Some horror stories leave you checking the closet. Carrie leaves you thinking about everyone who watched a girl suffer and decided that helping her was somebody else’s responsibility.
That is what makes Stephen King’s story so devastating. Beneath the telekinesis and terror is a young woman navigating bullying, shame, religious abuse, and a desperate desire to belong. The horror begins long before anyone discovers what she can do.
If Carrie has you ready to explore more of Mike Flanagan’s work, there is plenty to feed your horror obsession. His films and series often make room for people whose pain has been ignored, whose homes have become dangerous, or whose extraordinary abilities make them targets. He also understands that getting attached to a character makes the scares hit harder.
From a powerful young Black girl facing supernatural predators to a community whose faith takes a frightening turn, these eight titles offer different ways to keep that conversation going.
Midnight Mass (2021)
If the religious control surrounding Carrie White unsettled you, put Midnight Mass near the top of your list.
Flanagan’s seven-episode series follows an isolated island community where a charismatic priest’s arrival coincides with seemingly miraculous events. As religious enthusiasm grows, the question of what residents are willing to accept becomes increasingly troubling.
The connection to Carrie lies in how certainty can become permission to hurt people. Midnight Mass examines what happens when a community treats questioning authority as a moral failure and allows cruelty to dress itself up as righteousness. It is a patient, dialogue-heavy watch, but that patience gives its eventual horror weight. Come for the mystery. Stay for the deeply uncomfortable realization that the person quoting scripture the loudest might be someone you should fear.
Doctor Sleep (2019)
For viewers drawn to Carrie’s extraordinary abilities, Doctor Sleep is an especially compelling next watch.
Adapted from King’s sequel to The Shining, the film follows an adult Dan Torrance, played by Ewan McGregor, and Abra Stone, played by Kyliegh Curran. Abra’s powerful psychic gift attracts the attention of Rose the Hat and the True Knot, predators who feed on people with abilities like hers. Abra is a major part of the appeal. A young Black girl gets to occupy the center of a supernatural battle, with intelligence, confidence, and power that demand attention.
Her story offers an interesting companion to Carrie’s and that is what changes when a gifted girl finds someone who understands her and is willing to help? The film still delivers disturbing violence, but its interest in protection and connection gives the terror an emotional anchor.
The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
If Carrie left you thinking about the damage families can do, The Haunting of Hill House should be next.
The series moves between the Crain family’s childhood in a haunted house and their fractured lives as adults. Their experiences follow them into relationships, arguments, and the stories they tell themselves about what happened. The strongest connection is the fear of having nowhere safe to go. Home is supposed to offer protection, yet both stories make that promise painfully uncertain.
Flanagan gives each sibling a different relationship to the past, making the family’s inability to understand one another as compelling as the haunting. You may arrive ready to hunt for ghosts in the background and leave needing a moment to process your feelings about the people in the foreground.
Gerald’s Game (2017)
Another King adaptation, Gerald’s Game places Carla Gugino’s Jessie in a terrifying predicament: after her husband dies during a remote getaway, she is left handcuffed to a bed with no easy way to escape. Her struggle also forces her to confront memories of abuse.
Gugino carries that tension through a performance that makes thinking, remembering, and resisting feel urgent. The film is intense, with sexual abuse themes and graphic injury, so this is a recommendation for viewers comfortable with particularly difficult material. Its focus on a woman reclaiming authority over herself makes it one of the strongest thematic companions on this list.
Oculus (2014)
BGN’s Marvel fans will recognize Karen Gillan, but Oculus gives her a very different problem to handle. Gillan plays Kaylie Russell, whose brother Tim, played by Brenton Thwaites, shares a traumatic history involving an antique mirror. Kaylie believes a supernatural force is responsible for the destruction of their family.
Like Carrie, the film makes the family home a place where young people cannot depend on adults to keep them safe. It also asks how someone can establish the truth when their experience seems impossible to everyone else. The mirror’s ability to undermine perception makes even a sensible plan feel precarious. If you enjoy horror that has you questioning what you just saw, this one will keep you busy. It might also discourage your next antique-shopping trip.
The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)
If Carrie’s longing for acceptance stayed with you, The Haunting of Bly Manor offers another story about vulnerability and the desire to be loved.
Drawing on Henry James’ work, the series follows Dani, an American au pair who takes a job caring for two children at an English estate. Victoria Pedretti leads a cast that includes T’Nia Miller, Rahul Kohli, and Amelia Eve.
Its queer romance and interest in grief make it a moving choice for viewers who want emotional depth alongside supernatural mystery. The pace is more contemplative, allowing affection and dread to grow together.
Hush (2016)
For a shorter, more immediate dose of suspense, try Hush.
Kate Siegel, who co-wrote the film with Flanagan, stars as Maddie, a deaf writer living in an isolated home. When a killer targets her, she must find a way to survive. Its connection to Carrie comes through a woman being underestimated by someone determined to terrorize her. Maddie has to assess her surroundings, adapt, and make decisions under extraordinary pressure.
The contained setting keeps the tension close, while the focus on her resourcefulness gives viewers someone to root for. If your favorite horror scenes are the ones that make you mentally map every possible exit, clear an evening for this one.
The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)
If you want another story where cruelty has consequences, The Fall of the House of Usher delivers a lavish, gruesome reckoning.
Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s works, the series follows the powerful family behind a pharmaceutical empire as its heirs begin dying under mysterious circumstances. Their wealth cannot protect them from the secrets catching up with them.
Its dark humor and extravagant horror make it a good pick for viewers ready for a sharper, nastier mood. In this family, an inheritance comes with some deeply alarming conditions. For the closest follow-up to Carrie, start with Midnight Mass or Doctor Sleep. Choose Hill House when you want family drama that will haunt you, or Gerald’s Game when you want a fierce survival story. Whichever route you take, leave room for the feelings. With Flanagan, the scare is often only the beginning.
Mike Flanagan isn’t done terrifying us yet. He’s got Clayface on the way October 23rd and The Exorcist: Martyrs in March of 2027.
