Firestarter (1984)

Director:

Mark L. Lester

Writers:

Stephen King (novel)
Stanley Mann (writer)

Release Date:

11 May 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

She has the power . . . an evil destructive force.

Plot:

A couple who participated in a potent medical experiment gain telekinetic ability and then have a child who is pyrokinetic.

Plot Keywords:

Experiment | Fire | Government | Psychic | Doctor

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

David Keith	...	Andrew 'Andy' McGee
Drew Barrymore	...	Charlene 'Charlie' McGee
Freddie Jones	...	Doctor Joseph Wanless
Heather Locklear	...	Victoria 'Vicky' Tomlinson McGee
Martin Sheen	...	Captain Hollister
George C. Scott	...	John Rainbird
Art Carney	...	Irv Manders
Louise Fletcher	...	Norma Manders
Moses Gunn	...	Doctor Pynchot
Antonio Fargas	...	Taxi Driver
Drew Snyder	...	Orville Jamieson
Curtis Credel	...	Bates
Keith Colbert	...	Mayo
Dick Warlock	...	Knowles (as Richard Warlock)
Jeff Ramsey	...	Steinowitz
Jack Magner	...	Young Serviceman
Lisa Anne Barnes	...	Serviceman's Girlfriend
Larry Sprinkle	...	Security Guard
Cassandra Ward-Freeman	...	Woman in Stall
Scott R. Davis	...	Bearded Student
Nina Jones	...	Grad Assistant
William Alspaugh	...	Proprietor
Laurens Moore	...	Old Man
Anne Fitzgibbon	...	Old Lady
Steve Boles	...	Mailman
Stanley Mann	...	Motel Owner
Robert Miano	...	Blinded Agent
Leon Rippy	...	Blinded Agent
Carole Francisco	...	Joan Dugan
Wendy Womble	...	Josie
Etan Boritzer	...	DSI Technician
Joan Foley	...	DSI Technician
John Sanderford	...	Albright
Orwin C. Harvey	...	DSI Orderly
George P. Wilbur	...	DSI Orderly
Carey Fox	...	Agent Hunt

Directed by
Mark L. Lester

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Stephen King		novel
Stanley Mann		writer

Produced by
Frank Capra Jr.	....	producer
Martha De Laurentiis	....	associate producer (as Martha Schumacher)

Original Music by
Christopher Franke		(as Tangerine Dream)
Edgar Froese		(as Tangerine Dream)
Johannes Schmölling		(as Tangerine Dream)

Cinematography by
Giuseppe Ruzzolini

Film Editing by
David Rawlins
Ronald Sanders

Casting by
Johanna Ray

Production Design by
Giorgio Postiglione

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nikita Knatz	....	second unit director
Glenn Randall Jr.	....	second unit director

Art Department
Jeff Ginn	....	assistant art director
Mark Gutierrez	....	property assistant
Jeffrey Schlatter	....	assistant construction coordinator
Michael J. Hall	....	carpenter (uncredited)
Harold Michelson	....	illustrator (uncredited)

Sound Department
David Hildyard	....	sound mixer
Kevin O'Connell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Elliot Tyson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bill Varney	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Mike Edmonson	....	pyrotechnician
Mike Edmonson	....	special effects foreman
Jeff Jarvis	....	special effects
Bob Stoker	....	special effects crew
Michael Wood	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
William Cruse	....	visual effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Phil Adams	....	stunts (as Philip Adams)
Linda Arvidson	....	stunts (as Linda Lee Arvidson)
George Fisher	....	stunts
Gene Hartline	....	stunts
Orwin C. Harvey	....	stunts (as Orwin Harvey)
Larry Holt	....	stunts
Mike Johnson	....	stunts (as John Michael Johnson)
Julius LeFlore	....	stunts
A.J. Nay	....	stunts (as Arthur Nay)
Joseph Prado	....	stunts (as Joe Prado)
Glenn Randall Jr.	....	stunt coordinator
Peter Stader	....	stunts (as Peter T. Stader)
Victoria Vanderkloot	....	stunts
George P. Wilbur	....	stunts (as George Wilbur)
Dick Warlock	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jim Cody Harrington	....	electrician
W.D. Hill	....	grip
Steve Lubbe	....	best boy
Claudio Sabatini	....	assistant camera
John Sheeren	....	second assistant camera
Tom Taylor	....	second assistant camera
Ralph Watson	....	assistant camera

Casting Department
Nina Axelrod	....	casting assistant
Mark Fincannon	....	location casting

Music Department
Greg Fulginiti	....	music engineer

Transportation Department
Monica Garris-Powell	....	driver: cast (as Monica Powell)

Other crew
Frank Capra III	....	production assistant
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Rob Harris	....	unit publicist
John Lytle	....	location manager
Jennifer Ward	....	photo double: Drew Barrymore
Julie Tamisiea	....	horse trainer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Dino De Laurentiis Company
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1984) (USA) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1985) (Finland) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment España S.A. (2004) (Spain) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Cannon Screen Entertainment (198?) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1997) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Oy Europa Vision AB (1988) (Finland) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (1994) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2001) (Finland) (DVD)
• Thorn EMI Video Australia (????) (Australia) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)

Runtime:

114 min | Germany:101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Singapore:PG | Canada:14A (Ontario) | UK:18 (original rating) | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-18 | Norway:16 (heavily cut) | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Spain:13 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia)

Filming Locations:

Chimney Rock Park - Highway 64/74A, Chimney Rock, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Dino De Laurentiis Company

Trivia:

According to director Mark L. Lester, Tangerine Dream never actually saw the film. They sent him some music and told him to choose whatever he liked.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Cap Hollister is first in the room with Charlie, the door behind him is open over his left shoulder after he had closed it. Then when the camera shot changes again the door is closed.

Quotes:

Irv Manders: You men are tresspassin. Show me a warrant or get off my land.
Agent: We don't need a warrant.
Irv Manders: You do unless I woke up in Russia this morning!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Saturday Night Live: Drew Barrymore/Lily Allen (#32.12)" (2007)

One of the more accessible King adaptations, but best if you enjoyed the book

Firestarter is the story of Charlie (Drew Barrymore at age 8) and Andy, her dad (David Keith), and the people who are trying to imprison, control and/or kill them (Martin Sheen, George C. Scott, Moses Gunn, and others). Charlie is a mutant. Her father and mother were part of an experiment on mutagenic substances performed on college students in the 1960s by The Shop. The experiment gave Andy the ability to control others minds, but the mutation, apparently dormant in his wife, was passed on through the sex chromosome to his daughter. Charlie, quite plainly, can combust virtually anything with her mind.

Though all the acting in this film is good, Barrymore and Scott are truly awesome. Scott plays a brilliant sociopath, and can go from a kindly old Viet Nam vet to a ruthless killer with one quick change of facial expression. And Barrymore (at the age of 8, if you didn't pick up on that the first time I said it) gives her character a fully believable person-hood with great depth.

Like the novel, this is more of a horror-thriller than classic King ghost stories - like The Shining. It is also less classic King horror - like Carrie. And its also not a great drama like Dolores Claiborne, Misery and Stand By Me. Though it fits into roughly the same category as Hearts in Atlantis, it is not a literary as this much later King work and the characters are not as well developed. Although the book could be said to be one of King's earlier experiments with what would become a formula for his lesser works, King's writing is so lucid, and his characters are so interesting, believable and nicely examined, that his 'B fiction' is still somewhat above the average best-seller. The film follows the book very closely, and, like the book, is sort of a prototype for the more formulaic films in the King portfolio.

The directing is very good, the cinematography (especially the effects) is excellent, and the film is, as a whole entertaining. But, for those who have not read the book, the film will likely come off as 'no big deal.' As with many of the more formulaic King-derived films, this is best seen as a cathartic summary of the original work (like Dreamcatchers, Running Man, The Stand, Maximum Overdrive, The Mangler and others).