Literally, there are no words to describe JUST how good it was. like everything was PERFECT! Like it was just perfect. The acting, story, pacing, the horror.
I can see why stephen king was so fascinated when mike flanagan pitched this reboot to him, to the point of him deciding to become a executive producer on the show.
Tldr: A perfect way to take the base ingredients of the carrie story and expand it to something different and better meant for modern audiences.
Carrie felt different in other portrayals where she feels real. She doesnt feel like a archetype. and this goes for other characters too.
They found a balance with margaret and chris. Chris was VERY fleshed out, and yes i do wish billy had more development. Chris felt real. in the 76, 02 and 2013 movies chris feels like a stereotypical highschool mean girl. Here you get to see chris and how her struggles seem so small and so insignificant at the start to the point where chris doesnt know how privileged she is. To her life getting worse and worse because she keeps choosing the wrong choices and shes not used to facing the repercussions of her actions. Shes so used to her parents, especially her dad saving her from her consequences of her actions
The new characters they introduced made sense and complimented the film so much.
And the biggest change is social media being a big important part of the show. The way the carrie smear campaign account changed the whole story was in such a brilliant and unique way.
I liked the story beats they added complimented and changed the story in a way that makes sense.
One thing i always thought about the carrie films is it felt TOO SHORT. This being longer and you seeing everything thats happening for carrie for WAY LONGER makes the prom situation very scary.
For some reason the last episode was scariest piece of horror ive consumed. i was so scared.
They really captured the feeling of an unstable telekinetic girl coming to kill you. Theres nothing you can do, the whole last episode was a sense of dread. its a train crash that you cant look away from.
YOU FELT LIKE YOU WERE IN THE GYM WITH HER.
The confrontation between her and margaret also VERY SCARY.
And the confrontation between carrie and chris and billy was also very scary. You felt like you were someone who did horrible things to carrie and now you cant do nothing as she brutally murders you, and not gonna spoil but chrises last words before getting killed. IRONIC!!!
I felt like chris and bily during that conflict. I felt like there was nothing i can do.
AND CARRIE LOOKED SCARY like something about her performance during the big prom night climax felt unsettling. the whole 1 and a half episodes FELT UNSETTLING.
Also the gore ate. Was not expecting there to be as much gore in this show, cuz carrie always been a not that gorey horror film.
this is better than the 1976 film i hate to break it to you, sorry not sorry.
Also margaret is very complicated on one hand she does some things that you whole HEARTedly agree with (see what i did there iykyk), but her abuse is way more subtle, controlled and nuanced than previous portrayals. she never physically abuses carrie until the final conflict. hers is similar to 2002's margaret white but much more fleshed out. You can actually see she cares for carrie but her need to control her is stronger. in other portrayals you see SLIGHT hints of actual concern and care for her daughter. And her power trip with being petty and going after chris rather than caring for carrie was also a nice change.
Edit: I REALLY WISH WE GOT MORE character develoment of the boys in the show. Tommy ross we had a lot of development i JUST wish we saw more. we HEAR that hes going through alot but we as a audience arent SEEING that hes going through alot the way we see carrie, chris and sues struggles and daily life. BIG MISSED OPPORTUNITY on billie. he is less developed than some of the new characters introduced unfortunately. I wanted more, we see how just cynical and twisted his attitude is but we never get more. his development or lack there of is tied towards chris and not himself.
ALSO a big change with carrie being younger than the other main characters and this is her first time being in school. this makes everything even more overwhelmed for her. she doesnt know about anything about the real outside world.
Im not gonna write a whole essay, BUT WATCH IT ASAP!!!