The latest take on Stephen King’s “Carrie” has arrived, and there are plenty of changes from the source material.
Mike Flanagan is no stranger to adapting the horror author, and his latest swing is at King’s first novel. He made quite a few alterations in pursuit of exploring modern high schools and the terrors of being in them in the age of the internet and social media. But there is plenty that’s new aside from the modern setting, including new characters and even different fates for a number of them.
These are the biggest changes from the book in the latest adaptation Prime Video of “Carrie.”
The Modern Setting
The obvious one, and the hook for this entire adaptation, is the modern setting. The original story takes place in the late ’70s, and Mike Flanagan took the story and placed it in a modern setting with all the trappings that would plague a current high school student, like cyberbullying through social media, the threat of school shootings and more. Carrie is bullied more through Instagram posts than she ever is in person, as she is in the original book and adaptations. This means she’s being harassed at nearly all hours, with way more people weighing in on it. And the account, which is made with her picture and a joke about her name, doesn’t just target Carrie; it targets the whole school, which means she’s tangled in and associated with a more complicated web of bullying.
Carrie Was a Homeschooled Shut-In
In the original story, Carrie is just a quiet, awkward girl at Chamberlain High School who isn’t overtly bullied so much as she is almost a backdrop to the school. It isn’t until she gets her period after P.E. that Chris Hargensen makes her a true target. In the 2026 adaptation, Carrie was born at home and lived there her whole life with her mom and dad. It isn’t until her father dies that authorities realize Carrie is in the house, and she is told she has to go to a real school if Margaret wants to keep custody. She arrives at school as a true fish out of water, and shortly after, the bullying starts.
Carrie and Margaret Survive Prom Night
One of the biggest changes is the ultimate fate of both Margaret and Carrie White. In the book, Carrie kills both her mom and herself in the climax of the story as the town of Chamberlain burns around them. In the series, Margaret is convinced by the mother of a girl who also had extraordinary abilities that she needs to kill her daughter before she gets too powerful. After the prom disaster, Margaret decides to act but obviously fails. Like in the book, Carrie brings down their whole house on top of both of them but — spoilers — they both survive.
Carrie is pulled out of the wreckage by Emaline and taken off into the sunset to experience the world. Margaret taps into her own latent Shine abilities to keep herself from being crushed by the house, and later is approached by the group of women also looking for Carrie. Her extended life isn’t extended by all that much because the woman leading this powered group interrogates Margaret and then stops her heart.
The Teachers Are Expanded
All the teachers at Chamberlain High School are fleshed out in the series. In the book, it’s mostly just Miss Desjardin and Principal Grayle who are seen at all. Now, Miss Desjardin is exploring a relationship with Carrie’s homeroom teacher, Seth, who is later revealed to have also had relationships with a number of students. That revelation is the catalyst that sets off the town, leading to Chris’ expulsion and her decision to dunk Carrie in pig blood. The guidance counselor, Mr. Morton, is also a welcome addition to the story, helping usher Carrie into the school and show her the positive aspects of the place.
Carrie’s New Friend, Emaline
Carrie makes a friend in fellow outcast Emaline early in the season, and it quickly becomes clear that the new girl is wavering between acting in Carrie’s best interest and becoming a different kind of bad influence. She hates the popular girls, hates that Carrie is getting in with them, and when she learns about Carrie’s gifts, she wants her to practice and sharpen her abilities. In the book, Carrie is mostly a loner for the entirety of the story and doesn’t have anyone who tries to befriend her or whom she tells her secret to.
The Mysterious Group Looking for Carrie and Attending Prom
One of the biggest changes to this adaptation of “Carrie” is the group of telekinetic women who sense Carrie’s abilities when they first emerge and spend the season in the shadows, trying to pinpoint where she is and when to approach her. Of course, they choose prom night, which takes the already fateful and blood-soaked event from King’s book and makes it even messier. In the book, there are mentions of the “TK” gene and women who were gifted with abilities when they hit puberty, but there are no other actual characters with the gift in King’s first story. Much later in his career, the author would write “The Institute,” which is all about a government group rounding up kids with the Shine for experiments. This isn’t that, but it’s close.
Margaret Also Had The Shine
Season 1 ends with the reveal that, in Margaret’s youth, she showed a touch of the Shine herself, moving a cross hanging on a wall while praying. She waved it off as a sign from God and never tapped into the ability again until Carrie brought down their house on the two of them after prom. Margaret was able to stop herself from being crushed by using the Shine to keep the bulk of the house’s weight from killing her.
In the book, Margaret doesn’t have any abilities of her own and is only terrified of Carrie’s power, viewing it as a manifestation of darkness.
