The Top 5 Songs on Mike Flanagan’s ‘Carrie’ Soundtrack, Ranked

Published Oct 20, 2026, 7:28 PM EDT

Audrey Connelly is a writer living and working in Boston, MA. Music is and has always been one of the most important parts of her life. While rock & roll is her true love, Audrey's taste runs the gamut. Deep cuts, overplayed Billboard Hot 100 hits, trip hop, reggae, musical theater. It's all fair game. However, if she's being totally honest, she is not a huge fan of (most) country music, but she is (mostly) willing to give anything a listen or two.
She has previously contributed to Atwood Magazine and has brought her passion for writing and music – specifically classic and alternative rock – to Collider. 

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Mike Flanagan’s reimagining of Carrie was released on Amazon Prime on October 7th of 2026 – and has since taken the world by storm. The eight-part series is set in the world of social media and cyberbullying, putting an entirely new spin on the Stephen King horror classic. This new release offers a fresh perspective on young womanhood and what it means to be different in a world that is becoming more homogenous with every passing day.

While there is so much that makes this show special, one of the most breathtaking aspects of Carrie is the carefully crafted soundtrack. The music plays an integral role in both the storytelling and the emotional impact of the series, serving as the unshakable bedrock upon which this incredible story is built. Here, we will dive into the five best songs used in Mike Flanagan’s Carrie, as well as the reasons they are so impactful within the series. (Warning: spoilers ahead!)

5 “Femme Hysteria” by Haute & Freddy

Coming in at number five is the high-octane, '80s-inspired dance track “Femme Hysteria” by Haute & Freddy. An unexpected choice for a horror show, but the perfect pick for the Carrie series. However, before we dive into the song itself, let's talk about Haute & Freddy and the incredible influence they had on the making of the Carrie series. The alternative pop duo formed in LA in 2024, and released their debut album, Big Disgrace, in March 2026. Their electropop, medieval-toned ostentation is not soon to be forgotten. In an interview with Please Relate to This, creator and showrunner Mike Flanagan shared: “I think Haute & Freddy, more than anything else, defined the series for us.” He continued on to say, “To me, they are the genetic identity of the sound of our show.”

“Femme Hysteria” digs into themes of female rage, persecution, and defiance. The lyrics are witchy and mystical, reminiscent of the olden times. You know, when women would be burned at the stake for staying up too late or reading a book that wasn’t the Bible. Speaking of biblical references, the lyrics are incredibly clever and effective: “Adam couldn’t take the heat/ So he pointed to his wife and screamed!” This line sums up the meaning behind this song quite neatly: Society is afraid of A) women and B) anything they cannot understand and/or explain. Put those two things together? Oh boy.

“Femme Hysteria” is blasting from the car of the series’ villain, Chris Hargensen, as she waits to pick up her friend Sue Snell in the first episode of the series, “First Period.” It can be heard again in the opening scene of the third episode, “Social Studies,” whilst the narrator, Adelaide, provides a brief history of telekinesis and the women who possessed such a power.

4 “In the Bleak Midwinter” by Wolf Alice

The next song comes from long, long ago – about 150 years, if you can believe it. “In the Bleak Midwinter” is a devotional poem written by Christina Rossetti around 1872. The stanzas compare the glory of God and heaven with the earthly, inhospitable conditions in which Jesus was born. In the early 1900s, Rossetti’s poem was set to music, and it soon became a classic English Christmas carol. Finally, in 2021, London-based rock band Wolf Alice recorded and released an expansive shoegaze cover of what began life as a simple and beautiful five-stanza poem.

Wolf Alice’s “In the Bleak Midwinter” retains the original softness and spirituality through the delicate, lullaby-esque tone of lead singer Ellie Roswell’s ethereal soprano. The lyrics become simultaneously haunting and sweet in this new version of the song, interspersed with extended instrumental sections. The music is a balance between acoustic and electronic, creating a dreamy and slightly disorienting listening experience. The track plays during a series of scenes depicting Carrie White’s first day of high school after having been homeschooled for her entire life. Up until this moment, Carrie was entirely insulated from the world. Suddenly, she is thrown in head-first: much like being born again. This song sets the tone for the show and Carrie’s character – haunting, optimistic, naive, beautiful, and bleak, all at the same time.

3 “The Scythe” by The Last Dinner Party

At the end of the fourth episode, “Dramatic Arts,” Carrie returns home to her mother, traumatized and covered head-to-toe in mud. This scene is pivotal for a multitude of reasons: firstly, it is foreshadowing the iconic ending of the story. Secondly, this is the moment where Carrie has finally been beaten down by the cruelty of her peers (and the world as a whole.) Up until this point, she has retained much of her optimism and her belief in the inherent goodness of human beings, despite the heinous initial act of bullying. In this scene, Carrie finally submits. She agrees with her mother that the world is indeed evil, and it is best to hide from everyone and everything. At the midpoint of the series, Carrie has hit rock bottom.

As this scene plays, “The Scythe” by The Last Dinner Party begins to play quietly, slowly growing in volume until the chorus is unleashed full-blast as the credits roll. The Last Dinner Party, a rock band formed in London in 2021, is known for their baroque-pop/art-rock musical style – a perfect fit for the Carrie series. “The Scythe” explored themes of grief and connectedness, of losing someone from a break-up or a death, and how to move on from the unthinkable. The track builds in intensity with every verse, adding to the power of the realization Carrie is experiencing. It is a song about falling apart and then putting yourself back together – which, of course, is the next step for Carrie.

2 “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” by Lana Del Rey

“Did you know there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” is the titular track from Ameripop queen Lana Del Rey’s 2023 album. The song (and the album) differ greatly from her previous work in the way they were written and constructed. While Del Rey had previously focused much of her energy on world-building and planning while writing music, she took a more free-flowing approach towards this album. “Did you know there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” is a pastiche of fragments: stream-of-consciousness journal entries, random thoughts turned into voice notes, raw demos. The track is haunting and introspective, a slow, melancholic ballad rooted in classicism.

The track sounds both soothing and unsettling, perfectly fitting the scenes in episode seven, “Romantic Literature,” as the students and faculty prepare for the senior prom. The montage portrays the prom committee decorating the gym, students (including Chris and her horrible boyfriend, Billy Nolan) voting for prom court, and Carrie sewing her dress and practicing the waltz alone in her room. Most of the scenes are positive, anticipatory – but there is an undertone of foreboding emphasized by Lana Del Rey’s dark crooning. It is the calm before the storm.

1 “Shy Girl” by Haute & Freddy

Time to ramp things up with the number one song in the Carrie series: “Shy Girl” by Haute & Freddy. It’s quite fitting that this list begins and ends with Haute & Freddy songs – they are, as Flanagan said, the “genetic identity” of the show. “Shy Girl” is the theme song of the entire project, playing throughout the series in its entirety. A slow, stripped-down version of the track plays during emotional and/or important scenes, such as the moment when Carrie finally (and powerfully) speaks up for herself and her fellow students.

The song is heard in its full glory in the final episode, “AP Physics.” In fact, according to Mike Flanagan, the entire episode was rewritten just so “Shy Girl” could be included. After Carrie crushes Billy’s ugly yellow car – with Billy and Chris inside – her semi-imaginary friend Emmaline reappears. Carrie (covered head-to-toe in pig’s blood, of course) and Emmaline begin to dance with abandon as the town turns to ash all around them. For a moment, they exist outside of reality, jumping around and singing along to “Shy Girl,” until they are inevitably and abruptly brought back down to earth. The song is perfect for the moment and the show as a whole: an upbeat, fun dance track exploring what it means to be your true self. The lyrics capture Carrie’s story in its entirety: “Shy, shy, shy, shy girl/ When you gonna run the wholе wide world?/I do recall therе was madness in your eyes/Let it come out tonight.”

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  Summer H. Howell

  Carrie White

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  Samantha Sloyan

  Margaret White

Carrie White struggles through school life after her father's passing in this new adaptation of Stephen King's classic novel. The challenges she faces include bullying, a domineering mother, and the the development of her telekinetic abilities.