Mike Flanagan has brought Stephen King’s classic horror story Carrie into the digital age, reworking the tale of a bullied teenager whose supernatural powers emerge amid the cruelty of high school and the pressures of social media.

The eight-episode series follows Carrie White, played by Summer H Howell, who enters public high school after spending much of her life sheltered at home by her deeply protective mother, Margaret, played by Samantha Sloyan. As Carrie struggles to fit in, a viral bullying scandal exposes her to public humiliation, pushing her already difficult adolescence towards a terrifying turning point.

Based on King’s 1974 debut novel, the adaptation updates the original story’s themes of bullying, isolation and cruelty for a generation shaped by online harassment and viral shaming. In this version, humiliation does not end when the school day is over; it can spread across the internet, reaching far beyond the people in the room.

Flanagan, known for horror projects such as The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, expands the story across eight episodes, giving its characters more room to develop while exploring the choices that lead to its devastating climax.

The series stars Summer H Howell as Carrie and Samantha Sloyan as Margaret, alongside Siena Agudong, Alison Thornton and Matthew Lillard. King also serves as an executive producer.