Carrie Reviews Are In: Is Mike Flanagan’s Series Worth Watching?
Over 50 years since Stephen King released Carrie, the novel is being made into a TV series directed by the award-winning horror film-maker, Mike Flanagan. Summer H. Howell plays the lead role of Carrie White, a bullied teen who finds it hard to control her telekinesis.
From early reviews, it appears that Mike Flanagan is not just aiming to replicate the popular film from the year 1976. The series builds on the original story from King, develops the characters, and takes issues like bullying, loneliness, religion, and teenage cruelty to the present-day era.
But the most pertinent question at hand here is: How can a tale that everyone knows surprise us anymore?
Summer H. Howell's greatest asset
A lot of the early acclaim has been reserved for Summer H. Howell as Carrie White. Howell does not portray Carrie as just a scared victim but adds a layer of emotional vulnerability to the character.
Howell’s portrayal of Carrie is said to make her loneliness very personal. We see a teenager going through the agony of humiliation, fear, and power.
It is important to point out that the whole story is more than just telekinesis. Carrie is a girl who has been neglected, bullied, and oppressed for many years.
Mike Flanagan Extends the Initial Narrative
Flanagan has made a name for himself with character-based horror films, and the same thing applies to his version of Carrie.
In the format of a TV series, Flanagan has more time to develop characters and relationships which would have been shortened considerably in the film version. The end product is a version that seems to focus on why people do what they do instead of just heading toward the infamous destruction.
To longtime Stephen King fans, that could be the show’s strongest point.
Is It Really Unsettling?
The response from the initial reaction can be seen as complex.
The new Carrie includes elements of horror as well as disturbing scenes; however, Flanagan is clearly more concerned about creating psychological tension than constant jump scares.
It will possibly disappoint the people who expect a continuously scary show. Nonetheless, it does not conflict with Flanagan's general approach, where family issues, loss, loneliness and people's relations become frightening as supernatural phenomena.
This means that Carrie will not be scaring you constantly but making you see the reason behind the horror.
The biggest obstacle is still the 1976 film.
Any new version of Carrie has to exist in the shadow of Brian De Palma’s 1976 film, which starred Sissy Spacek. This film turned out to be one of the most recognizable adaptations of Stephen King.
It will not be possible for the series to repeat the famous scenes and hope for the same reaction from the audience. Thankfully, early reviews indicate that Flanagan is aware of this problem.
Rather than compete with the iconic film, the series takes advantage of its format to give the story a wider view.
Will Fans of Stephen King Enjoy It?
Hard-core King fans might enjoy the fact that Flanagan seems to have an interest in the original material, rather than the film itself.
This distinction is key. Most people are already familiar with the story of Carrie, her prom, and the revenge that comes after. The challenge is whether the show can make us care once more about the journey.
The early reviews seem to indicate that it does mainly due to Howell’s performance and character development.
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