Launch of Carrie on Prime Video
Launched on Prime Video on October 7, Carrie, the latest Stephen King adaptation by Mike Flanagan, quickly captured the audience and the critics. In only eight episodes, the series redefines the tragic pop culture heroine's destiny to make it more contemporary while paving the way for a sequel. Mike Flanagan has stated he wants to extend the plot over three seasons if given the opportunity.Easter eggs and references
The series includes numerous Easter eggs and references. As early as the first episode, fans of Stephen King have plenty to enjoy. Ralph, Carrie's father, dies on the construction site where he works, and the signs visible behind him reveal that the project is managed by LaMerk Industries, a company that appears in The Dark Tower, Stephen King's great saga. In the penultimate episode, the blood that Chris and Billy make fall on Carrie comes from a pig farm belonging to Sombra Corporation, another link with The Dark Tower. The two companies, LaMerk and Sombra, also have links with young telekinetic people.Symbolism and pop culture nods
In episode 6, Billy (Arthur Conti), Chris's not very frequentable boyfriend, has a red eye-shaped tattoo. In the universe of The Dark Tower, the Eye of the Crimson King is a sinister symbol associated with the Crimson King, a powerful supernatural being who embodies evil incarnate. A wink to John Carpenter is hidden on the desk of one of the professors on which is placed an alien mask taken from Invasion Los Angeles (They Live in the original version), released in 1988.Visual and thematic connections
When the police find Carrie and her mother at home, the door of the White House is red. This color could announce the nickname "Carrie Red," but it is mainly the same red door emblematic that we see in The Haunting of Hill House, the emblematic series of Mike Flanagan (still available on Netflix). During the dance, Matthew Lillard, who plays principal Grayle, wears a shirt on which the silhouette of the red door appears.References to other media franchises
When Margaret learns she must find a job to keep custody of Carrie, she is hired at S-Mart, first as a cashier, then as a maintenance agent. Fans of Sam Raimi will recognize the franchise where Ash works in the Evil Dead franchise. In the fifth episode, Carrie accompanies Emaline to a landfill to test her powers. She causes the explosion of an old red car, which catches fire. A car that is exactly like Christine, another iconic Stephen King story centered on a car possessed by supernatural forces.Homages to directors and actors
After the prom massacre, Carrie and Emaline dance through the burning city and stop in front of a cinema whose marquee announces a Brian De Palma retrospective. The director had directed the first adaptation of the novel, Carrie at the Prom (1976), with Sissy Spacek in the lead role. The series also pays tribute to him through several shots, including split diopters, these images where the foreground and background remain sharp at the same time, which are a signature of De Palma.Telekinetic themes and voice cameos
Stephen King uses the term "shine" in several of his books, such as The Shining and Doctor Sleep, to denote telekinetics. The series appropriates the term when Adelaide, the character played by Kate Siegel (who is also Mike Flanagan's wife), explicitly mentions it. Groups of people endowed with the Shine unite to find Carrie, while others seek to dismantle them. The series also features several unexpected voice cameos, such as the one heard on the radio in the first episode, which is actually Mike Flanagan's own voice.Nods to creators and actors
The showrunner and director explained that other known voices had slipped into the series, including those of Carla Gugino, Hamish Linklater, and Sauriyan Sapkota, actors and actresses from his previous series. Other loyalists to his projects, Samantha Sloyan, Kate Siegel, Rahul Kohli, and Michael Trucco, also reunite with Flanagan in front of the camera. One of the most delicious winks (for the nerds among us) occurs in the seventh episode, during the dance. When Carrie receives the bucket of blood on her head, the camera pans across the shocked crowd and briefly stops on two horror figures: Bryan Fuller and Don Mancini.Connections to Battlestar Galactica
Fans of Battlestar Galactica are served: several of its actors and actresses appear on screen, in more or less important roles. Michael Trucco, who plays Chris's father, played Anders, and Tahmoh Penikett, who plays Carrie's father, played Agathon. Katee Sackhoff, the Starbuck of the series, plays Amanda West, Emaline's mother, a member of a group hostile to people with powers. Two worried parents concerned about maintaining the dance are finally played by Aaron Douglas, the chief Tyrol, and Tricia Helfer, Number Six.Surprising cameos and symbolism
The most unexpected cameo: Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker from Star Wars, is unrecognizable in episode six. Even his voice has been modified. Made up and hidden behind prosthetics and makeup, he plays Greg McMurry, a fake medium whose alias is Damon Nostra. Matthew Lillard, who plays principal Grayle, offers a surprising parallel with Scream. In the film, his character, Stu, is electrocuted when Sidney drops a television on him, and Carrie's principal also ends up electrocuted. Heather Graham, who plays Chris's mother, was also in the franchise, as she appeared in a cameo in Scream 2.Mystery and future hints
At the very beginning and at the very end of the series, we cross paths with members of a secret group of girls and women with psychic powers. All wear the same necklace around their necks. Rita, also known as Ms. Desjardin, Carrie's PE teacher played by Amber Midthunder (Prey), wore the same pendant. Is this a sign that she belongs to the same coven, that she has powers, and that she was recently placed in this high school to monitor or protect Carrie? Only a season 2 will answer these questions!Visual evolution of the title card
The title card that opens each episode slowly changes from white to blood red throughout the season.
