Carrie

What’s it about?

After her father’s sudden death, Carrie finds herself battling the challenges of attending high school, a bullying scandal, and the emergence of mysterious telekinetic powers. A new reimagining of the Stephen King story.

The facts 

• Directed by Mike Flanagan (The Life of Chuck, Midnight Mass)
• Co-produced by Stephen King
• English language 
• Runtime: Eight episode that are between 48 and 59 minutes each 
• Adapted from the book by Stephen King

Why did it get this rating? 

This series was self-rated by Prime Video. You can find out more about self-rating by streaming providers here.

Suicide

An adult character is found after suiciding. We don't see the act occur, but see their legs dangling and understand what has happened.

Domestic violence

A woman and teenage girl are found shut in a cupboard in a house after the father is killed at work. It is discovered the girl has never left the house her whole life and the woman hasn't left the house in years.

A character is emotionally abused and heavily controlled by her mother, who forces her to kneel for hours in a "prayer closet".

Bullying

Teenagers throw tampons at a distressed teenage character who has just had her first period and livestream her on social media.

There is a prolonged campaign of humiliation by some students against one teenager at the high school. The bullying includes cyber-bullying, lying, manipulation, and physical humiliation including deliberately frightening a character at night.

The bullying culminates at prom when a bucket of (pig's) blood is poured over a person on stage in front of everyone.

Violence

A school shooter drill is held, and one character is particularly distressed by it.

A high school gym is set on fire, trapping people inside and burning them alive. The show opens with footage of the fire spreading through the school and then surrounding buildings of the town, and we hear distraught people calling emergency services, describing that they can see dead bodies.

The final episode depicts what happened inside the school gym as the fire starts and spreads, and it is full of screaming people and gory injuries. We see one person with their skull caved in and watch his face as he dies. People catch on fire, and someone is electrocuted for a prolonged time. Many people are killed.

Other violent acts include car crashes, smashed noses, stabbings, torn-off limbs, and people being crushed. A lot of those are enacted by telekinesis. 

Offensive language

Offensive language used throughout the show includes "f*cking", "pissed", "sh*t", "b*tch", "c*nt", and "f*ckwit".

Helplines

The suicide and bullying themes could be upsetting for some viewers, especially for those who have gone through similar experiences. If you are struggling with what you have seen on screen, please reach out for help. If you or someone you know needs to talk:

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information 

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?