Prime Video Carrie series drops 'haunting' and 'heartbreaking' trailer — but Amazon's made a smart business move that horror fans could hate
Things feel a little more... YA
- The official trailer for Mike Flanagan's Prime Video adaptation of Carrie has been released
- All eight episodes of the series are set to drop on October 7, 2026
- Summer H. Howell stars in the titular role
The official trailer for Mike Flanagan's Prime Video adaptation of Carrie has been released, which you can catch up with in full below.
Following the same narrative as the Stephen King novel and subsequent 1976 horror movie starring Sissy Spacek, we can expect the new eight-episode series to "pull back the curtain on the urgent and arresting reinvention, bringing new depth and complexity to its beloved characters while exploring the forces that shape Carrie White (Summer H. Howell) as she navigates the cruelty and pressure of the modern world - building toward a single, shattering night.
"But how much do we really know about Carrie — or what happened in Chamberlain?"
Series regulars include Samantha Sloyan as Margaret White, Siena Agudong as Sue Snell, Alison Thornton as Chris Hargensen, Joel Oulette as Tommy Ross, Josie Totah as Tina, Arthur Conti as Billy, Thalia Dudek as Emaline, Amber Midthunder as Miss Desjardin, and Matthew Lillard as Principal Grayle.
Given that streamable titles such as Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House and The Fall of the House of Usher are all already under Flanagan's belt, you might have expected the below trailer to feel a little more... spooky.
However, I think that there's a clever reason why it doesn't, and it's all thanks to Amazon.
Opinion: Prime Video's Carrie series looks frustratingly like yet another YA release
Even just within 2026 alone, Prime Video has an exceptional track record when it comes to creating popular young adult (YA) dramas. Shows like Off Campus, Every Year After and Sterling Point have helped to cement its status as the go-to streaming service for the genre.
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As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. So if YA is a successful Amazon niche, why not make as much of its content fit the bill as possible? I watch the trailer above and don't see disturbing scares, but fairly run-of-the-mill teenage drama.
Of course, I'm getting ahead of myself here to a certain extent. Flanagan is seemingly allergic to creating bad (or bland) TV, and if a trailer is doing its job properly, what's waiting for us is hidden away rather than shown. It could be the case that the Carrie trailer is a total red herring for what's actually to come... and that idea is incredibly exciting.
I really hope I'm right — as brilliant as Prime Video's YA stories are, I don't want to see another in this instance. Bring on the pig's blood, that's all I'm saying.
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Jasmine is a Streaming Staff Writer for TechRadar, previously writing for outlets including Radio Times, Yahoo! and Stylist. She specialises in comfort TV shows and movies, ranging from Hallmark's latest tearjerker to Netflix's Virgin River. She's also the person who wrote an obituary for George Cooper Sr. during Young Sheldon Season 7 and still can't watch the funeral episode.
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