Her debut role was a lead in the romantic tragedy,
Sparrow, directed by
Franco Zeffirelli, at the age of 18. She later went on to star in a film called
The Last Best Sunday, before landing supporting roles opposite
Winona Ryder in
Girl, Interrupted and
Kim Basinger in
Bless the Child. In 2002, she starred as
Abigail Williams in a production of
The Crucible on
Broadway alongside Laura Linney and Liam Neeson. Bettis is most famous for her work in independent horror films, and especially her professional relationship with writer and director
Lucky McKee. Her title role in McKee's 2002 film
May earned her a
cult following. Since then, she has appeared in McKee's
Masters of Horror episode "
Sick Girl" and provided a voice-over for his film
The Woods. In 2006, their
May roles reversed, when McKee acted for Bettis in her directorial debut,
Roman, based on a McKee script. In 2011, she played a major role in McKee's adaptation of
Jack Ketchum's
The Woman. Bettis starred as
Carrietta White in
Carrie, a made-for-television adaptation of the
1974 novel of the same name written by
Stephen King, in which her performance was singled out for praise. Linda Stasi of the
New York Post was positively surprised by her performance and stated that Bettis should win an
Emmy. Ron Wertheimer, who wrote for
The New York Times, said that Bettis expressed the character's emotions well, and lamented that the film "affords Ms. Bettis few opportunities for such genuine acting". She starred in
Tobe Hooper's
Toolbox Murders, an in-name-only remake of an obscure 1970s horror film. She also starred in the crime thriller
Scar. She had a guest role on the TV show ''
Dexter's'' fifth season as Emily Birch, the first victim of Jordan Chase. == Filmography ==