Ken Woroner/Universal PicturesĪndy and Charlie go on the run, with the leader of the secret facility (Gloria Reuben) dispatching a shadowy agent (Michael Greyeyes) to hunt them down. Ryan Kiera Armstrong in 'Firestarter,' based on the Stephen King book. But the real power got transferred to their daughter, Charlie (Ryan Kiera Armstrong, whose credits include “American Horror Story” and the “It” sequel), who is just beginning to grasp her psychic and pyrokinetic talents when the very bad people who originally experimented upon her parents finally catch up to them. In fact, there was a miniseries sequel, “Firestarter: Rekindled,” produced for what was then known as Sci Fi Channel 20 years ago, and this actually should have followed in its charred footsteps.Īs is, Zac Efron lends a modest amount of star power to the proceedings, but the story is so uneventful that it seldom rises above a low boil.Įfron plays Andy, who agreed to participate in medical trials during college that gave him and his wife psychic abilities. Simultaneously hitting theaters and the streaming service Peacock feels about right, since this is the sort of movie that would have gone directly to cable TV a few decades ago. But nothing by Stephen King can stay dead forever, which explains a new do-over that can barely generate enough heat to qualify as a thriller.

Drew Barrymore had just done “E.T.” when they planted her in front of a wind machine for “Firestarter,” probably the most memorable visual of that 1984 movie.

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