Carrie Carefully Changes Classic Creating Contemporary Chills

Carrie Carefully Changes Classic Creating Contemporary Chills

Stephen King’s 1974 classic gothic horror novel Carrie has been adapted for the big screen multiple times and also for the stage, and now comes to streaming via Mike Flanagan’s series for Amazon Prime. Using the miniseries format for television allows Flanagan to expand the story, modernize it, and add interesting subplots without completely dismantling the original story. And in this humble watcher’s opinion, he’s done an excellent job.

Much like the 2013 remake, this version of Carrie modernizes the 50-year-old story setting it in contemporary times and along with it contemporary issues. Interestingly, and sadly, much of the original story’s conceit; bullying, religious zealotry clashing with secular interests, and interpersonal relationships between teens and their peers, teens and their parents, and teens and their teachers, are still chillingly all too relevant. The basic story ofCarrie, a young teen woman raised in a sheltered environment by her strictly religious mother has trouble integrating into “normal” secular society. Her sheltered upbringing includes her ignorance of physical maturing including menstruation. Her first period leads to a ferocious display of humiliating bullying setting into motion a series of unfortunate events. That in itself is a compelling and relevant story, but this being a Stephen King story, Carrie is of course, no ordinary teen. She’s special, in that she possesses the power of telekinesis, a power that emerges slowly throughout her life and one which she begins to be able to harness and control.

The miniseries expands on the bullying adding in the contemporary complication of online teen bullying. After the incident in the shower, Chris, a popular girl and modern-day “mean girl” creates a fake account to further torment Carrie. The format allows for things to gestate and develop stretching the tension out over a greater period of time allowing the story more time to breathe and the characters more time to develop. The story plays out much like a supernatural Mean Girls with Carrie as a proxy for Cady and Chris as Regina.

One thing that is done particularly well is the handling onscreen of online behavior. Sometimes it seems unrealistic watching modern movies where everyone is not on their phones all the time. Filmmakers have handled this in a variety of ways including showing message bubbles superimposed on-screen. Here, it seems natural and realistic. So much so, that the fact that Carrie doesn’t have a phone further alienates her and sets her apart as different.

Again, the main story of Carrie plays out from her initial bullying to the final set piece at prom. Along the way showing her relationships developing along with her powers.

We get more insight into Carrie’s mom as well, who is portrayed here not just as a reclusive evangelical, but also as a conservative who questions everything from the school administration to her much younger supervisor at work to the federal government. Their parallel stories are equally interesting and we know we’re on the road to a cataclysmic ending for both.

Chris is also fully developed. Here, she’s not just the popular school bully, but she has reasons for her burgeoning evilness. Her parents are divorcing, her father, a lawyer, is also a bully and her friendships are hallow. She has a tenuous relationship with her mother’s new boyfriend who is “off limits” meaning she directs the full force of her ire at Carrie.

We’re also introduced to Emaline, a friend and ally of Carrie’s who is not at all who you think she is. An actual twist that is very cleverly well done.

There is an expanded subplot here where we are told that there are more “special” people and that there are potentially several groups of people studying, following, and interested in these unique individuals. To what end, that we’re unsure.

The show looks great, is well-crafted, and precisely paced. The actors, mostly teens and young adults are very good. Matthew Lillard who has recently had an online renaissance of admiration is fun here as the school’s principal. It’s more thriller than horror, but there are some excellent, genuinely scary moments along the way. This is a good adaptation and a worthy successor to the book and the original Brian DePalma film.