'Carrie' Director Says "Optimistic Humanist" Is What Defines Stephen King

The newest Carrie adaptation has brought horror director Mike Flanagan into one of the most sensible worlds written by Stephen King. This isn't Flanagan's first time around a King novel: Gerald's Game and Doctor Sleep are some of the features he's already brought to light before finding a version of Carrie that would excite new generations. 

In an interview with Slashfim, Flanagan affirmed he's still in awe of King's writing. "Stephen King is an optimistic humanist, and that that is his priority over the horror. The horror is all there. It's there for you to dive into", he said. 

For this new rendition of the novel, he was looking for a Carrie White "we'd never experienced before", which led to "most exhaustive and difficult casting experience" of his career so far. 

"We were looking for someone who was curious and earnest and kind and eager and utterly unspoiled by our world and our society, but we wanted her also not to appear to be naive. Her naivety, if she had any, came from the fact that she wasn't informed, that she wasn't given context to what was happening around her, but that she had an enormous emotional intelligence, an intuitive kindness, and a hidden reserve of power in who she is". 

Flanagan said he also focused on bringing new key elements to the story as a whole, in an attempt to make Carrie's daily problems feel fresh. "[Stephen King] never could have imagined kids walking through a metal detector and facing the specter of school shooters on the daily as a normal part of life, not an aberration", he said. 

"It, very much, is a reinvention, and I was not interested in remaking "Carrie" ever, but I was very interested in doing what we ended up getting to do", Flanagan concluded, stating that being able to add his own twist to a King novel adaptation for the first time is what drove him to the Prime Video series. 

Everything you need to know about Carrie

Carrie is helmed by showrunner Mike Flanagan, a renowned filmmaker of modern horror. The plot follows Carrie White (Summer H. Howell), a teenager raised in an overprotective manner by her mother, Margaret (Samantha Sloyan), who must face the cruelty of high school after the sudden death of her father. Amidst bullying that gains traction on social media, the young woman also begins to discover mysterious telekinetic powers. The cast also includes Siena Agudong as Sue Snell.

Carrie is set to arrive October 7 on Prime Video.