdrawn teenager who has spent much of her life isolated at home under the strict protection of her mother, Margaret, played by Samantha Sloyan. Following the unexpected death of her father, Carrie is forced to enter the unfamiliar world of public high school, where she faces relentless bullying, online cruelty, and the emergence of her mysterious telekinetic abilities.

Prime Video describes the series as a “bold, timely, and surprising reinvention.” Flanagan wrote, produced, and directed four of the series’ eight episodes.

The series will, of course, build toward the infamous prom night, but Flanagan says he has taken a different path to reach that pivotal moment. The prom sequence itself will also feature significant changes that distinguish it from previous adaptations.

Brian De Palma’s 1976 “Carrie,” adapted from Stephen King’s novel, remains one of the most iconic horror films ever made. Starring Sissy Spacek as the tormented teenager and Piper Laurie as her fanatically religious mother, Margaret, the film earned Academy Award nominations for both actresses. Good luck surpassing those performances — or De Palma’s stylishly inventive direction.

I understand why Amazon hired Flanagan, who has a large and loyal fanbase, thanks in large part to his ultra-popular Netflix TV work — “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “Midnight Mass,” “The Haunting of Hill House.” His notable film work includes “Hush,” “Doctor Sleep,” “Oculus,” and “Gerald’s Game.”