A new adaptation of the classic horror story "Carrie" arrives on the Prime Video streaming service on Wednesday, bringing Stephen King's telekinetic teenager into the modern age.
The eight-episode series is the latest project from Mike Flanagan, 48, a filmmaker who has built a formidable reputation in the horror genre across both cinema and television. Flanagan's work is characterised by a distinct and atmospheric approach to terror. He consistently blends traditional supernatural elements with deep, character-driven emotional explorations of family dynamics, profound grief, and complex psychological conflict.
His modern update of "Carrie" is based on the landmark 1974 novel that launched King's prolific and wildly successful publishing career. The new series transports the tragic story of Carrie White away from the 1970s and firmly into the present day.
The titular adolescent, played by actress Summer H. Howell, must navigate the brutal cruelties of high school life. In Flanagan's contemporary setting, her struggles are significantly compounded by severe bullying, which she faces not only in the physical classroom but across the relentless landscape of social media. All of this unfolds as she begins to discover and violently grapple with her emerging telekinetic powers.
Flanagan is no stranger to King's sprawling bibliography, having previously directed critically acclaimed film adaptations of the author's work. The director is also well known in the industry for his repertory approach to casting. He frequently assembles a trusted ensemble of actors who reappear in different roles across his various film and television productions, creating a familiar troupe for his dedicated audience.
As "Carrie" makes its highly anticipated debut, here is a look back at some of the most notable and celebrated productions from Flanagan's extensive career to date.
Adapting Stephen King
In 2019, Flanagan took on the monumental task of writing and directing "Doctor Sleep," the cinematic sequel to "The Shining." Based on King's 2013 follow-up novel, the film follows Danny Torrance as an adult, decades after he barely survived the traumatic supernatural events of his childhood at the isolated Overlook Hotel. Ewan McGregor takes on the role of the troubled, psychically gifted Danny, who is forced to finally confront the darkest elements of his past when he crosses paths with a young girl who possesses powers strikingly similar to his own.
Two years earlier, the tense, claustrophobic psychological thriller "Gerald's Game" marked Flanagan's very first time directing a Stephen King property. The 2017 narrative focuses on a woman who finds herself securely handcuffed to a heavy wooden bed in a remote, isolated country house. Her terrifying predicament begins after her husband unexpectedly dies of a heart attack during an attempt to spice up their marriage, leaving her entirely trapped with no hope of immediate rescue. The film stars Carla Gugino, who delivers a harrowing performance in a story that many in Hollywood had previously considered unfilmable due to its single, restrictive location.
Supernatural streaming success
Widely regarded as one of the defining and most successful productions of Flanagan's career, the 2018 series "The Haunting of Hill House" reimagines Shirley Jackson's seminal 1959 gothic novel. The story traces the complicated lives of five siblings who spent their formative years growing up in a sprawling mansion plagued by terrifying supernatural occurrences.
Reunited as adults in the wake of a devastating family tragedy, the siblings are forced to face the enduring traumas of their shared past, alongside the very real ghosts that may still be lying in wait for them. The ensemble cast includes Carla Gugino, Victoria Pedretti, and Michiel Huisman. The show's popularity prompted Flanagan to explore similar thematic territory in a follow-up series, "The Haunting of Bly Manor," released in 2020.
Flanagan's ambitious and deeply personal 2021 miniseries, "Midnight Mass," unfolds across seven episodes on a dying, geographically isolated island community. The arrival of a charismatic and mysterious new priest coincides with a sudden wave of seemingly miraculous events, which quickly incites a dangerous new religious fervour among the desperate local residents. The production features a robust roster of Flanagan's most frequent collaborators, including Kate Siegel, Rahul Kohli, Henry Thomas, and Samantha Sloyan, who also appears in the new "Carrie" series.
Drawing from the popular young adult fiction of author Christopher Pike, the 2022 series "The Midnight Club" is set within the walls of a specialized palliative care centre for terminally ill youth. The story follows a group of young patients who gather in secret every night at exactly midnight to share frightening stories with one another. The teenagers forge a solemn pact: the first among them to succumb to their illness must do everything in their power to send a signal from the afterlife to those left behind.
Original psychological horror
Before his major streaming successes, Flanagan directed the taut, nerve-wracking 2016 home invasion thriller "Hush." The film centres on a deaf writer who has deliberately retreated to an isolated house in the woods to live in total solitude. Her peaceful existence is shattered when she finds herself being stalked and terrorised by a sadistic masked intruder.
The resilient protagonist is played by Kate Siegel, who also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Flanagan. Siegel has been married to the director for ten years and remains a staple, grounding presence in his filmography, having starred in many of his most successful projects.
