Mike Flanagan’s ‘Carrie’ Series Debuts With a Rotten Tomatoes Score That Silences the Skeptics

Stephen King adaptations carry a strange kind of pressure that few other franchises deal with. Every new attempt gets measured against decades of prior versions, some beloved, some infamous for all the wrong reasons, and audiences rarely let a new take off the hook easily.

That pressure only intensifies when the story in question is ‘Carrie,’ arguably the most iconic and most frequently revisited entry in King’s entire catalog. Between a genre-defining original film and two follow-up attempts that never came close to matching it, expectations for any new version arrive loaded with skepticism before a single frame airs.

Mike Flanagan’s new television take on the story has now cleared its first real hurdle, debuting with an 80 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews of its first two episodes, making it the second-best-reviewed adaptation of King’s novel to date. Only Brian De Palma’s original 1976 film, which sits at 94 percent, currently ranks higher.

The 80 percent figure comes specifically from critics who screened the opening two episodes at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival and Fantastic Fest, meaning the number reflects a partial picture rather than a verdict on the complete eight-episode run. That context matters, since the score is likely to shift once reviewers can assess the series in full ahead of its release.

Still, the early reception has been notably strong. Critics have singled out Summer H. Howell’s performance in the title role, along with Flanagan’s decision to modernize the story’s bullying and humiliation angle through the lens of viral social media, rather than simply recreating the beats audiences already know from the 1976 film.

The new trailer for Mike Flanagan's ‘CARRIE’ series has been released.

Releasing October 7 on Prime Video. pic.twitter.com/Bkxo4U8zm0

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 9, 2026

The comparison becomes especially striking when placed against ‘Carrie’s’ rockier screen history. The 2002 television movie currently holds just 33 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, while the 2013 film starring Chloë Grace Moretz sits at 51 percent, both well below the new series’ opening showing.

That places Flanagan’s version in rare company for the franchise, trailing only the original film that’s widely considered the gold standard for King adaptations on screen. For a director who has built his entire career reimagining King’s work for television, landing this close to De Palma’s classic is no small accomplishment.

New poster for Mike Flanagan's ‘CARRIE’ series.

Releasing October 7 on Prime Video. pic.twitter.com/uiwMEifzvB

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 21, 2026

Adding even more weight to the early buzz, Stephen King has personally weighed in on the adaptation. “Mike Flanagan’s version of CARRIE is brilliant,” King wrote in a post reported by Deadline. “What it has to say about social media is shocking and true.”

That praise carries extra significance given King’s history of being notoriously protective of ‘Carrie’ specifically, having reportedly pushed back initially when Flanagan first pitched the idea of revisiting the story. Winning him over required convincing the author there was genuinely new territory left to explore, territory Flanagan ultimately found in reframing Carrie White’s humiliation through smartphones and viral posts rather than whispered locker room gossip.

‘Carrie’ is set to premiere all eight episodes at once on October 7 on Prime Video, giving audiences the chance to judge for themselves whether the full series holds up to its promising start. With critics and King himself already sounding enthusiastic, expectations heading into the premiere have shifted from cautious curiosity to genuine anticipation.

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