‘Heartbreaking’ Carrie reboot leaves viewers with unanswered question about main character

Prime Video’s reboot of Stephen King’s Carrie has finally arrived - and fans can’t get over the ‘evil’ behaviour of one particular character.

Just in time for Halloween, American filmmaker Mike Flanagan’s reimagining of the classic horror tale dropped onto the streaming platform on 7 October.

Starring Summer H. Howell as the titular character, the eight-episode series follows teenager Carrie White after her father's sudden death.

Raised by her overprotective mother, she enters public high school, where she faces a viral bullying scandal and discovers mysterious telekinetic powers.

A lot of eyes have been on the TV show, as it had big boots to fill after the iconic 1976 version of Carrie starring Sissy Spacek, who received an Academy Award for her performance. This was followed by a 2013 version where Chloë Grace Moretz played the character.

Now, the latest adaptation tells the horror story through a Gen Z lens, in which social media plays a huge part.

And as we say, one specific character has left viewers shocked - Carrie’s bully, Chris Hargensen, played by Alison Thornton.

She’s a popular girl who torments Carrie and helps orchestrate the humiliation that leads to the infamous prom-night massacre.

However, viewers are struggling to understand why the character had it in for Carrie so much, and what exactly her problem was.

One social media user questioned: “I just finished watching Carrie. Someone, please explain to me: wtf was this girl’s problem with Carrietta initially?”

While a second asked: “I just finished watching #Carrie. Can someone tell me WTF was this girl’s problem with Carrietta was in the first place?”

A third wrote: They never explain in the book nor the movies why she is the way she is, she’s just evil.”

A fourth chimed in with: “She LITERALLY had no reason to treat Carrie the way she treated her. Maybe it was because she was going through such a shit situation, but she didn't have to dispose all of her bulls*** to Carrie, while she could actually find some help and support…”

A fifth guessed: “Even though there is no specific reason, I think that her life was falling apart (her college, dad, ect.) and tormenting Carrie was her only sense of control that she had.”

While a sixth agreed: “Carrie was a soft target and could be used as a punching bag when her life started going to s***.”

And a seventh quipped: “I’m on episode 4. From what I can gather so far, she’s just a heartless b**** that was upset with the s*** going on in her own life and projected those feelings onto Carrie.”

Meanwhile, others have praised the new series, describing it as both ‘heartbreaking’ and ‘incredible’.

One X user wrote: “That new version of Carrie takes a different path, but it's well worth taking. Heartbreaking but also relevant, with something to say about social media and how a smartphone in the hands of some teens is like giving a 5-year-old the keys to your car. Bad things will happen.”

A second added: “Still thinking about the incredible ending of carrie’s penultimate episode… her covered in pig’s blood as everyone laughs, her rage building before the screen cuts to black and all we hear are screams… I never clicked on the next episode so fast #carrie.”

And a third wrote: “There has been a #Carrie adaptation for every generation. Crazy how this Stephen King story always stands the test of time.”