Carrie review: the teenage hellraiser's glorious return lands at the right moment

A new television adaptation of Carrie has arrived, reworking the story of teenage bullying and telekinetic violence for a contemporary audience. Critics describe the series as a witty and smart remake that pushes the material to fresh extremes, with the shower scene in particular said to be even more unsettling than in the original.

The series was created by Mike Flanagan, who has said that when he was first approached about the project, his own initial reaction was to ask why anyone would want to remake a stone-cold genre classic.

Revisiting a horror classic

The original Carrie, adapted from Stephen King's novel, has long been regarded as a landmark of the horror genre, built around a bullied teenager whose telekinetic powers erupt in a climactic act of violence. The new adaptation keeps this core premise while updating its treatment of bullying and adolescence for today's audience.

Early reviews suggest the remake finds fresh angles on familiar material rather than simply retracing the original story beat for beat, while still delivering the shock value associated with the source material.

Flanagan's track record with horror adaptations has made the project one of the more closely watched genre releases of the year, with critics weighing in on whether it lives up to, or diverges meaningfully from, the original film.