Summer H. Howell’s prom scenes for Prime Video’s Carrie took about 2 weeks to film, with 3 blood drops performed for the cameras. For the 22-year-old actress, each day involving the fake blood meant spending up to 12 hours coated in it.
Between the big drops, the makeup team maintained the effect in a dedicated blood tent that the crew nicknamed the Dexter tent. Howell said she’d stand there for 45 minutes while they carefully applied it, wearing goggles to protect her eyes.
The blood was sticky enough that she spent breaks perched on her fingertips, with plastic covering her chair. After about 12 days covered in it, traces were still turning up in her ears and clinging to her eyebrows.
Howell plays Carrie White in Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of Stephen King’s 1974 novel, taking on the role Sissy Spacek played in the 1976 film. Flanagan said she stood out among more than 1,400 actors who auditioned.
She knew about the prom’s famous pig’s blood scene before taking the role, but hadn’t read the novel or watched the original film. The bullying and telekinesis were new to her. Describing her approach, Howell said: “A big part of my Carrie is that she’s open and curious about the world and wants to experience things.”
During the prom shoot, Flanagan paused to let the cast appreciate the scene they were recreating. Howell recalled his reminder: “We’re in Carrie White’s prom”.
