How the Cast of CARRIE Experiences Fear, and Why Mike Flanagan Says Horror Breeds Empathy

Fear is one of the most fascinating things about horror. We know the monster on screen isn't real, yet our bodies react as if we're in danger. But what happens when your job requires you to deliberately create that fear, sometimes over and over again?

I brought that question to the cast of Mike Flanagan's CARRIE, and their answers revealed how differently actors experience the relationship between the mind, the body, and emotion. And aside from the actors, an unexpected visitor joined our conversation: Mike Flanagan himself.

For Samantha Sloyan, who plays Margaret White, knowing something is pretend doesn't necessarily stop her body from reacting.

“I went to one of these, like, horror night situations where everybody's running at you, and I realized that, like, I cannot hang. Because my body can't differentiate, even though I know it's pretend,” Sloyan explained. “It still just goes into that reactive mode.”

Her co-star Summer H. Howell, who plays Carrie White, offered a different perspective. Years of working with emotion and learning how the body responds have given her a greater sense of control. “I can tell myself that it's not real. Like, I have better control over my mind telling my body. Like, I believe you could tell your cells and they'll listen to you.”

Sloyan's response? “Mine do not listen.”

Matthew Lillard, who plays Principal Grayle, took the conversation beyond fear itself. For him, acting involves removing the barriers that prevent people from fully experiencing their emotions.

“I get happy quickly. I get angry quickly. I cry easily. I love with reckless abandonment because I've torn away all of these protective layers,” Lillard said.

Alison Thornton, who plays Chris Hargensen, described another side of the process: sometimes, the body leads the mind. “Some of my acting is like body first, mind later. Like I'll change my breathing and then start to feel scared after.”

When Flanagan joined Lillard and Midthunder's interview, the conversation took another turn. While actors experience fear physically, the director sees something different from behind the camera: the emotional connection that develops when watching performers push themselves into difficult places.

“I do think we carry that bravery with us,” Flanagan said. “You get more used to coping with dark situations and kind of facing them, and watching other people go through it breeds, I think for me, a lot of empathy.”

He continued, “When I see my actors going to these extreme places, I feel connected to them. I feel a desire to protect them and to try to make things better for them in their experience.”

Perhaps that's an unexpected part of making horror. The work requires people to explore fear, but it can also deepen their understanding of what others experience. And sometimes, the most revealing thing about horror isn't the fear itself. It's what we learn about one another when we face it.

All episodes of CARRIE now streaming on Prime Video.

Photos courtesy of Prime Video.