Mike Flanagan was a Stephen King fan long before he started adapting the author’s work. Now King himself calls him the “best adapter” of his stories, just as Flanagan’s Carrie becomes a streaming hit on Prime Video.
For weeks, Reacher and its spinoff Neagley dominated Prime Video’s charts, and nothing else on the platform came close to either of them. That changed when Carrie premiered on October 7, and over the weekend, it has overtaken both shows to become the most-streamed title on Prime Video worldwide, according to FlixPatrol.
On Sunday, October 12, Carrie scored 502 points on FlixPatrol’s chart, well ahead of Neagley‘s 383 and Reacher‘s 259. That is an impressive result for an eight-episode series that premiered only a few days earlier.
Why Carrie Took Over Prime Video So Quickly
Timing played a big part. With Halloween approaching, many viewers are looking for something scary, and Carrie arrived at just the right moment. Because all eight episodes dropped at once, it also made for an easy weekend binge.
Meanwhile, Reacher fans had already finished Season 4, and Neagley had been out long enough for most viewers to catch up. That left room for King’s story to climb to the top of Prime Video’s global chart.
Flanagan’s name also carries weight with horror fans. He is one of the most trusted horror storytellers working today, thanks to The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and The Fall of the House of Usher.
He is no stranger to King either, having adapted Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep, and The Life of Chuck, when the author himself calls Flanagan his best adapter after watching Carrie, it is a strong endorsement.
Read More: 4 Major Differences Between Prime Video’s Carrie And Stephen King’s Book
How Mike Flanagan’s Carrie Compares to Earlier Adaptations
Carrie was first published in 1974 and has been adapted for the screen several times since. The best known is Brian De Palma’s 1976 film, which earned Oscar nominations for both Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie, with its prom scene becoming one of the most iconic sequences in horror history.
Flanagan’s series holds up well against it. On Rotten Tomatoes, the new version has an 85% critic score and an 82% audience score, while the 1976 film sits at 94% with critics and 77% with audiences.
The series also leads on IMDb. Its 7.9 rating is the highest of all five screen adaptations, ahead of the 1976 film’s 7.4.
Flanagan is also the first to turn Carrie into a series, and he reworked several scenes, including the prom and the bullying, to feel more relatable to modern audiences. Summer H. Howell‘s Carrie now faces bullying that follows her online, backed by Flanagan regulars Samantha Sloyan, Kate Siegel, and Rahul Kohli and Matthew Lillard as Principal Grayle. Expect a few twists, too, as the prom doesn’t play out the way it did in the movies.
With Halloween still weeks away and word of mouth building, Carrie looks hard to dethrone. And if King’s praise is any sign, Flanagan may have just delivered the best screen version of his story yet.
All eight episodes of Carrie are currently streaming on Prime Video.
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