Steven Prusakowski
There is one prom scene to end all prom scenes. It captures the idea that high school is often hell, culminating in a bloody explosion of rage and destruction. The scene was written by Stephen King in his debut novel, then first brought to life in Brian De Palma’s 1976 film starring Sissy Spacek, and it now serves as the climax of Mike Flanagan’s brilliant Prime Video series. Of course, I’m talking about the prom scene from Carrie.
Flanagan’s version of the scene shares many of the iconic elements while adding some unique touches to the lore. During filming, he and his cast knew they were bringing something iconic to life. Awards Radar sat down with the cast and had them recall the monumental task of shooting the scene.
For Summer H. Howell, bringing Carrie White’s infamous prom to life was an experience unlike anything she had ever encountered. “It felt like a fever dream. Yeah, there’s so many people, so many background and moving parts, special effects. We tried to do practical effects for the most part,” Howell recalled. “And so if things don’t go perfectly, it could set us back and tensions can rise, but we really pushed through. There was a lot of fire inside and just long, hot days covered in sticky red blood.”
As Howell quickly discovered, not all blood is created equal, and pulling off the classic Carrie look required several different varieties, each serving a specific purpose. “There’s many different types of blood I’ve now learned. What goes on my dress versus what’s falling versus what’s on my skin, my head. And then there’s eye blood that won’t sting my eyes. So I’d wear goggles in the blood tent every morning and they’d put it on me for 40 minutes and I’d just stand there and try to meditate.”
Spending hours covered in blood under hot lights wasn’t exactly comfortable, but Howell was a good sport throughout the demanding shoot. “My job for all of prom was to basically stay calm, set the tone, make sure I wasn’t complaining the whole time, because I feel like that would have been miserable for everybody,” she explained. “But yeah, I had a really good time. It was long and we did it.”
For Alison Thornton, who plays Carrie’s biggest antagonist, Chris Hargensen, recreating one of horror’s most recognizable moments was a surreal thrill. “It was amazing because the whole cast was there and we just got to hang out and play games and it felt really iconic, like holding the bucket of blood,” Thornton recalled. “I had to pinch myself a few times as a fan of Carrie and Stephen King. I was like, I can’t believe that I actually get to act this moment.”
The prom was one of the rare opportunities for almost the entire cast to work together. Arthur Conti, who plays bad boy Billy Nolan, share his memories of filming. “It was a long week. It was a long week of night shoots and everyone was there. It was like the only time that everyone was there, although all the cast were there at the same time,” Conti recalled.
With hundreds of people involved, keeping everything running smoothly was a challenge. Joel Oulette, who plays Tommy Ross, described the experience as chaotic. “There’s a lot of moving pieces, I feel like, to that prom piece and a lot of stuff you have to capture. So it’s pretty chaotic.”
For Josie Totah, who plays Tina Blake, watching Flanagan manage the production was a thing of beauty. “It was epic. There’s a lot of practical effects. Just seeing Mike Flanagan at his best, controlling, not controlling, but running a group of like 400 people and doing it so seamlessly and not without a sense of grace or care.”
Flanagan never lost sight of the significance of what they were creating. Amber Midthunder, who plays Miss Desjardin, recalled a memorable moment when Flanagan stopped the production to address the cast and crew.
“God, Mike, what I remember about that is that Mike, and this is something I really appreciate about him, he gave this beautiful speech,” Midthunder shared. “It took two weeks to film. I don’t know what day it was, but there was one point he got up on stage, because every department was all hands on deck and it was just crazy every day. And he was like, I just want everybody to stop for a second. And he basically was like, look around. And this is an iconic moment in
It turns out, Matthew Lillard, who plays Principal Grayle, may have helped inspire the impromptu speech. “We were, he and I were having a conversation. I’m like, ‘This is crazy.’ And he was like, ‘It is crazy.’ And grabbed the microphone and made that speech.”
For Conti, the message was just as memorable. “He did a really lovely speech to lead us into the prom and you guys get to be part of one of the most iconic scenes in cinema and horror history. You all get to be at Carrie White’s prom. So, drink it in.”
“And he never did it without patience. And he would take the time, even on a 12, 13 hour day to tell us the importance of the scene, why we were there, the importance of Stephen King’s novel, the message of it. And so it made us all emotional,” shared Totah. “We were all very much involved in almost like a spiritual way, I would say.”
After weeks of blood, fire, and long nights, the cast had plenty of reasons to celebrate surviving prom. Lillard recalled a commemorative T-shirt gifted to everyone involved. Printed on each were the words “We Survived Porm,” a reference to a joke from the series.
“It was one of those things that as a cast, we bought T-shirts for everyone that says ‘We Survived Porm,’ which is a joke in the show.”
“We gave it to the cast. We gave it to the crew. We gave it to the extras because there’s 200 extras every single day. So it was a real achievement.”
For Lillard, the prom sequence represented the crowning achievement of the series. “And we think it’s the crowning sort of, the crown jewel of the series because, I think Mike says it’s the biggest thing he’s ever done. And I think that it’s a fitting end to an incredible show.”
Carrie White’s prom might be known for the blood and destruction, but for those who brought it to life, it was also an wonderful experience worth remembering.
Watch Carrie season one in its entirety exclusively on Prime Video. You can also watch the interviews with all the cast members and Mike Flanagan below.
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