From Trash To Treasure, Stephen King’s ‘Carrie’ Gets Another Screen Reimagining

For many readers, "Carrie" was their introduction to Stephen King, who has since gone on to pen more than 60 novels since that 1974 debut.

Now -- more than five decades later, on Oct. 7, 2026 -- King's first novel will get a new treatment on Amazon Prime courtesy of Mike Flanagan's TV series.

King, who's never been shy about sharing his feelings (good or bad) about interpretations of his work, has already weighed in on the latest adaptation of young Carrie White's harrowing high school experience.

Indeed, King makes this reader wonder what Flanagan -- who also adapted King's "Gerald's Game" and "Doctor Sleep" -- brings to the story of the telekinetic teen who's bullied to disastrous effect for everyone in the small town of Chamberlain, Maine.

Famously, King's wife and fellow novelist, Tabitha King, rescued "Carrie" from the trash while the couple and their two children lived in a double-wide trailer in Hermon, just outside Bangor.

It's a good thing she did.

Related: Stephen King’s College Columns Shed Light On His Early Thoughts

When Signet later bought the paperback rights to the novel for $400,000 -- half of which went to King -- it allowed the then-English teacher at Hampden Academy to focus exclusively on writing.

So, in short, "Carrie" was a big deal in King's career.

Two years later in 1976, director Brian De Palma first brought the story to the big screen. Sissy Spacek, then 26 years old, starred as the innocent but tormented teen and earned herself an Academy Award nomination in the process.

A hard act to follow

In 1999, "The Rage: Carrie 2" hit he big screen. The sequel to the 1976 film starred Emily Bergl as Rachel Lang, the younger half-sister of Carrie White. Rachel shares Carrie's telekinetic abilities, as well as her penchant for revenge against bullies.

Critics didn't like it that much. Personally, I watched this movie not long ago, and didn't think it was that bad.

In 2002, "Carrie" hit the small screen for the first time, with Angela Bettis portraying the title character. Critics were not kind, though, saying the adaptation didn't match the intensity of the original and the run-time was just too long.

It wasn't until 2013, when Chloë Grace Moretz reprised the role on the big screen in an updated telling of the story. This is the first time social media enters the chat -- as it does in Flanagan's series -- and much like its actual effect on society, it amplifies the harassment and the resulting destruction.

Related: 14 Places Every Stephen King Fan Must Stop While in Bangor, Maine

The 2013 remake, while pretty true to the story, also didn't get the accolades of the original, with critics nonplussed by the heavy use of CGI in the film. But let me say, I thought the performances -- including Julianne Moore as Carrie's paranoid and domineering mother -- were pretty good in this one.

Thirteen years later, King fans now eagerly await this 8-episode series starring Canadian-born actress Summer H. Howell.

Personally, I wondered how Flanagan would spread the novel over eight episodes, but a recent Instagram post (below) answered that question. (Note: You have to appreciate the nod to King's novel, which took place at Ewen High School. The 1976 film later changed the name to Bates High School.)

I think we all know what "AP Physics" means. 🔥🔥🔥

Now that you've watched the trailer, what do you think? Is it possible ot live up to the original?

Whether the series compares with de Palma's film is really irrelevant, I suppose. The fact that King's nearly-trashed story has survived to be adapted so often is a testament to its continued relevance.