Firestarter is an American feature film of the science fiction and paranormal thriller genres. It was directed by Mark L. Lester with a screenplay written by Stanley Mann. It was presented by the Dino De Laurentiis Company and produced & distributed through Universal Pictures. It premiered theatrically in the United States on May 11th, 1984. The movie stars David Keith as Andy McGee, with Heather Locklear as Vicky McGee and George C. Scott as John Rainbird. Oh yeah... almost forgot. Remember cute little Drew Barrymore who melted hearts in 1982's E.T.: The Extraterrestrial? Well... she ain't that cute anymore. She's Charlie McGee. She lights stuff on fire. And she's pissed.
Production on Firestarter began on September 12th, 1983. Principal filming concluded in November, 1983. The movie was filmed in varying parts of North Carolina, including Belville, Chimney Rock, Lake Lure, and Wilmington. [1]
At its widest release, Firestarter was screened in 1,374 theaters. It had been in release a total of thirty-three weeks (235 days). [2]
On the movie review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Firestarter holds a 37% Rotten rating on the Tomatometer based on twenty-seven approved critic reviews. It has an audience score of 53%.
Stephen King has never been close-lipped about voicing opinions when it comes to film adaptations of his work. While his dislike for movies such as The Shining is rather legendary, it should also be noted that he did not find great favor with Firestarter, despite the fact that it is one of the more faithful adaptations of his work. In an interview with American Film magazine from 1986, King described Firestarter as "flavorless" and compared it to "cafeteria mashed potatoes". [3]
Although actor Leon Rippy is identified only as "Blinded agent" in the film's credits, the character's co-worker identifies him as "Leon" in the film itself.
In the Firestarter novel, Captain Hollister has a portrait of General George S. Patton on the wall of his office. Actor George C. Scott, who plays John Rainbird in Firestarter, is best known for his portrayal of General Patton in the 1970 war biopic Patton.
