Halloween is nearly here, and plenty of folks like to watch the best horror movies and to celebrate spooky season. Luckily for horror fans we've also been treated to some A+ TV content, including Mike Flanagan's Carrie (which is streaming with an Amazon Prime subscription) and the Friday the 13th prequel Crystal Lake (streaming with a Peacock subscription). Folks are comparing these two shows, but I'm not, for one big reason.
Flanagan's book to screen adaptation of Carrie hit earlier this fall, and the show was recently renewed for a second season on Amazon. Crystal Lake dropped after that show ended, and I've seen plenty of discourse online about which scary series is better. I understand the urge to group the two shows together, but I think that their time setting allows for some distance between the titles.
The Show's Settings Allow Them To Stand On Their Own.
Carrie is a modern take on Stephen King's novel, and succeeds because Mike Flanagan bring something new to the beloved story. The White family are shown as recluses and extremists, which is why Carrie is so clueless when dropped into a high school full of teens who are cursing, having sex, partying, and cyber bullying. The classic story is brought to a modern world, to tantalizing results.
Meanwhile, Crystal Lake is very much a period piece akin to the original Friday the 13th movie. The movie is firmly set in the 1970s, with the production design and costumes helping to immerse audiences in the titular setting. It's for this reason that I think both shows are able to have their place in the pop culture landscape without needing to be directly compared or put in competition with each other.
Crystal Lake has been making some changes to Friday the 13th lore, and is a classic slasher when things get violent. Meanwhile, Carrie is a slow burn psychological drama which follows Summer H. Howell's title character as she harnesses her telekinetic powers and finds her own strength against bullies as well as her mother. Pamela Vorhees and Margaret White are two very different mothers, which is another reason why I'm not sure trying to compare these shows is the right move.
Instead, I think both Carrie and Crystal Lake are quality TV shows that bring something new to beloved horror franchises. Attempted to rank them feels futile; they are very different projects I think horror fans should enjoy this bounty of riches rather than trying to pit them against each other.
Both Crystal Lake and Carrie are streaming in their entirety now as part of the 2026 TV schedule. The latter has been renewed for a second season, so we'll have to wait and see if the Linda Cardinelli-led series gets the same treatment.
