Mike Flanagan's Carrie: Why Doctor Sleep Makes Us Even MORE Excited!
Mike Flanagan Tackles Stephen King's Carrie: A New Hope After a Rocky History
Get ready for some seriously spooky stuff! Mike Flanagan, that master of horror (known for his amazing Netflix work like The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, and most recently The Fall of the House of Usher), is tackling Stephen King's Carrie—and this time, as an eight-episode TV series for Amazon! This really is quite interesting news!
After leaving Netflix in 2023, Flanagan has totally taken the horror TV world by storm with his insanely impressive and extremely intense previous releases. Even though some speculate he might adapt King's The Dark Tower series first; it turns out Carrie will launch things for Amazon. Why should we care? Because Flanagan proved his chops and proved he can adapt King perfectly in that truly epic masterpiece that surprised many at the time: Doctor Sleep!
Doctor Sleep: Flanagan's Masterful Remake of a King Classic
Adapting Doctor Sleep (2019), that long-awaited sequel to The Shining was a huge undertaking. Why? He needed to totally appease the King novel fans, Kubrick's The Shining fans AND also the book fans, because all have varying opinions! This means the level of production, and the pressures faced by everyone involved had been seriously large, so having such a high standard means anyone else making an adaptation really needs to create an almost impeccable product.
And Flanagan totally nailed it. Doctor Sleep was brilliant— that masterful blend of homage and Flanagan's own vision. Rotten Tomatoes gave this movie a "Certified Fresh" rating of 78%, proving critics loved it! It even impressively included clever nods towards the original, both novel and movie; highlighting iconic scenes and recreating these effectively using a distinct and amazing blend of new takes on this iconic novel and movie. All of this was amazingly clever, a really fantastic approach, blending the greatest possible aspects in that initial concept.
Now the actual financial success and financial details are slightly less stellar – this impressive and successful movie had box office revenue reaching approximately $72.4 million against a smaller $45 million budget! Despite the surprising financial underperformance that didn’t significantly harm its continued existence – as this adaptation remains beloved amongst many people and remains one of Flanagan’s best-known works.
A New Carrie: Flanagan's Chance to Overcome History!
Flanagan's Carrie faces some issues however: First, it's got that Brian De Palma’s 1976 movie hanging over it (a truly amazing “Certified Fresh” 94% from critics). Second? It also has to get beyond a really questionable set of sequels and reboots: Those attempts to create other Carrie movies post-1976 – mostly resulting in some rather negative reactions, even critically.
Those sequels; the quality mostly lacking. This could discourage many potential fans: The Rage: Carrie 2 (23%), Carrie (2002) 20%, and Carrie (2013) at a barely acceptable 50%. This means that creating a successful adaptation will really depend upon creative planning.
Despite this extremely questionable history and a surprisingly low expectation, that past success of Doctor Sleep and his generally impressive career give Flanagan’s new work great chances! The extended TV format is a fantastic tool too. It opens amazing avenues of exploration of King's novel—exploring areas never tackled by the movies previously!
Conclusion: Mike Flanagan Might Just Make The Best Carrie Yet
There is certainly immense excitement surrounding Flanagan's Carrie! We expect this adaptation, to avoid past missteps; and Doctor Sleep's success is excellent news here! That increased flexibility with more episodes and that incredible opportunity to make more intense character moments really demonstrates a unique opportunity!
