Reddit Pushes Back on Mike Flanagan’s ‘Carrie’ Review: Did the Story Need Expanding?
A Hollywood Reporter review asks if Flanagan's Amazon 'Carrie' needed expanding. Fans on r/television say that's the wrong question, and the debate is on.
Nobody on r/television seems especially bothered about whether Carrie “needed” to come back. Plenty of them are annoyed that someone asked.
The spark was a review in The Hollywood Reporter of Mike Flanagan’s new Amazon series. Its headline says Flanagan “capably expands” Stephen King’s horror classic, then adds a sting in the tail: did it really need expanding?
The Review That Lit the Fuse
The series casts Summer H. Howell as telekinetic teen Carrie White and Samantha Sloyan as her terrifying mom, Margaret. Plenty of fans are clearly ready to be impressed.
The review isn’t a pan, though. Its closing paragraph is respectful. “I respect much of what Flanagan has done with Carrie,” the critic writes, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Then comes the “but.” In the critic’s view, the new things this Carrie does well don’t make up for the old things the story has always done well, and which are missing here.
That was enough to send fans to the comments.
“Needs” Is the Wrong Word, Fans Say
A big chunk of the thread bristled at the framing. Their point: nothing needs to be made, and “is this necessary?” is a tired way to judge anything. Some said they’d seen the same line in reviews of Toy Story 5, even the positive ones.
Others went classical. Nobody asks whether Shakespeare, the Odyssey or Biblical stories need another telling, they argued, so why is a modern novel off limits?
Not everyone agreed. One camp said the real worry is that we already know this story so well that it has lost its punch, however handsome the retelling. Another said endless remakes get stale when only so many projects get made each year.
A few tried to find a middle path. Ask instead whether the world is better off with the thing in it, they suggested. Several figured Flanagan’s track record means this one will clear that bar.
The Case for Giving Carrie More Room
Some fans said the expansion is the whole point. Neither earlier film, they argued, dug properly into Carrie’s upbringing with her manipulative mother, or how it left her unprepared for friendship and for spotting people who weren’t being straight with her. Those fans see the series as the chance to finally do that.
Skeptics worried the other way. The book is short and punchy, they said, which is what makes its cruelty bearable. Stretch it out and you risk a long stretch of watching a girl get bullied.
The Casting Debate That Wouldn’t Stay Quiet
A side argument broke out over whether the lead looks “outcast” enough. The pushback was fast. Plenty of fans said bullying doesn’t depend on looks, and that being different, sheltered or new is often reason enough. Others noted the story’s own setup, a homeschooled girl who is awkward and out of step, does the work.
One fan pointed out that every screen version has softened the book’s details, and that it still lands because, as they put it, kids can be brutal.
Already Dreaming of the Next King Project
Then the thread drifted somewhere bigger. Fans started wondering whether Flanagan’s expansion might nudge Carrie toward wider King territory. Some mused about nods to The Shining or The Dark Tower, such as “low men” or missing-pet posters. That’s speculation, and nobody has confirmed any such links.
Many fans brought up Doctor Sleep as proof Flanagan can handle King. The most devoted would rather he put his energy into The Dark Tower.
For now, the verdict is split. The critic says the new Carrie is well made but wonders why it’s here. A lot of fans have answered with a shrug and a question of their own: since when did that matter?
FAQ
Who stars in the new Carrie series?
Summer H. Howell plays telekinetic teen Carrie White and Samantha Sloyan plays her mother, Margaret, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Who is behind the Amazon Carrie adaptation?
Mike Flanagan is the creator behind the series, which adapts Stephen King's horror novel for Amazon.
What does The Hollywood Reporter think of the series?
Its review says Flanagan capably expands the story and respects many of his choices. But it argues the new strengths don't make up for what the original story did best, and asks whether the expansion was needed.
Sources
- ‘Carrie’ Review: Mike Flanagan Capably Expands Stephen King’s Horror Classic for Amazon, but Did It Really Need Expanding?
- Discussion on r/television
Featured image — Image: The Hollywood Reporter