Carrie's Summer Howell Is a Scream Queen for a New Generation

Stephen King's debut novel Carrie has gotten the film treatment four times, including the iconic 1976 Sissy Spacek adaptation, but a television series? That's an undertaking for only Mike Flanagan, the horror auteur behind such spine-tingling shows as The Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep, and Midnight Mass. But when it came down to delivering his version of the story of an isolated teen with telekinetic abilities, Flanagan didn't just want to do another reimagining. He set out to offer a more grounded version set in the age of social media, one that would speak to the unique experiences of teens today.

But first, Flanagan needed to find his Carrie.

Enter Summer Howell. With her cherub-like, youthful features and strawberry-blonde locks, Howell certainly looked the part, but it was the 22-year-old's original take on the shy high school teen, not merely an emulation of Spacek, that caught both Flanagan's and King's attention. After a long audition process, Howell beat out 1400 other actresses to land the covetable part.

Howell herself is no stranger to the horror genre. Her first on-screen role was in Don Mancini's Curse of Chucky at age 9, and she's earned her scream-queen title with a string of chilling performances since—Harland Manor, All Fun and Games, and Night of the Reaper, to name a few. But with Carrie, Howell steps into her most notable role yet. Here, we talk to the rising star about making Carrie White her own, what really went into filming that prom scene, and shifting gears for her next project.

We've seen Stephen King's novel Carrie adapted for the big screen a few times but never as a limited series. What intrigued you about telling this iconic story in this format?

When I got the [audition] sides, I realized the writing was so good. Mike clearly is a talented writer and creator. I really connected with this version of Carrie because she just seems so open and curious and excited to get out into the world. I was happy to play a different version and be able to bring my own thing to the scenes. I hadn't watched the original or read the book, hadn't seen anything really, which shocks me because I've been working in horror since I was 8. I saw it as one big challenge, and I was super excited when I got it.

You beat out something like 1400 other young actresses for the role of Carrie. Can you take me through your audition process?

It was long. It was all self-taped for the first three. I sent one, and then like a month or so went by, and I did another one with new scenes. Another month went by, and I did even more. But then I was getting déjà vu—like, "I'm on the right track right now, and they're gonna want to talk to me." And I was right. That Friday, I ended up doing a work session, which was an hour-long call, maybe more, with the casting team. I was happy Mike wasn't there because I would have been freaking out. I got to do four huge scenes, and I remember saying in one of them… It was meant to be emotional and crying, but I didn't exactly reach that, and I was like, "Let Mike know if he wants tears, they'll happen on the day." I was being bold. I was told I would have the weekend to decompress, wait it out, see what Mike thought. But Mike watched it right away. I was running myself a bath—fully out of character, ready to relax—and I got a text from my manager saying, "Can you get back on the call and do the monologue but with tears? Mike wants to see that." Naturally, I did.

I remember lying on the floor in my room for like half an hour before, telling myself all these affirmations of how far I've come and how I do deserve this. "Don't psych yourself out now." I made it happen, and then on Tuesday (it was April Fools' Day), Mike called me to tell me I had the part. I was in this group hug with my family, and it was a super-special moment that I can replay in my head anytime I want now.

What was your trick to pulling off the tears?

It's funny because [the tears] weren't coming, I think, just with the stress of "I'm back on this call again." But the casting team was so good, and they gave me a note: Imagine your dad could have been here for this moment, listening to you give this speech to this room full of people. I'm a sensitive girl. I'm really emotional, and I like to use that in my work, so that was the perfect flip of the switch. I was like, "Okay, stop talking. I'm ready to do it."

You won over Stephen King with what he said was your "amazing and interesting take on the character." Where did you pull from to make Carrie your own?

The way she was written, to me, it was quite obvious that she was curious and excited and wanted to get out there and experience things and meet people. That was important to me, to show that side of her—the curiosity, the gratefulness, like every object in the room she's grateful for because it's all new to her. So I tried to bring that, and I think it worked. That's a big part of why I got the role is because Mike was seeing so many tapes where they were trying to emulate Sissy Spacek. And I didn't watch it purposely because I wanted to do my own thing. I like being original in my auditions to try to stand out, and it worked out this time.

You and Mike made this decision early on that you wouldn't watch any previous versions of Carrie until after you wrapped to not influence your performance. How was it watching Sissy Spacek's Carrie after the fact? Did it make you think about your own performance differently?

It was fascinating. I was really lucky. I got to watch it with most of our cast and Mike and a bunch of Vancouver locals who came out, because we had a screening at the Rio Theatre. It's bizarre having filmed the whole series based on this character that I know and built my own version for and then seeing her roots, where she comes from, and why it's an iconic thing. I understand now why it's a classic. It was crazy seeing all the beats that we hit and the iconic moments. We know we're going to prom, but there are also many more things that are in it. But we also got to fill in the gap and expand it into a series, and Mike got to dive into more details from the book, like with the [telekinesis] gene that got glossed over in past films. It was just insanely cool, and I can't believe my life is like this.

The series brings the story into the 21st century by showcasing the brutal indignities of teen bullying and coming of age as a young woman through the lens of social media. Having grown up in the age of social media, how could you relate to what these teens are experiencing?

I went to public school, so I definitely experienced what comes with social media and seeing how people can use it against you. You know, all the weird accounts that get made in high school. My high school had an account to roast how people parked in the parking lot. So you can imagine how crazy it gets with people's appearances and how they act and who they are. It's sad because you should be able to make mistakes while you're growing up and not have it documented and shown to other people, but sadly, that's the world we're now in. It's a slippery slope, and it's hard to shut it out because my generation's been programmed to be addicted to our phones and the internet, so it's just normal to go home and be on it and not let yourself have your own space and calm yourself. You can't get away from the bullies as easily. They follow you home. You gotta build a stronger trust with yourself, which is hard to do when you're so young.

I love that we see Carrie make her own clothes in the series. How did that influence your fittings and the wardrobe direction for this character?

Tammy Joe, our head of wardrobe, was so easy to work with and very collaborative. It was always about my comfort with things and what made sense to my storyline. But it's fun with Carrie because she makes her own clothes. She loves sewing, and the idea was that she has these different patterns. So you'll see the same-shaped skirts in many episodes, but then she alters things as she learns what's cool and what the kids are doing in school. So she's a quick learner. She takes notes that way, and you'll see a top changes into a different version of the top later on. She gets to have fun with that, and you get to see a whole storyline arc through her clothing.

You spend a lot of scenes with your on-screen mother, played by Samantha Sloyan, who is fantastic in this role. How was it building that very dependent mother-daughter relationship with her?

It's funny. It felt easy, which I feel like I shouldn't take for granted ever because you don't usually get time beforehand. We had three weeks of rehearsals together, so we really got to know each other, our characters, and what we had planned for ourselves, and then meshing that with each other. She's just so lovely. Sam teaches you how to be without trying. You just want to be like her because she's so kind and just an incredible actor. She's made it this far for a reason, and I feel like she was meant to play Margaret. It felt very easy, and even in the times where we were doing intense scenes, we know it's all fake, and we're just here to create art and have a good time. Vibes were always good.

When you are working on an intense scene, which often comes with any horror project, what do you do to get yourself out of that headspace at the end of the day?

I was working 12-hour days, sometimes covered in a sticky substance the whole time. It was long, so I really only had weekends and the nighttime, and even then, it's like you have to account for drive time. So you just gotta make the most of every moment of rest. I've gotten very big into self-care and just making sure mentally I'm okay, so eating and sleeping were the other half of my job. I would go home and put on a familiar podcast and just zone out and go to bed.

What podcast were you listening to?

There's really only one podcast that I listen to. It's just a comfort thing, but it's called Distractible. It's this YouTuber, Markiplier, who is now getting into film. He just did his first movie, Iron Lung. I'd love to work with him. I think he's great. He's a very funny guy, and his two friends, Bob [Muyskens] and Wade [Barnes], are on the podcast. They just talk to each other about things. You don't have to pay attention too hard.

The prom scene in Carrie is an iconic moment in cinematic history. Talk to me about filming Flanagan's version of it.

Mike said that it was the hardest [scene]. He's done hard things before, but it was one of the hardest sequences to pull off, and we only had two weeks, maybe a little less, to do it. I think I was covered in blood for, like, nine days of it. My character is in this weird headspace, so there were a couple days of no blood, just dancing, having a good time, and then the rest was blood, terror. I don't speak as much, so it felt simple, but it wasn't. There are big set pieces, and the timing of things with certain departments—like the sprinkler that messes up the blood if they keep going, the fires they had to deal with, and simple things like popping balloons—proved to be very difficult. There's a lot.

The horror genre is having such a moment right now, and it's something you've worked in for the majority of your career. In your opinion, what are the pieces that make a great horror script?

How you write the characters. We see this with Carrie. We all feel terrible for her the whole time, so there is heartbreak that comes with it. Personally, I don't watch a lot of gory horror. I can't. But I love the way Mike did The Fall of the House of Usher that you wanted these people to die the whole time. But then there's Haunting of Hill House, where you're bawling by the end. So anything that can make me feel, that's my job, really—to make people feel. When you can do that, it just makes it better. Also, when there's comedy as well, the comedic relief, I always appreciate that.

You have been doing horror projects since you were 8 years old, which is wild. Are you craving something else as an actor?

Probably an action-adventure or a dramedy. I'd like to branch out a little bit. It would be nice. As much as I love horror… I respect the genre. It's brought me this far, and I'll continue to do more. Don't get me wrong. It would be nice to go to work and [not] have to cry that day or scream my lungs out. I did an action movie recently for the first time. It will be coming out sometime next year. I also keep saying I want to play a mythical woodland elf, a fairy, or something—something strong, though. I want to use a sword, feminine but strong.

Catch all episodes of Carrie, now streaming exclusively on Prime Video.

Photographer: Jonny Marlow
Stylist: Katya Netter
Hairstylist: Joseph Chase
Makeup Artist: Akina Shimizu