A new iteration of Stephen King’s iconic 1974 novel, Carrie, has recently released on Amazon Prime as an eight-episode series directed by Mike Flanagan, known for other horror shows like Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House.

The story centres a young girl named Carrie (played by Summer H. Howell) who is severely bullied at school and controlled by her religious mother Margaret White (played by Samantha Sloyan). However, through traumatic circumstances, Carrie begins to discover that she may possess telekinetic abilities.

The series takes many creative departures to modernise the original story, such as introducing two new characters: Emaline, played by non-binary actor Thalia Dudek, and Tina Blake, played by trans actor Josie Totah.

Emaline is a mysterious person who befriends Carrie and attempts to guide her in discovering her new powers, while harbouring their own ulterior motive. Dudek’s film credits include Duvall in The Running Man, and they also played a trans character, Max, in the play, MIR at the Park Theatre in 2024.

In an interview with QX, when asked what words they would like to share with young LGBTQ+ actors, Dudek commented, “I’d say that community can be found anywhere. As a AFAB (Assigned Female At Birth) non-binary person who is also straight, I still struggle with feeling ‘queer’ enough. But if you stay open, work hard, and allow yourself to be fully seen, you’ll find your people”.

Tina Blake, on the other hand, is one of the popular girls who make Carrie White’s life a living hell. She is portrayed as vindictive and insecure, spreading gossip about other characters throughout the series. As a kid, Josie Totah acted in the Disney channel series, Jessie, and her other credits include the series The Buccaneers and film Other People.

In an interview with Pride, Totah shared why Carrie has resonated with so many queer people over the years, saying, “I feel like this story is a great example of biggest flaw being your greatest superpower, which I think is inherently queer.”

Mike Flanagan’s Carrie also features gay actor Tim Bagley, who plays an openly gay guidance counsellor John Brigham. Brigham attempts to connect with Carrie over their shared love of books. Furthermore, the school principal Henry Grayle is played by LGBTQ+ ally, Matthew Lillard, who has been very vocal about his support for the trans community.

Director Mike Flanagan also commented in an interview with gayety that “Carrie is the quintessential story of what it feels like to be targeted and be different. I think the queer experience is something that came to bear very much in our writer’s room”.

He continued, “We had my trans sibling, Jamie Flanagan, who is a trans writer, come in from the very beginning and kind of talk about their experience of high school.”

He concluded, “I think horror lends itself beautifully to the queer experience because it does such a beautiful job of not only creating empathy, but by divulging the horrors of everyday life and identity.”

The new Carrie series shows no signs of slowing down, as a three-season plan was recently announced.