Major 'flaw' discovered in new remake of iconic Stephen King horror novel
The latest adaptation of Stephen King's horror novel Carrie has got everyone asking the same question about the ending.
If you've not read the book, the eight-part horror series follows a socially isolated teenage girl who discovers she possesses terrifying telekinetic abilities while enduring relentless bullying at school and an oppressive upbringing at home.
Summer H. Howell stars as Carrie White, alongside Samantha Sloyan as her religious mother Margaret, Siena Agudong as Sue Snell and Alison Thornton as school bully Chris Hargensen.
However, viewers of the new Amazon Prime Video series have highlighted the decision to make a major change to the famously devastating ending of the 1974 novel.
Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Carrie on Amazon Prime Video
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Taking to X, fans have pointed out that producers have allowed Carrie to survive the events of the story, despite the character dying in King's book.
Her suffering eventually culminates in a catastrophic prom-night massacre, making Carrie one of horror's most recognisable tragedies.
In King's novel, Carrie dies after unleashing her telekinetic powers upon the town of Chamberlain, bringing her tragic story to a definitive and horrifying conclusion.
But the television adaptation takes a different approach, offering Carrie a chance at survival and potentially a future beyond the trauma she has endured.
With a second season now announced, the series is set to venture beyond the ending of the source material, leaving some viewers questioning whether the decision undermines the entire point of the story.
“The fact that people are even talking about her ‘going back to school’ proves how badly the 2026 ending neutered the source material,” one viewer tweeted.
“In Stephen King’s novel, Carrie’s ending isn't a cliffhanger. She bleeds out in the dirt, heart stopping in the street after wiping Chamberlain off the map.
“It's a complete, fatalistic tragedy. By changing the ending to let her survive, the show cowardly traded a brilliant literary climax for plot armor and potential franchise extensions.
“It’s high time they stopped treating an absolute apocalypse like a teenage hiatus.”
A second penned: “Agreed. King's ending works because there's no way out for her. Letting her drive off with Emaline makes prom feel like episode one of something else instead of the end of her story.”
While a third added: “Exactly. The tragedy of King’s ending is that it feels final. Letting her escape with Emaline would’ve offered hope where the story deliberately gives us none, ultimately softening the devastating impact of her fate.”
Topics: Stephen King, TV, Amazon Prime
Anish Vij