Critics divided over how scary Mike Flanagan’s 'Carrie' really is

Critics are divided over how scary Mike Flanagan’s new Stephen King series 'Carrie' is on Prime Video

Mike Flanagan’s new Carrie has received mixed reactions from critics, with reviews differing over how effectively the Prime Video adaptation delivers horror and psychological tension.

The eight-episode series stars Summer H. Howell as Carrie White, a sheltered teenager who faces bullying at school while secretly possessing telekinetic powers.

Flanagan, known for The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass and The Fall of the House of Usher, has adapted Stephen King’s 1974 novel Carrie for a modern audience.

Some critics praised the series for its gradual tension. Lauren Sarner of the New York Post described it as "full of mounting tension", although she suggested viewers expecting the "Gothic atmosphere and chills" of Flanagan’s earlier work could be disappointed.

The series also updates Carrie’s bullying for the social media era. Classmates film her humiliation on their phones, while an anonymous Instagram account is used to spread rumours and target students.

Seattle Times critic Dominic Baez said the shower scene, in which Carrie is humiliated after getting her first period, is "just as traumatic" as in the original novel and 1976 film. Variety’s Aramide Tinubu called the adaptation "harrowing and fearless".

Other critics were less convinced by its ability to frighten viewers. The Hollywood Reporter’s Daniel Fienberg described the series as "far less scary than it should be", arguing that Flanagan is stronger at creating horror moods than delivering frights.

Vulture’s Roxana Hadadi similarly argued that "tension doesn't build" throughout the series, while Esquire’s Eric Francisco said "Flanagan's striking scares are largely absent" and argued that the director "peaked with Midnight Mass in that department."

The Guardian’s Lucy Mangan offered another perspective, describing Carrie as "more like a teen drama with extra bite than a straight-up, blood-soaked horror event."