Hit or Miss?
Mike Flanagan’s Carrie any good? Is it worthwhile? Sort of…
For context, I haven’t read the novel, so my experience with Carrie comes entirely from its adaptations. At its core, Carrie is a tragedy. For a moment, Mike Flanagan makes you believe he understood the assignment… only to remind you how clueless he can be, completely dishonoring Carrie’s legacy with one of the most horrendously unfaithful endings I’ve ever seen.
PROS:
Flanagan was given an eight hour episodic format as opposed to a two hour film. Naturally, that allows for deeper characterization and greater narrative depth. Admittedly, the series succeeds in this regard. The utilization of social media was particularly effective, adding multiple layers of complexity to the story. Margaret White and Chris Hargensen were easily my standout characters. Notice how a certain name is missing? That brings me to my negatives.
CONS:
I genuinely believe that, prior to the finale, this was becoming my favorite iteration of Carrie. Then the worst happened.
Not only did Flanagan drop the ball, but he completely lost the plot and RUINED the prom massacre. Somehow, he transformed a fundamentally tragic story into a triumphant one. Carrie doesn’t die. Instead, she’s rescued by her friend, and they practically drive off into the sunset together. Margaret White survives, robbing us of the devastating image of Carrie holding her mother as the building collapses around them.
And the prom sequence itself? Terribly shot and edited! It lacked the brutality, emotional weight, and moral dilemma that should define this moment. Using the excuse that Carrie is being controlled by someone else completely undermines the moral complexity of her actions. It strips away her agency and diminishes the tragedy of what she’s done.
The series introduces several respectable additions that I genuinely appreciated, but they’re accompanied by some downright idiotic creative decisions. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t land, and the ending is arguably its worst offense.
Carrie was never supposed to be a story of triumph. It was supposed to be tragic, devastating, and morally complicated. A massacre born from years of cruelty, abuse, and humiliation.
Not escaping into the sunset.
