A lifelong Stephen King fanatic, Mike Flanagan has made his career out of interpreting the voluminous catalog of horror stories from his favorite author in movies like Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep. He’s also made a huge impact in the world of TV, with series like The Haunting of Hill House and the distinctly King-esque Midnight Mass. Those threads combine in Carrie, Flanagan’s upcoming TV series based on Stephen King’s 1974 novel.
This is far from the first time Carrie White, played here by Summer H. Howell, has appeared on screen: Sissy Spacek, Angela Bettis, and Chloë Grace Moretz have all embodied the telekinetic teen outcast in film adaptations over the years. Aside from stretching the story out over eight episodes, one of Flanagan’s innovations in the series is bringing Carrie into the smartphone age, adding an element of social-media bullying to the abuse that poor Carrie endures from her classmates before that fateful night at the prom.
