Carrie, the horror film directed by Brian De Palma, marks 50 years since its release on Tuesday, November 3. Adapted from Stephen King’s 1974 novel, the 1976 movie follows Carrie White, a teenager bullied at school and controlled by her religious mother. A cruel prank at prom sets off a tragedy when Carrie’s telekinetic powers emerge.

The film made Sissy Spacek, now 76, a horror icon and earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She later won the award for her portrayal of country singer Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980), which also brought her a Golden Globe.

Spacek went on to earn further Oscar nominations for Missing (1982), The River (1984), Crimes of the Heart (1986) and In the Bedroom (2001). Her other film credits include JFK (1991), The Help (2011) and The Old Man & the Gun (2018).

She has also worked regularly in television. In 2018, she appeared in the Stephen King-inspired psychological thriller series Castle Rock and joined the cast of Homecoming, which starred Julia Roberts. In 2022, she led the science-fiction series Night Sky.

In 2025, Spacek returned to the big screen in Die, My LOVE, directed by Lynne Ramsay and starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson. She played Pam, the mother of Pattinson’s character. That year, she also appeared as the protagonist’s mother, Gail, in the miniseries Dying for Sex, starring Michelle Williams.

Other members of Carrie’s cast also went on to notable careers. Piper Laurie, who played Carrie’s mother, Margaret White, received an Oscar nomination for the role and later appeared in film and television, including Twin Peaks. She died in 2023, aged 91.

John Travolta, who played Billy Nolan, became a major Hollywood star after the film, with leading roles in Saturday Night Fever (1977), Grease (1978) and Pulp Fiction (1994). His most recent work was directing and starring in 2026’s High Rollers. Amy Irving, who played Sue Snell, appeared in Disturbia (2018) and A Mouthful of Air (2021). Nancy Allen, who portrayed Chris Hargensen, stepped away from Hollywood and focuses on social activism.

Sources: CNN Brasil.