‘Carrie’ (2026) Ending Confirms A Major Stephen King Connection (And Sets Up A Wild Sequel)
Carrie (2026) is a big swing from Mike Flanagan and his team, taking a lot of liberties with the classic Stephen King story of the same name. While the underlying story is still the same, it's been severely updated for the modern era. The multi-episode expansion gives the established characters depth while finding a way to introduce more connections to King’s other stories.
The biggest change comes into play during the finale, when the titular young woman actually escapes the climax of the show with her life. In the process, her powers are given a genuine connection to the abilities in The Shining (1980). It’s a clever way to combine the stories into a shared universe and sets up a wild Season 2.
‘Carrie’s Wild Ending Confirms A Connection To ‘The Shining’
Carrie’s ending sets up a bright and open-ended future for the young woman, including the confirmation that the show exists alongside a version of The Shining. While most versions of Carrie (including the source material) end with her death, in the Prime Video version, she’s saved by her friend Emaline. Although Emaline had been briefly thought to be a figment of Carrie’s imagination, it turns out she’s another empowered young woman. While she doesn’t have Carrie’s telekinetic abilities, she can astral project herself away from her body. These powers are seemingly grouped together under the wider umbrella of the Shining, as is heavily implied by the mysterious woman who interrogates (and then kills) Margaret White in the season finale. “Shining” refers to the mysterious abilities that some people possess.
Established in The Shining and expanded upon in Doctor Sleep (2019), the Shine can seemingly have different manifestations. Some, like Danny Torrance and Dick Hallorann from The Shining and It: Welcome to Derry (2025) respectively, have a form of telepathy and a sixth sense when it comes to spirits and supernatural entities. Others, like Snakebite Andi in Doctor Sleep, are shown to have the power of suggestion, similar to the woman who kills Margaret.
The woman noting that their powers are “a shine” suggests they are firmly aware of the full scope of their abilities. Previously, there’s been no formal connection between people with powers, although explaining Carrie’s telekinesis as a manifestation of the Shining is a clever way to bridge the two Stephen King properties together. While it’s unclear at this point just how connected the two stories are—it’s possible that Carrie encounters characters like Abra from Doctor Sleep or even Danny and Dick depending on how the timeline shakes out—it’s clear the new Carrie has found a way to plant itself firmly in the Shining-heavy corner of the world.
Carrie’s Survival Could Set Up A Wild Season 2
Carrie ending with the titular young woman alive and on the run opens up the door for plenty of storytelling potential in a prospective Season 2. Carrie is taken into the wider world by Emaline, with the latter suggesting that they can go and do whatever they want with their abilities. The fact that the other women with the Shine are tracking them suggests that Emaline was somehow connected to them and that their last meeting went poorly—something that could explain why Emaline was shot off-screen in the season finale. There's also a major question about the morality of the organization. They're willing to use their powers to kill people, but it's unknown at this point whether that's out of a feeling of necessity or whether it's just easier to contend with problems that way.
They could prove to be monstrous figures trying to force Emaline (and now Carrie) to join their ranks. They could also be more noble in their intentions, and Emaline could be more dangerous than she initially appears. The ending of the show strongly suggests that the conflict between the two women and the group would be a major focus in a prospective Season 2, which is only going to be further complicated by the mysterious group that seemingly hunts down and kills people with powers. This could also be a good way to further connect the series to the wider world of Stephen King stories, explaining how they know the phrase "Shining" when it was apparently codified by Dick Hallorann's grandmother in the continuity of The Shining. As Deadline reported, Mike Flanagan already has plans for two more seasons of the show, suggesting all these teasers do have answers. Here’s hoping Prime Video moves forward with the next two seasons, which could hopefully answer these questions and create a more shared bedrock between the world of The Shining and Carrie.
