To Reinvent a Stephen King Classic, Mike Flanagan Needed "One of the Best Actors I’ve Ever Met"
News Source
•Sun, 11 Oct 2026 16:00:16 GMT
📰 What Happened
Director Mike Flanagan has made a new TV version of Stephen King's Carrie, and actor Samantha Sloyan plays Margaret White, Carrie's mother. Flanagan says Sloyan is 'one of the best actors I've ever met'. Sloyan told Polygon her Margaret is more complex than earlier versions and that she 'fails her daughter' by loving her in the wrong way. The two have worked together on several horror shows.
🔍 The Backstory
Carrie was Stephen King's first novel, published in 1974, and became a famous 1976 film starring Piper Laurie. Sloyan has appeared in many Flanagan projects, including Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House and The Midnight Club. Flanagan's Carrie is a modern retelling across eight episodes that reworks the original story rather than copying it.
🎯 Why It Matters
It shows how old horror stories get remade for new audiences with deeper characters. It also shows how a strong actor can make a villain feel more human and unsettling.
Director Mike Flanagan has made a new TV version of Stephen King's Carrie, and actor Samantha Sloyan plays Margaret White, Carrie's mother. Flanagan says Sloyan is 'one of the best actors I've ever met'. Sloyan told Polygon her Margaret is more complex than earlier versions and that she 'fails her daughter' by loving her in the wrong way. The two have worked together on several horror shows.
Carrie was Stephen King's first novel, published in 1974, and became a famous 1976 film starring Piper Laurie. Sloyan has appeared in many Flanagan projects, including Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House and The Midnight Club. Flanagan's Carrie is a modern retelling across eight episodes that reworks the original story rather than copying it.
It shows how old horror stories get remade for new audiences with deeper characters. It also shows how a strong actor can make a villain feel more human and unsettling.