Other improvements in this new Firestarter include the father’s eyes bleeding when he uses his powers instead of his nose. That’s cool. Also, instead of Barrymore’s hair being blown by an offscreen fan when using her powers, Armstrong’s hair is blasted back by the force of the thermal draft, which works a lot better. The script captures the tone of Stephen King without falling into his drops of pacing or corn chip humor.
The most crucial change Teems makes is the complete renovation of the controversial Rainbird character. Instead of a bloodthirsty, amoral pedophile, he’s instead portrayed as a reluctant psychic assassin compromised by The Shop. They turned him into a weapon programmed to follow orders, just like they are trying to do with Charlie. King’s theme in the original story isn’t that their psychic powers make Charlie or Rainbird monsters. Instead, it is the institutional forces that exploit those powers that do.
“What enhances everything immensely here is the music, which John Carpenter composed…”
By casting Greyeyes, an indigenous actor, as Rainbird, the historical blemish of gluing a ponytail on George C Scott for the original role is wiped clean. My only complaint is with all the streamlining that the primary source of evil, the Shop, is underdeveloped compared to the first one. King’s all-encompassing inhumanity of the organization is reduced to another morally comprised secret agency like the one in The Suicide Squad. However, as with many Blumhouse productions, the ending is a beautiful surprise that leaves you hungry for more.
The production value Thomas delivers on a lower budget is impressive. The effects are practical and not worn out from overuse. The performances are all excellent, especially Armstrong, who can get sympathy and be the devil as well. What enhances everything immensely here is the music, which John Carpenter composed with Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies. Like Charlie, the score is deceptively delicate until it erupts into a sonic inferno. Carpenter is easily the best horror movie musical artist outside of Italy. He should be given soundtrack gigs akin to what Tangerine Dream, the group that scored the first movie, got back in the 1980s (Legend, Near Dark, etc.).
The movie also makes overt references to superhero horror, as The Shop runs a secret school to teach mutants how to use their powers. Does that sound familiar? You can see the film’s influences in modern superhero horror titles like The New Mutants and Brightburn. King’s work has a lot of superhero horror potential, as seen by the 2002 T.V. movie of Carrie, which was supposed to set up an Incredible Hulk-like series where Carrie wanders from town to town, being hunted and using her powers to solve injustices. There is plenty of good meat on the bone here for the hungriest horror hounds. If you have some time to burn, the new Firestarter is definitely worth it.
"…takes the blueprints of the original and burns them at both ends."
