Amazon's Carrie Actress Gets High Praise in Early Reviews: 'Give Her All the Awards'

Stephen King’s Carrie has been reimagined by Mike Flanagan with a new series coming to Prime Video in October. The early reviews are starting to come in for the show, and they offer especially high praise for the lead actress.

In the new Carrie series, the titular role is played by Summer H. Howell. Like the previous adaptations, the show follows Carrie White, an outcast with telekinetic abilities who violently lashes out after being bullied to the extreme. Flanagan has modernized the story with Howell bringing the newest incarnation of Carrie to life. The reviews are mostly positive, with a debut of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics impressed with Howell’s work in particular.

Critics Are Praising the Carrie Reboot’s Acting

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Saying that Howell and co-star Samantha Sloyan should be given “all the awards,” Mama’s Geeky critic Tessa Smith added, “At the center of it all is Summer H. Howell, who is nothing short of brilliant as Carrie White. She carries some deeply difficult, painful scenes right from the very start, capturing both Carrie’s intense vulnerability and the tragedy of her isolation.”

“From her excited first breath, Summer H. Howell’s Carrie is her Carrie, a stellar performance defined wholeheartedly by her irresistible empathy and joy,” Cinapse’s Julian Singleton also said. “Howell’s graceful guidance of Carrie through these moments down a path of inevitable destruction makes her paradoxically, magnetically heartbreaking and uplifting to watch.”

“As Carrie endures a humiliating trial by fire at the hands of her unempathetic classmates, Howell delivers excruciatingly raw emotion,” as But Why Tho? critic Sarah Musnicky opined.

Also among those praising the series is Stephen King himself. Earlier this month, the author took to Threads to share his review of the series, noting in a post, Mike Flanagan’s version of CARRIE is brilliant. What it has to say about social media is shocking and true.”

Carrie Gets Modernized With Some Teased Surprises

Carrie Series Prom — Summer H. Howell as Carrie White in Carrie (2026) during the prom sequence.

The new series also stars Samantha Sloyan as Carrie’s mother, Margaret White. In the series, Carrie is pushed into public school by her domineering mother after the death of her father. She becomes the target of bullying, and Flanagan’s modern touch includes having an embarrassing bully incident go viral, spreading throughout her community. Meanwhile, she discovers that she possesses telekinetic powers, building up to a catastrophic tragedy at the high school prom. However, Flanagan has teased that the prom will play out differently compared to the original book and previous adaptations of the story.

Flanagan and King executive produced alongside Travor Macy, while Chad Fitz produced. Other cast members of the Carrie series include Siena Agudong, Alison Thornton, Joel Oulette, Josie Totah, Arthur Conti, Amber Midthunder, Matthew Lillard, Heather Graham, Katee Sackhoff, Delainey Hayles, and Kate Siegel.

Carrie will premiere on Prime Video on Oct. 7, 2026.