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‘Carrie’s Mike Flanagan Reflects On Supernatural YA Drama & Says ‘Warhammer 40,000’ Series Has “Very Cool And Unexpected On-Ramp”
Mike Flanagan says his television adaptation of *Carrie* uses supernatural horror to explore modern teenage life, particularly bullying, social media and the lasting effects of cruelty. He describes adolescence as naturally suited to horror because it brings intense emotions and unsettling changes to the body.
The series stars Summer H. Howell as an optimistic Carrie who leaves seclusion after her father’s death and starts high school, where bullying helps unleash her telekinetic powers. A second season has been approved after strong streaming figures: *Carrie* was Prime Video’s top show in the week of its 7 October premiere and the leading US streaming title from 5 to 11 October. Flanagan has said he envisages a three-season story, and calls his work on the upcoming *Warhammer 40,000* series “the time of my life”.
In short
- Flanagan frames *Carrie* around modern bullying and its lasting effects.
- Strong streaming numbers led to a second season.
- He sees the story as a potential three-season arc.
Explained simply
Carrie is a horror story about a teenager whose ability to move things with her mind emerges as she faces bullying at school. The character first appeared in a 1974 novel by Stephen King, and has since been adapted for film and television.
Mike Flanagan’s version uses the supernatural element to explore experiences associated with adolescence, including changing bodies, intense emotions and the effects of cruelty. Its setting also brings in social media, which can make bullying visible to a wider audience and allow it to persist beyond school.
Flanagan is also developing a television series based on Warhammer 40,000, a science-fiction setting with a long history in books and games. Describing that project as an unexpected “on-ramp” points to the possibility of a fresh entry into a world that may be unfamiliar to some viewers.
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