Over five decades after Stephen King's hit horror novel Carrie hit shelves, The Haunting of Hill House's Mike Flanagan has brought the supernatural tale into the modern age run by social media and conspiracy theories. All eight episodes are available to stream on Prime Video. But if you have already binged the show, you may be wondering why the series ended on a cliffhanger, and if a second season really is on the way.
Much like King's classic tale, the series follows a social outcast named Carrie White with telekinetic powers. At school, she is bullied relentlessly, and at home she has to put up with her religious fanatic mother. But her luck shifts when she begins to harness her abilities. With almost eight hours of screen time to play with, Flanagan explores Carrie's world further, posing the question: what if there are more girls like Carrie?
The finale gives us a taste of what Flanagan might have planned for further seasons. In our guide below, we answer whether there will be a Carrie season 2 and what it could entail. But be warned, we will be getting into spoiler territory. So make sure you're up to speed before reading on. If you're yet to tune in, check out our Carrie review first.
Will there be a Carrie season 2?
Just two weeks after Carrie hit Prime Video, Amazon has renewed the horror series for a second season. Mike Flanagan confirmed the news via a press statement. The director said, "For 50 years, audiences have known and gravitated to Carrie White’s story. From the beginning, we imagined a story that goes far beyond the prom, and I’m incredibly grateful for Stephen’s trust and support in exploring what comes next."
We already had an inkling that Carrie season 2 was on the way. Before the show released, Flanagan expressed his wish to make more seasons. In an interview with Collider, Flanagan called his Carrie show a "trilogy," adding, "In my dream scenario. I think it’s three seasons… I think Carrie has a wonderful three-step arc."
Not only that, but the first season does a lot of groundwork for future seasons. Throughout the show, the narrator, who is later revealed to be Kate Siegel, takes us through moments in history when women with great powers have been at the center of ridicule and hysteria. We also see snippets of a pink house full of girls who seem to have the same telekinetic powers as Carrie. The girls can sense when Carrie is using her powers. Early on in the season, one of the girls can see blood on her hands just as Carrie is looking at her bloody hands in the famed 'plug it up' bathroom scene.
Then, the final episode introduces us to a group of women led by Kate Siegel, who interview all the remaining witnesses. They cover Carrie's tracks by killing her mother using mind control and convincing Sue Snell that she never saw the strangers walk into prom that night. There is also the issue of Carrie's imaginary friend, Emaline, who was communicating with her via telekinesis the whole time before returning in the finale. After the strangers finish the carnage on prom night, Emaline drives Carrie away from town. For a deeper dive into the season finale, read our Carrie ending explained guide.
What could happen in Carrie season 2?
Carrie season 1 ends on a complete cliffhanger. Carrie wakes up in the car, being driven away by the not-so-imaginary Emaline, who apologises to Carrie for not physically getting to her sooner. However, Emaline informs Carrie that she can't tell her where she's taking her in case others are watching her thoughts. So, we don't know where Carrie is going, but we can guess that it has something to do with the group of women who showed up at prom, and those who were questioning the survivors afterwards. But we don't know just yet if Emaline is part of that group, or if they are the people she is trying to save Carrie from.
During their car ride, Emaline tells Carrie that she is taking her away from the 'monsters' that want to hurt her. At first, we presume she is talking about the townspeople. But we already know that the mere mortals of Chamberlain, Maine, are no match for Carrie and her powers. So, what if the monsters are actually Kate Siegel's nameless character and her posse? They have already shown that they are not afraid to kill people, starting with Margaret White. Just because they share similar powers to Carrie doesn't mean they are the good guys.
Mike Flanagan's 2013 The Shining sequel, Doctor Sleep, explores a similar premise. Set decades later, the movie follows Danny Torrance as he protects young 'shiners' who are targeted by a villainous group known as the True Knot. Led by Rose the Hat, the Knots hunt shiners and feed on their souls, which grants them quasi-immortality. Siegel's character could well be the leader of a similar group.
On the other hand, she could just want to add Carrie to her home for gifted girls. In episode 1, after the bathroom locker scene, one of the gifted girls picks up on Carrie's powers and reports it to her leader. Although we can only see the back of her head and she only says one word, the leader has brown hair and sounds like Siegel. This would make sense, as one of the girls who was in the pink house later shows up at prom, so the two groups must be connected. So, the question is: is Emaline part of the same group? And if not, why is she trying to take Carrie away? There are many routes for Flanagan to go down at this point.
When will Carrie season 2 come out? Speculation over a potential release date
It's difficult to pinpoint when Carrie season 2 might release. However, Mike Flanagan seemed to have planned for season 2 ahead of time, sharing his vision for a trilogy before the show had even come out. With that in mind, there might be a story already in play. Carrie season 1 took around 4 months to film, and then almost one year to hit screens. So as soon as cameras start rolling on the second season, presuming a second season is coming, it shouldn't be too long before Summer Howell's Carrie White returns to our screens.
Carrie is streaming on Prime Video now. For more, check out our guide to the best Stephen King adaptations and keep up with all the upcoming horror movies you need to know about.
