Stephen King’s debut horror novel Carrie has proven itself to be a staple of horror classics. With Mike Flanagan’s television adaptation set for release October 2026, here’s a look back at every film adaptation of the telekinetic icon.
Carrie (1976)
Carrie, directed by Brian De Palma, is a supernatural horror film written by Lawrence D. Cohen based upon the Stephen King novel of the same name. The film focuses on Carrie, a 16-year-old high school student who is shy and frequently bullied. Carrie is ridiculed by her fellow female classmates after having her first period, as her religious mother Margaret claims they were caused by sin. The gym teacher Miss Collins intervenes, forcing them to “exercise detention”, including Carrie’s bully Chris Hargensen. Chris refuses, ultimately being banned from Prom. In retaliation, Chris and her boyfriend Billy Nolan sneak out to a farm to fill a bucket with pig’s blood so they can drop it on Carrie at Prom. Meanwhile, Carrie’s classmate Sue Snell feels bad for Carrie, asking her boyfriend Tommy Ross to invite her to Prom. Margaret forbids Carrie from going to Prom, calling her sinful after realizing Carrie gains supernatural powers under extreme emotional duress. After Chris and Billy set off their prank, covering Carrie in pig’s blood in front of the entire school after tricking her to become Prom Queen, Carrie unleashes her rage, burning the school down and killing everyone inside. Arriving home, her mother stabs her, leaving just enough time for Carrie to telekinetically stab her mother to death before dying herself. Sue Snell remains as the sole survivor, plagued by nightmares about Carrie and the charred remains of Carrie’s home.
The film stars actors Sissy Spacek as Carrie White, Amy Irving as Sue Snell, William Katt as Tommy Ross, and Nancy Allen as Chris Hargensen. John Travolta plays Billy Nolan, Betty Buckley plays Miss Collins, P.J. Soles plays Norma Watson, and Sydney Lassick plays Mr. Fromm. Stefan Gierasch plays Mr. Morton, Priscilla Pointer plays Mrs. Snell, and Piper Laurie plays Margaret White.
Carrie can be watched for free on Tubi, YouTube Movies, and Pluto TV. It can also be rented off of Fandango, Google Play Movies, and Apple TV.
The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)
The Rage: Carrie 2, directed by Katt Shea, is a supernatural horror film written by Rafael Moreu. It focuses on Rachel Lang, an outcast high school student who lives with her foster parents Boyd and Emilyn. Rachel’s mother Barbara Lang was institutionalized 10 years earlier upon witnessing Rachel use telekinesis, believing it to be demonic possession. Her best friend Lisa commits suicide after her boyfriend and football player Eric Stark breaks up with her, having only been dating her for sex. After discovering their relationship while developing film about Lisa, Rachel goes to the town sheriff alongside guidance counselor Sue Snell to pursue statutory rape charges against Eric, as he was 18 and Lisa was merely 16. However, being threatened by the families of the football team, the district attorney covers up Eric’s charges. Sue suspects Rachel has telekinetic powers through their therapy sessions, so she tracks down Barbara Lang, learning through her that Rachel’s true father was Ralph White, Carrie White’s father. Sue helps sneak Barbara out of the psych ward to try and convince Rachel of her father’s true identity. Meanwhile, Football Captain Mark Bing secretly films a date between Rachel and Jesse, inviting them to a party at his house. After showing Rachel and Jesse’s sex tape to the whole party, Rachel enters a state of rage, activating her telekinetic powers. Sue and Barbara make it to the party at the last minute, but Sue is impaled by a fire poker, killing her. Barbara once again accuses her daughter of being possessed and runs away, while Rachel continues her rampage of killing her classmates. Confronting Jesse, Rachel realizes he wasn’t aware of the plan to humiliate her, using her last moments of life to save Jesse from the collapsing house, dying in the process.
The film stars Emily Bergl as Rachel Lang, a girl with psychokinetic powers, Jason London as Jesse Ryan, a jock who Rachel falls in love with, Dylan Bruno as Mark Bing, the captain of the football team, and J. Smith-Cameron as Barbara Lang, Rachel’s biological mother. Mena Suvari plays Lisa Parker, Rachel’s best friend who commits suicide, Kate Skinner plays Emilyn, Rachel’s foster mother, Charlotte Ayanna plays Tracy Campbell, a cheerleader interested in Jesse, Zachary Ty Bryan plays Eric Stark, a football player who breaks up with Lisa, and Rachel Blanchard plays Monica Jones, Tracy’s best friend. Amy Irving returns as Sue Snell, now a guidance counselor, while Sissy Spacek appears as Carrie White again through the use of archival footage.
The Rage: Carrie 2 can be watched for free on Tubi, YouTube Movies, the Roku Channel, and Pluto TV. It can also be rented off of Fandango.
Carrie (2002)
Carrie, directed by David Carson, is a supernatural horror film written for television by Bryan Fuller. The film begins with police questioning Sue Snell and gym teacher Rita Desjarden about the disappearance of Carrie White. The interviews reveal flashbacks surrounding Carrie’s disappearance and the arson she caused. After having her first period, Carrie is mocked by her classmates, causing Miss Desjarden to step in and comfort Carrie, who’s sent home for the day. Carrie has a slight emotional outburst when the principal calls her by the wrong name, moving his desk a few inches via telekinesis. Chris, one of Carrie’s bullies, is banned from prom after ditching detention. Sue Snell, feeling sorry for bullying Carrie, asks her boyfriend Tommy Ross to take Carrie to prom. Carrie begrudgingly accepts, attacking her religious mother Margaret with telekinesis afterwards when she forbids Carrie from going. Carrie and Tommy are falsely elected Prom King and Queen, allowing Chris and her boyfriend Billy to cover Carrie in pig’s blood in front of the entire school. The bucket holding the pig blood falls on Tommy’s head, killing him. Carrie enters a trance induced by shock, causing an electrical fire after bringing down the lights, which triggers the sprinkler system. She proceeds to use her telekinesis to rip an electronic scoreboard to the ground, electrocuting everyone else in the room. Miss Desjarden manages to escape with a few students, as Carrie walks through the rest of town leaving destruction in her wake. Awaking in the bathtub at home, Carrie has no recollection of the events of her trance, only learning of it when her mother walks in to drown her, accusing her of witchcraft. Carrie must ultimately kill her own mother but passes out in the process. She is resuscitated by Sue Snell, who convinces her to fake her death as they drive off to hide away in Florida.
The film stars Angela Bettis as Carrie White, Patricia Clarkson as Margaret White, Kandyse McClure as Sue Snell, Emilie de Ravin as Chris Hargensen, Tobias Mehler as Tommy Ross, and Jesse Cadotte as Billy Nolan. Rena Sofer plays Miss Desjarden, the gym teacher, Katharine Isabelle plays Tina Blake, a popular girl who bullies Carrie, and David Keith plays Detective John Mulcahey, who’s looking into the disappearance of Carrie White.
Carrie (2002) can be watched for free on Tubi, YouTube Movies, and Pluto TV. It can also be rented off of Fandango, Google Play Movies, and Apple TV.
Carrie (2013)
Carrie, directed by Kimberly Pierce, is a supernatural horror film written by Lawrence D. Cohen and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasca. The film follows Carrie, an unpopular shy high school girl. Showering after gym class, Carrie experiences her first period, unaware of what it is due to her religious mother Margaret. She freaks out, yelling for help as the other girls ridicule her by throwing tampons and pads at her. Carrie’s bully Chris Hargensen films the incident and uploads it to YouTube. Carrie is comforted by the Gym Teacher Miss Desjardin, who sends her home to her cruel religious mother. Margaret locks Carrie in a “prayer closet”, much to Carrie’s protest, as a crack appears in the closet door – the first sign of Carrie’s telekinetic abilities. Chris Hargensen is banned from prom after refusing detention, while Sue Snell regrets her actions and asks her boyfriend Tommy Ross to take Carrie to prom. Margaret attempts to stop Carrie from going to prom but is locked in the prayer closet by Carrie through her telekinesis. Chris works with her boyfriend Billy Nolan and her best friend Tina Blake to fake Carrie and Tommy as Prom Queen and King, dowsing Carrie in pig’s blood in front of the entire school and killing Tommy with the falling bucket. An electrical wire clashes with a splash of water, inciting a fire that kills everyone at the school. Chris and Billy attempt to drive away but are killed in a car crash caused by Carrie. Carrie arrives home and takes a bath, but is attacked by her mother with a knife, whom Carrie kills with many sharp tools. Sue arrives at the house, which begins to get crushed by falling stones. Carrie, detecting that Sue is pregnant, saves Sue’s life from the collapsing home, seemingly dying in the process.
The film stars Chloe Grace Moretz as Carrie White, Julianne Moore as Margaret White, Judy Greer as Miss Desjardin, Gabriella Wilde as Sue Snell, and Portia Doubleday as Chris Hargensen. Alex Russell plays Billy Nolan, Ansel Elgort plays Tommy Ross, and Zoe Belkin plays Tina Blake.
Carrie (2013) can be watched for free on Tubi, YouTube Movies, and Pluto TV. It can also be rented off of Fandango, Google Play Movies, and Apple TV.
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