This article contains spoilers for 2026’s Carrie on Prime Video.
Mike Flanagan already has an esteemed catalogue of original work, but 2026 marks a new chapter as the director and creator has taken on Stephen King’s classic works, starting with his spin on Carrie. The eight-episode Prime Video miniseries stars Summer H. Howell in the title role and updates the story for the modern age. The show is already a hit with new fans and veteran horror audiences, updating the social cruelty Carrie experiences into a digital format while maintaining real-world consequences, which allows Flanagan’s story to tell a unique tale while staying true to the source material.
Much like some of Stephen King’s other books, Carrie has been adapted multiple times. Here, Flanagan’s effort isn’t much different, but what makes his entry unique is not only how he acknowledges those who came before him, but also just how jam-packed 2026’s Carrie is with Easter eggs. Though Flanagan doesn’t necessarily take the easy route when dropping a nod to King’s novels into a scene, there are still plenty to catch.
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Principal Grayle’s Fate & Prom Fit Are Nods to Matthew Lillard and Flanagan’s Past Works
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Horror icon Matthew Lillard plays Principal Grayle in Carrie, featuring prominently as an administrator who cares deeply about his school and its students. Even in the face of aggressive parents like John Hargensen and the ever-growing progression of bullying he faces, Grayle still never wants to let anyone down. Despite being one of the few good-hearted people in Carrie’s life, he dies tragically in Episode 8, “AP Physics,” via electrocution before debris falls onto him.
[Lillard] was like, ‘I get to get electrocuted again!’ I was like, ‘but so much more, this time!
It’s worth noting that this is the first time Principal Grayle has been portrayed on screen. In previous iterations, Grayle’s character from the novel was replaced by Mr. Morton, who was originally the vice-principal. In the final two episodes of the season, Grayle chaperones Ewen High’s prom wearing a tan blazer and charcoal T-shirt with a red door graphic emblazoned on it. Both this and the principal’s death by electrocution and falling debris are nods to The Red Door from Flanagan’s Haunting at Hill House and Red Door Production company, as well as to how Stu Macher (played by Lillard) died in 1996’s Scream.
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The Carrie Miniseries Contains Several Nods to the Dark Tower Saga
While Flanagan is certainly including nods to the predecessors of hisCarrieseries, it’s only natural that the horror director would acknowledge King’s other work. Flanagan already has a history of adapting King’s work and has anExorcistmovie due to premiere in March 2027. In 2022, Flanagan acquired the rights to adapt King’sThe Dark Towersaga into a television series, with its structure set tocover books one and two in Season 1. Though it’s uncertain whetherCarriewill share a connection to TheDark Tower, the director made sure to reference it in the Prime Video series.
Fans will notice the mystical number 19 throughout Carrie, on Tommy Ross’ letterman jacket and Sue Snell’s baseball T-Shirt as she anxiously checks her college submission acceptance. Additionally, Carrie’s dad, Ralph (Tahmoh Penikett), dies while working for LaMerk Industries, the nefarious corporation scheming to destroy the Dark Tower, and Billy pulls double duty as he sports a tattoo of the Eye of the Crimson King on his right arm. He also gets the pig blood used in the climax from Sombra Hog Farm, which is a nod to the Sombra Corporation, another group that hunts psychics in Dark Tower.
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Horror Fans May Recognize Margaret’s Workplace From Another Beloved Franchise
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After Ralph’s unfortunate death, Margaret must find employment to maintain sole custody of Carrie. Thankfully, she gets a job working at S-Mart, a big box department store. At first, Margaret works behind the checkout registers, but she receives numerous complaints due to being judgmental and abrasive with customers. Though Carrie’s mother is openly apprehensive about working for someone younger than her, Margaret’s manager shows sympathy for her circumstances and moves her from the register to the custodial staff.
S-Mart may ring a bell for horror fans, as it’s a nod to another beloved franchise: Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead. The fictional retail giant is where Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) works in the Army of Darkness film and the Ash vs Evil Dead television series. Ash and the Deadites may not exist in the same universe as Carrie, but this reference was possible because of some interesting licensing agreements, as Amazon MGM owns the rights to Army of Darkness, where S-Mart appears.
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Flanagan’s Carrie Namedrops the Original Movie’s Director on the Theater’s Marquee
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In the final moments of Season 1, Carrie continues her path of destruction as she pursues her revenge on Chris Hargensen (Alison Horton) and Billy Nolan (Arthur Conti). Following their deaths, the scorned prom queen continues her dance of destruction with Emaline (Thalia Dudek), setting the town of Chamberlain, Maine ablaze. As reality hits, the guilt of what Carrie has done washes over her, and she makes her way home in hopes that her mother, Margaret (Samantha Sloyan), will comfort her. This, too, ends tragically when Margaret attempts to stab her, causing Carrie to retaliate and bring their home down around them.
During Carrie’s blood-soaked walk to her home, she passes by Chamberlain’s movie theater. In a prominent shot, the audience will notice that the theater’s display reads “Brian De Palma Retrospective in 35mm,” a nod to the director of the original 1976 Carrie adaptation. However, this wasn’t the only nod in the season finale. After Carrie lies in the rubble of her family home, believing that she’s about to die and join her father, Emaline appears and reaches her hand out. Though at first hesitant, Ewans’ prom queen reaches her hand back from offscreen in a shot that pays tribute to the 1976 movie’s jumpscare ending, where Carrie grabs Sue Snell’s hand while she’s visiting her grave.
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Flanagan Directly Connects Carrie to The Shining
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Many Stephen King fans have theorized a connection between Carrie and The Shining. In its simplest terms, The Shine is essentially a set of psychic abilities that allows those who possess it to communicate with one another. Although Carrie predates the haunted hotel in both the novel and the 1980 Kubrick-helmed film adaptation, fans have suggested that Carrie White’s telekinetic abilities, as well as her mother’s “visions,” are adjacent to or a form of The Shine. Novels like Firestarter and Doctor Sleep have expanded upon The Shine over the years, bringing pyrokinesis, mental projection, and telekinesis into the fold.
In the 2026 series, Flanagan finally confirms Carrie has The Shine in a few ways. The most prominent is through Emaline, a character specific to Carrie, who acts as the Halloran to Carrie’s Danny Torrance. The audience also meets other characters who possess different forms of The Shine, but the second major connection is via Adelaide, the mysterious character who has been interviewing the Black Prom survivors. The season finale reveals that Carrie’s mother survived by miraculously holding their collapsing house above her with her own telekinetic powers. Adelaide confirms that this is because “everyone possesses a little bit of The Shine, even if they don’t know it,” just before killing her.
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Margaret’s Death in Carrie Is More Accurate to King’s Book Than the Movies
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In Carrie Episode 8, “AP Physics,” the audience learns that Margaret didn’t die after Carrie imploded their home. Instead, Carrie’s mom recovers from her injuries and speaks with Adelaide, the mysterious interviewer acting as the audience’s proxy for much of the season. The conversation reveals that Margaret survived by using her own minor telekinesis to hold the debris of the Whites’ fallen home above her. Carrie’s mother also learns that her daughter is still alive, prompting her to leave the interview, but her attempt is stopped when Adelaide utters a command. Margaret then dies when Adelaide psychically stops her heart.
Certainly, Margaret’s death at Adelaide’s psychic hands is a diversion from previous iterations of Carrie. However, it’s important to know that Flanagan’s telling of her demise is closer to the novel in both how Margaret dies and what’s being said as it happens. In Stephen King’s book, Carrie slows her mother’s heart until it eventually stops, telling her, “I’m going to give you a little present, momma,” which is mirrored in the final moments of Flanagan’s Carrie. In the 1976 and 2013 versions of Carrie, Margaret dies when Carrie uses her powers to hurl sharp kitchen utensils at her, pinning her against a doorway and killing her.
At the end of its first season, Carrie left fans wanting more with its titular character and her not-imaginary friend, Emaline, riding off into the sunset. As Margaret’s body is carried out from the interview, it’s clear that Adelaide is also more than she appears to be. Due to its success, Prime Video renewed the 2026 series shortly after the finale. Since Flanagan mentioned that he views his retelling of Carrie as a trilogy, it’ll be interesting to see if the director will add in any future nods to the story, where Carrie and Emaline will go, and if she’ll be connected to any of the director’s other King adaptations, like Doctor Sleep or The Dark Tower.
