Shocktober 2026

Filmmaker Mike Flanagan’s latest television show Carrie is out now on Amazon Prime. All the episodes came out yesterday (October 7, 2026), and I binged through all eight episodes.

In short: it’s good. It has all the hallmarks of a Flanagan’s talky-talky and memorable characters.

Let’s step back, if you’re not familiar with Carrie, this was Stephen King’s debut horror novel, printed in 1974. It’s about a deeply religious mother who kept her child, Carrie, in the dark for most of her life. When she has to attend public high school, in the real world, Carrie is the subject of abuse and bully from the other students.

I own both the 1976 film (starring Sissy Spacek) and the 2013 film (starring Chloë Grace Moretz). I did not bother with The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999), which really had little connection to Stephen King’s work. In fact, that movie was called The Curse, but it was re-written and forced itself as a sequel.

As for Flanagan, I first came across his work in Oculus in 2013, and loved what I saw. He sort of became the King of Horror when his Netflix deals resulted in these highly acclaimed horror television shows: The Haunting of Hill House (2018), The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), Midnight Mass (2021), Midnight Club (2022), and The Fall of the House of Usher (2023). Whatever Flanagan worked on, it was pure gold. My personal favorite is Midnight Mass.

Anyway, with Carrie, they’ve had to modernized the setting a little. Kids now have cellphones and their bullying is taken online on Instagram or social media. Since Carrie was raised, basically in a closet, she doesn’t know anything about her biology or the events of the world (like school shooting). It’s quite interesting that the other kids’ go-to is to bully and make fun of Carrie. I don’t really think that’s what kids are like, are they?

If you’ve seen the film, or read the novel, you know that Carrie has this telekinesis power that surfaced when she’s under extreme stress. You know how it ends – at the prom and the pig’s blood. However, Flanagan adds in other elements in the film. I won’t say too much, but let’s just say there must be a sequel. That sequel will have nothing to do with the novel, but I’m very interested in where it’s going and how it will end.

I like all the high school teachers. Hated the mother (obviously she’s written to be hated). Hated the rich brat girl bully. I mean, I get it, she’s supposed to be mean, but I never really understood why she’s that way. When we’re told why she is, because of her father, I still didn’t get it. Then there is Carrie. She’s supposed to be smart and have read all these books… yet, she’s also written like she was so naïve.

There is one gripe I have with the show – the short-haired bleached blonde girl. To me, it was so obvious… but when Carrie found out the truth, I was like, “really?” I guess for most viewers, they’re going to be surprised. I just didn’t think it worked, because it was just so obvious.

I think Carrie is Flanagan’s first post-Netflix horror series, and I think Amazon has a hit on their hands. I think he’ll be tackling Stephen King’s The Dark Tower and The Mist next… even though he’s already committed to Clayface (the DC Comics movie) for James Gunn’s DC Universe.

So, definitely check out Carrie, if you have Amazon Prime.

Resident Evil (2026)

As cheesy or not very game-accurate as those Mila Milovich’s Resident Evil movies were, count me in as a big fan of her movies. It’s always Mila time for this Weekend Gamer.

With the latest Resident Evil film, it’s basically starting with a blank canvas: everything is unknown, everything is new, and cuts ties with all the previous Resident Evil films. What we have in the 2026 film is a truly horrifying movie… but with slight nods to the video game that it was based on. You do not need to have played those video games to follow this film. It stands on its own, and that is a good thing, in my opinion.

Like the video game, this new movie has different stages. The first stage is the farm house. Then the city street of Racoon City. Then the hospital and navigating to the final stage. All this time, you’re being followed by this unstoppable/unkillable spider-human-thing. Truly horrifying.

It was a wild ride, and every time I thought I knew where the story is going, it does it differently. You can love it or hate it, but that ending was not something I wanted. I think a lot of fans had a problem with the ending. It was a choice. I honestly feel bad for the courier, who was just trying to deliver this item to the Racoon City hospital.

Like I said, I really like the film. I own all the Resident Evil movies on Bluray, and will be happy to add the 2026 to my collection.

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