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Mind Over Matter: Telekinetic Teens on the Big Screen

Mind Over Matter: Telekinetic Teens on the Big Screen

The new version of Stephen King’s classic horror novel Carrie arrives on Blu-ray and DVD this week but the basic storyline of a 17-year-old girl discovering she has telekinetic powers thankfully remains the same. Here are 13 other telekinetic teens that can move objects on screen with their minds for good … or evil!

By Harrison Pierce
Gillian in The Fury (1978)

Two years after directing the original Carrie, Brian DePalma directed a second film about teenage telekinesis starring Carrie co-star Amy Irving as Gillian Bellaver, a high school student who uses her supernatural powers to enact explosive -- or should we say implosive -- revenge on a shady intelligence operative doing experiments on other telekinetic teens.
Tia and Tony in Return from Witch Mountain (1978)

In this sequel to Escape from Witch Mountain, teenage telekinetic siblings Tia (future Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kim Richards) and Tony leave the safe haven of Witch Mountain and visit Los Angeles, where their talents are discovered -- not by Hollywood agents, but by the nefarious Dr. Gannon, an evil scientist who kidnaps Tony and forces him to use his powers in destructive ways.
Patrick in Patrick (1978)

In this cult Australian horror film, telekinetic teen Patrick (Robert Thompson) slips into a coma after killing his mother and her lover. Still in possession of his powers, Patrick uses them to seduce his night nurse and get back at the hospital staff seeking to pull the plug on him.
Barney in Zapped! (1982)

‘80s teen pinup Scott Baio (Charles in Charge) stars as geeky high school student Barney in the rare telekinetic comedy on our list. When Barney stumbles upon the formula for telekinesis while experimenting on mice, he uses his newfound powers to get revenge on the school bullies, cheat at sports, and make a buxom girl’s sweater pop open.
Tina in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)

By the sixth Friday the 13th sequel, Jason Voorhees had basically become a supernatural monster, having survived the kind of axe woundings, burnings and hangings that would leave the rest of us dead around the campfire. To properly challenge him, Part VII’s creators introduced the character of telekinetic Tina (Lar Park Lincoln), a 17 year old who uses her supernatural powers to make all manner of objects fly at Jason’s head. Thankfully for him, he’s got that protective face mask.
Jeremy Reed aka “Powder” in Powder (1995)

In this supernatural drama, Sean Patrick Flanery plays Jeremy Reed, a high school student nicknamed “Powder” due to his albino appearance. But what Powder lacks in pigment, he makes up for in telekinetic powers, which he demonstrates in one scene by making all the spoons, knives and forks in his high school cafeteria levitate.
Rachel in The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)

23 years after the original Carrie, MGM released this loosely connected sequel featuring Rachel (Emily Bergl), half sister of Carrie White, who shares her blood relative’s ability to move objects with her mind. Instead of unleashing hell at prom, the bullied Rachel does so at a big high school party, impaling students with flying CDs and fireplace pokers!
Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

Years before he choked minions and hurled objects at Luke Skywalker without using his hands, teenage Darth Vader, a.k.a. Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), used his telekinetic skills -- “The Force,” as it’s called in Star Wars lingo -- to win the hand of Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) with the gift of floating fruit.
Sara in Race to Witch Mountain (2009)

In 2009, Disney rebooted the Witch Mountain series with state-of-the-art CGI effects, The Rock, and two new supernatural teen characters, Sara (AnnaSophia Robb) and Seth (Alexander Ludwig). This time, their powers are more clearly divided, with Seth able to manipulate his molecular density and Sara possessing telekinetic powers.
Andrew, Matt and Steve in Chronicle (2012)

In this found footage sci-fi thriller, three Seattle high-school seniors, outcast Andrew (Dane DeHaan), his cousin Matt (Alex Russell) and popular Steve (Michael B. Jordan), gain telekinetic powers after touching a mysterious blue object. At first, the guys use their newfound supernatural abilities to play simple pranks, but things take a dark turn when Andrew uses his to yank out a bully’s wisdom teeth.
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