Hello horror fans! Ready for another review from your old pal Slick? Well, good news! This time I’m reviewing the Stephen King classic starring Drew Barrymore about a little girl who can set way more than your heart on fire. I’m talking about Firestarter. There will be some spoilers here so if you haven’t watch the movie, burn yourself some popcorn, lock yourself away in a room owned by a mysterious government agency, watch the movie, then escape your way out and come on back here to read the review!

Firestarter Background

Firestarter, based on a Stephen King book of the same name, was set to be directed by John Carpenter. Unfortunately, Carpenter’s brilliant film The Thing was not a box office success. Carpenter was replaced with Mark L. Lester.

The film stars Drew Barrymore, David Keith, Martin Sheen, George C. Scott, and Heather Locklear.

Despite some star power here, this was anything but a critical success and Stephen King himself disliked this adaptation. There has been a remake but that film also is far from the greatness of the novel.

Why does such an interesting premise from a book make for a poor film? Let’s dig into it and find out.

College Experiments

Two college students, Andy McGee and Vicky Tomlinson need some money so they volunteer for medical experiments. The experiments are run by a shadowy government agency called The Shop. As Andy and Vicky get to know one another while waiting for the drugs to kick in, horrors happen around them. All the other volunteers for the experiment die. Andy and Vicky not only end up with psychic powers, they fall in love.

It’s sort of a sweet scene with a horrific background but in the book, both the emotions of the main characters, and the extremes the experiment goes to are better explored.

A FAmily Matter

Fast forward in time and Vicky and Andy are married with an 8 year old daughter named Charlene. Everyone calls her Charlie and like her parents she has an ability, although hers is far more dangerous. Her mother can read minds, her father can psychically influence others but Charlie? Charlie can set things on fire with her mind.

One day, Andy comes home to find Vicky murdered and Charlie kidnapped. Andy does what any dad with his powers would, he rescues his little girl by blinding the government agents and the two are on the run.

Present Day

Everything I just talked about is conveyed in flashbacks through the film but we start with Andy and Charlie on the run at the airport. Andy gets money by manipulating pay phones to get quarters and Charlie sees a man she doesn’t like and sets his feet on fire. It’s accidental but not lethal.

Ultimately, the father and daughter get away from the agents from The Shop and find a farm. The couple that own the farm take the pair in. Andy admits to the farmer what is going on when a bunch of government agents show up.

To get away, Andy tells Charlie to let her powers out and boy does she. She burns the hell out of all those agents. And if there are any highlights to the film, it’s when Charlie lets loose with her powers.

Isolation and Capture

Andy and Charlie get away and find a small isolated cabin owned by Charlie’s grandmother. Sure enough, government agents come but they are sneaky enough Andy doesn’t notice them. The agents tranquilize and capture both Charlie and Andy.

The Shop wants to understand Charlie’s powers and one agent who disguises himself as a friendly janitor named John wants to kill her.

Charlie Becomes the Firestarter

At the government facility, they drug Andy to keep his power under control. They tell Charlie she can see her father if she uses her powers in their experiments. Andy manages to hide the drugs and regain some of his powers and he plans an escape.

Charlie, after using her powers in these experiments gets much stronger with them. She makes water boil, she sets cinder blocks on fire and she is capable of immense destruction.

Escape and Death

Andy implements his escape plan but Charlie wants John to go with them, thinking he is her friend. Andy knows John is the one who captured the two of them and a major fight and chase ensues. In the scuffle, Andy dies.

Charlie is majorly distraught but now she has an immense power set at her disposal. She makes quick work of any remaining agents and it’s the one part of the film that looks the best.

After all the destruction, Charlie hitchhikes her way back to the farm couple that took them in. The movie ends with the farmer taking Charlie to Washington, D.C. to tell her story.

Firestarter in Conclusion

This is a film with all style and no substance. The scenes with the fire look fantastic. And it’s entertaining to watch. But the performances are not particularly nuanced and so much of the narrative from the book is missing this feels like an incomplete story. However, it has had an influence. There are so many stories now about kids having experiments done on them and gaining powers. Think Stranger Things, The Umbrella Academy, and The Dankest Minds.

I would love for there to be a TV series that could show us all the nuance, background, and manipulation we see in the novel. And actors who could really nail the parts. Until we have that, my recommendation is to read the book and skip the movie.

Want More?

Want to see some of my other King reviews? Take a look here!

Looking for a good King read? Check out this one!

Do you like this movie or hate it? Let me know in the comments!

Hotly yours,

Slick Dungeon