‘Carrie’ Cast & Characters Guide

More than 50 years after its publication, Stephen King’s Carrie is returning to the screen in a new eight-episode series from Prime Video.

First published in 1974, Carrie was King’s debut novel and became the book that launched his career. Just two years later, director Brian De Palma brought the story to theaters with Sissy Spacek in the title role. The horror classic has since inspired a 1999 sequel, a 2002 television adaptation and a 2013 remake starring Chloë Grace Moretz.

Now, filmmaker Mike Flanagan is putting his own spin on King’s novel with a new eight-episode series for Prime Video. Flanagan is no stranger to literary horror adaptations, with projects including The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor and The Fall of the House of Usher. Carrie reunites him with Stephen King after previously adapting Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep and The Life of Chuck.

Carrie premieres October 7, 2026, on Prime Video, with all eight episodes being released at the same time. Keep reading to learn more about the series and the characters at the center of this new adaptation.

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What Is ‘Carrie’ About?

Carrie follows Carrie White, a shy and sheltered teenager who has spent most of her life isolated from the outside world under the strict control of her deeply religious mother, Margaret. Following the unexpected death of her father, Carrie is suddenly thrown into public high school, forcing her to face the world of teenage friendships and drama for the first time.

Her arrival at school quickly makes her a target for bullying, with this modern adaptation incorporating social media and online harassment into the cruelty Carrie faces from her classmates. But as Carrie struggles to fit in, something else is changing. She begins to discover that she possesses telekinetic abilities, giving her the power to move and manipulate objects with her mind.

Watch the official trailer for Carrie below for a closer look at Mike Flanagan’s new take on the Stephen King classic:

The Prime Video series expands Stephen King’s novel across eight episodes, giving Flanagan more room to explore Carrie and the events leading up to the story’s infamous conclusion while putting a modern spin on the horror classic.

Meet the Cast of ‘Carrie’

Here’s a look at the main cast of Mike Flanagan’s Carrie:

Summer H. Howell as Carrie White

Known from: Spirit in the Blood, Hunter Hunter, Curse of Chucky, Night of the Reaper

Carrie White is a sheltered teenager who has spent her entire life at home with her parents, largely cut off from the outside world. After her father’s sudden death, her mother enrolls her in public high school for the first time, and at first, she is excited about the opportunity.

That makes this version of Carrie noticeably different from previous portrayals. Rather than introducing her as already fearful and withdrawn, Mike Flanagan’s Carrie is described as curious, kind and eager to connect with people. Her openness is gradually tested as she becomes the target of increasingly cruel bullying, both at school and online. At the same time, Carrie begins discovering powerful telekinetic abilities she never knew she possessed.

Summer H. Howell landed the role after an extensive casting search that considered more than 1,400 actors. Flanagan also encouraged Howell not to base her performance on earlier versions of Carrie, allowing her to develop a distinctly different take on the character.

Samantha Sloyan as Margaret White

Known from: Grey’s Anatomy, The Pitt, Hush, The Fall of the House of Usher

Margaret White is Carrie’s extremely religious and overprotective mother, who has kept her daughter isolated from the outside world for most of her life. Following the death of her husband, Margaret is forced to confront a world she has spent years trying to shut out when Carrie is sent to public high school.

While Margaret remains controlling and deeply fearful of the world beyond their home, Mike Flanagan’s version of the character differs from many previous portrayals. This Margaret genuinely loves Carrie and believes that keeping her sheltered is the best way to protect her. But that love quickly becomes possessive, and her unwillingness to let Carrie experience a life beyond her control leaves her daughter trapped between the cruelty she faces at school and an increasingly restrictive home life.

Samantha Sloyan is a frequent collaborator of Flanagan’s, having previously appeared in Hush, The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass and The Fall of the House of Usher.

Siena Agudong as Sue Snell

Known from: Resident Evil, Sidelined: The QB and Me, The 4:30 Movie, No Good Nick

Sue Snell is one of Carrie’s classmates at Chamberlain High and initially takes part in the bullying she faces at her new school. Unlike some of the other girls, however, Sue quickly begins to feel guilty about the way Carrie has been treated and becomes uncomfortable with the increasingly cruel remarks and pranks.

Her remorse eventually pushes her to try to make things right, and Sue begins looking for a way to give Carrie a positive high school experience instead. That effort ultimately involves her boyfriend, Tommy Ross, whom Sue encourages to reach out to Carrie and take her to prom. What begins as an attempt to ease her own guilt develops into genuine concern for Carrie as she sees the toll the bullying begins to take on her.

Alison Thornton as Chris Hargensen

Known from: Dare Me, School Spirits, Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce, Elle, Girl Gone Bad

Chris Hargensen is one of Carrie’s classmates and the driving force behind much of the bullying she experiences at school. As Chamberlain High’s “popular girl”, Chris quickly singles Carrie out and makes her the newest target of her cruelty.

Like many classic bullies, Chris is going through her own issues. Her home life is far from perfect, and as things begin to worsen, she lashes out at the people she believes she can control. Carrie becomes an easy target, while Chris’s friendship with Sue becomes increasingly strained as Sue begins to regret her own involvement in the bullying.

When Chris is finally forced to face consequences for her behavior, she refuses to accept them. Instead of backing down, she becomes even more determined to get revenge, escalating her campaign against Carrie and setting the stage for a much more dramatic confrontation.

Joel Oulette as Tommy Ross

Known from: My Life with the Walter Boys, Descendants: Wicked Wonderland, Abducted

Tommy Ross is Sue Snell’s boyfriend and a popular athlete at the school. Unlike many of his classmates, Tommy has little interest in making Carrie’s life more difficult and generally treats her with kindness.

After Sue begins feeling guilty about her role in Carrie’s bullying, she asks Tommy to help her make amends by taking Carrie to prom instead of her. Tommy is initially hesitant, but eventually agrees and asks Carrie to be his date. What starts as a favor to Sue becomes something more sincere as Tommy gets to know Carrie and makes an effort to ensure she feels comfortable and included.

For Carrie, Tommy represents a rare opportunity to experience a normal part of teenage life after years of isolation. His attention gives her a reason to believe that things at school might finally be changing for the better.

Josie Totah as Tina Blake

Known from: Saved by the Bell, The Buccaneers, Champions, Spider-Man: Homecoming

Tina Blake is a member of Chris Hargensen’s close-knit friend group and one of the students who joins in the bullying of Carrie. Tina tends to follow Chris’s lead, even when that means taking part in increasingly cruel behavior toward their new classmate.

Tina is also one of the biggest perpetrators of the online bullying Carries faces. She helps turn Carrie’s embarrassing moments into content for other students to see and share, making it much harder for Carrie to escape the attention she never wanted.

As tensions within the group grow, Tina remains firmly in Chris’s corner. While Sue begins questioning how far they have gone, Tina is far less willing to break ranks, keeping her closely tied to Chris as the conflict with Carrie escalates.

Arthur Conti as Billy Nolan

Known from: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, & Sons, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

Billy Nolan is Chris Hargensen’s rebel boyfriend who is more than willing to go along with her worst impulses. Their relationship is volatile, with the two feeding off each other’s anger and recklessness rather than keeping one another out of trouble.

When Chris becomes determined to get revenge on Carrie, Billy becomes her partner in taking things much further. He helps Chris put her plan into motion, turning what began as school bullying into something even more cruel and dangerous. Billy may not have the same personal grudge against Carrie, but that does little to stop him from participating once Chris decides she wants payback.

Thalia Dudek as Emaline

Known from: The Running Man, Better Man, Prisoner

Emaline is a new character introduced for Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of Carrie, with no direct counterpart in Stephen King’s original novel or the previous film adaptations. She is a student at Carrie’s school, but very little has been revealed about Emaline ahead of the series premiere.

Amber Midthunder as Miss Desjardin

Known from: Prey, Legion, The Ice Road, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Novocaine

Miss Desjardin is Carrie’s physical education teacher and one of the few adults at school who recognizes just how badly she is being treated by her classmates. When Carrie experiences a humiliating incident in the girls’ locker room, Miss Desjardin steps in to help her and later holds the students responsible for their behavior.

Rather than dismissing Carrie like many others, Miss Desjardin treats her with kindness and tries to give her some of the support she has been missing at both school and home. She also takes a particularly firm stance against Chris Hargensen when Chris refuses to accept the consequences of bullying Carrie, unintentionally adding to Chris’s growing anger.

Matthew Lillard as Principal Grayle

Known from: Scooby-Doo, Scream, SLC Punk, Hackers, Five Nights at Freddy’s, The Life of Chuck

Principal Grayle is the head of Carrie’s high school and another new character created for Mike Flanagan’s adaptation. As tensions surrounding Carrie and her classmates escalate, Grayle is responsible for maintaining order at the school. When disciplinary action becomes necessary, he finds himself caught in the middle of a growing conflict between the students, their parents and the administration.

Matthew Lillard joins Carrie after previously working with Flanagan on The Life of Chuck. Horror fanatics will recognize him as Stu Macher from the original Scream and, more recently, William Afton in the Five Nights at Freddy’s films, adding another iconic horror property to his already impressive résumé in the genre.

Watch More Horror with DIRECTV

Once you’ve experienced Mike Flanagan’s take on Carrie, there’s plenty more horror waiting for you. October is the perfect time to turn on something scary, and DIRECTV makes it easy to find horror movies and shows across your favorite channels and streaming services.

Keep the scares going and find more horror to watch with DIRECTV.

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