Firestarter ( film ) - wikipedia Firestarter ( film ) Firestarter Theatrical release poster Directed by Mark L. Lester Produced by Frank Capra, Jr. Martha Schumacher Screenplay by Stanley Mann Based on Firestarter by Stephen King Starring David Keith Drew Barrymore Freddie Jones Heather Locklear Martin Sheen George C. Scott Art Carney Louise Fletcher Music by Tangerine Dream Cinematography Giuseppe Ruzzolini Edited by David Rawlins Ronald Sanders Production company Dino de Laurentiis Company Distributed by Universal Pictures Release date May 11, 1984 ( 1984 - 05 - 11 ) Running time 114 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $15 million Box office $17.1 million Firestarter is a 1984 American science - fiction horror film based on Stephen King 's 1980 novel of the same name. The plot concerns a young girl who develops pyrokinesis and the secret government agency known as the Shop which seeks to control her. The film was directed by Mark L. Lester, and stars David Keith, Drew Barrymore, Martin Sheen and George C. Scott. The film was shot in and around Wilmington, Chimney Rock, and Lake Lure, North Carolina. A miniseries follow - up to the film Firestarter : Rekindled, was released in 2002 on the Sci - Fi Channel. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Reception 5 Soundtrack 5.1 Personnel 6 References 7 External links Plot Andy McGee ( Keith ) met his future wife, Vicky Tomlinson ( Heather Locklear ), in college while they were earning money by participating in an experiment in which they were given a dose of a low - grade hallucinogen called LOT - 6. The experiment grants them telepathic abilities ; Vicky has the ability to read minds, and Andy can take over minds and make others do and believe what he wants, but the effort gives him nosebleeds ( the novel revealing them to be `` pinprick '' hemorrhages ). Andy and Vicky went on to get married, and they now have a nine - year - old daughter named Charlene `` Charlie '' McGee ( Barrymore ), who has pyrokinetic abilities ( she can create heat and start fires with her mind ). Charlie can also see the near future. Andy comes home from work one day to find that Vicky has been murdered and Charlie abducted ; the family had already suspected that the government agency that sponsored the experiment, the Department of Scientific Intelligence ( `` the Shop '' ), was checking on them. The government wants Charlie to harness her powerful ability as a weapon. Andy rescues Charlie from abduction by agents of the Shop by making the agents blind, and for the next year, they are on the run. To protect themselves, Andy writes letters to major newspapers, but mailing them reveals their location. They need to rest and end up taken in by a farmer and his wife. Andy tells the farmer the truth so when the Shop arrives, he is ready to stand with them. However, he soon sees that there is no need since Charlie makes quick work of the agents who have invaded the quiet refuge they have found. They again are on the run, but Andy is weak from the use of his gift. They go to their secluded cabin to rest and prepare to finally go public with their story. Unfortunately, the head of the Shop, Captain Hollister ( Sheen ), sends Agent John Rainbird ( Scott ) to capture them and stop the release of information. After capture, father and daughter are kept separated. Andy is medicated and subjected to tests, which show his powers have decreased. Meanwhile, Rainbird takes on the role of `` John the friendly orderly '' to befriend Charlie and gain her trust to encourage her to submit to the tests. Charlie 's powers increase exponentially, and she continually demands to see her father as they promised. Andy is revealed to be faking the acceptance of his drugs, meaning that his powers have never decreased and it was all a ruse to make Hollister drop his guard. Then, once alone on a walk far from the house, he uses his power to get information from Hollister ( such as John 's true identity ) and arranges to leave with Charlie that night. He slips Charlie a note and she immediately tells `` John '' about the escape. He has wanted to kill Charlie since first hearing about her and hides in the barn so he can kill her father, as well. Charlie enters the barn first and `` John '' succeeds in convincing her to begin the climb up the ladder to him. His plan is put to an end once Andy enters and Charlie instead runs to her father. She tells him that John is present and asks if they can take him with them. She is saddened and angered to find out the truth, yet believes John when he states that he will not kill her father if she comes to him. To save his daughter, Andy instructs Hollister to shoot at Rainbird. However, Rainbird kills Hollister and fatally wounds Andy, and after, he causes Rainbird to leap to the ground, breaking his leg. Charlie then kills Rainbird and cries at her father 's wound. He pleads with her to use her powers to bring the facility down after he takes his last breath. The entire security team arrives and she dispatches them all one by one to make her way off of the property. Charlie returns by hitchhiking back to the farm. Without a word, she reveals what has happened since she left with her father and is welcomed back. Shortly afterwards, Charlie and the farmer head to New York City to tell her story to the media. Cast David Keith as Andrew `` Andy '' McGee Drew Barrymore as Charlene `` Charlie '' McGee Freddie Jones as Dr. Joseph Wanless Heather Locklear as Victoria `` Vicky '' McGee ( née Tomlinson ) Martin Sheen as Captain James Hollister George C. Scott as John Rainbird Art Carney as Irv Manders Louise Fletcher as Norma Manders Moses Gunn as Dr. Pynchot Antonio Fargas as Taxi Driver Production During filming of The Thing, Universal offered John Carpenter the chance to direct the film. Carpenter hired Bill Lancaster to adapt the novel into a screenplay. Stephen King approved of the Lancaster screenplay. Months later, Carpenter had hired Bill Phillips to write another version with Richard Dreyfuss as the role of Andy, but when The Thing was a financial disappointment, Universal replaced Carpenter with Mark L. Lester. Lancaster 's father, Burt Lancaster, was originally going to portray Captain Hollister, but had to withdraw following heart surgery, instead Martin Sheen replaces Burt. It was the first film shot in Wilmington, NC, and is regarded as starting the town 's film industry. Reception It received a 38 % rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 24 reviews. Roger Ebert gave the film two stars out of four and wrote that `` the most astonishing thing '' about it was `` how boring it is. '' Ebert wrote, `` there 's not a character in this movie that is convincing, even for a moment, nor a line in this movie that even experienced performers can make real, '' and `` we do n't feel sorry for Barrymore because she 's never developed as a believable little girl -- just a plot gimmick. '' In 2012, King described the film as one of the worst made from his books, describing it as `` flavorless ; it 's like cafeteria mashed potatoes ''. Soundtrack Firestarter Soundtrack album by Tangerine Dream Released 1984 Recorded 1984 Genre Electronic music Length 41 : 39 Label MCA Tangerine Dream chronology Wavelength ( 1984 ) Wavelength 1984 Firestarter ( 1984 ) Flashpoint ( 1984 ) Flashpoint 1984 Firestarter is the fifth soundtrack album and 22nd overall by Tangerine Dream. Allmusic rated the soundtrack four out of five stars. The score is composed by the German electronic music group Tangerine Dream. No. Title Length 1. `` Crystal Voice '' 3 : 07 2. `` The Run '' 4 : 50 3. `` Testlab '' 4 : 00 4. `` Charly the Kid '' 3 : 51 5. `` Escaping Point '' 5 : 10 6. `` Rainbirds Move '' 2 : 31 7. `` Burning Force '' 4 : 17 8. `` Between Realities '' 2 : 53 9. `` Shop Territory '' 3 : 15 10. `` Flash Final '' 5 : 15 11. `` Out of the Heat '' 2 : 30 Total length : 41 : 39 Personnel Edgar Froese -- keyboards, electronic equipment, guitar Christopher Franke -- synthesizers, electronic equipment, electronic percussion Johannes Schmoelling -- keyboards, electronic equipment References Jump up ^ `` FIRESTARTER ( 15 ) ''. British Board of Film Classification. May 15, 1984. Retrieved January 24, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Firestarter ( 1984 ) ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 11, 2011. Jump up ^ Canby, Vincent ( 1984 ). `` Firestarter ''. The New York Times. Jump up ^ Maddrey, Joe ( February 15, 2016 ). `` 5 Stephen King Adaptations That Died In Development Hell ''. blumhouse.com. Retrieved November 16, 2016. Jump up ^ Mell, Eila ( 2005 ). Casting Might - Have - Beens : A Film by Film Directory of Actors Considered for Roles Given to Others. McFarland. ISBN 9780786420179. Jump up ^ `` Burt Lancaster Plans To Undergo Surgery ''. The New York Times. 16 August 1983. Retrieved 3 July 2017. Jump up ^ `` Cape Fear Museum showcases Wilmington 's rich film history ''. www.wral.com. WRAL. Retrieved 8 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Firestarter ( 1984 ) ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 9, 2017. Jump up ^ Ebert, Roger ( January 1, 1984 ). `` Firestarter Movie Review ''. RogerEbert.com. Retrieved October 29, 2016. Jump up ^ Ewing, Darrel & Myers, Dennis ( June 1986 ). `` '' King of The Road `` ''. American Film. Retrieved 22 April 2017. Jump up ^ Allmusic review External links Wikiquote has quotations related to : Firestarter ( film ) Firestarter on IMDb Firestarter at Box Office Mojo Firestarter at Rotten Tomatoes Stephen King Bibliography Short fiction Unpublished and uncollected Awards and nominations Novels Carrie ( 1974 ) ' Salem 's Lot ( 1975 ) The Shining ( 1977 ) The Stand ( 1978 ) The Dead Zone ( 1979 ) Firestarter ( 1980 ) Cujo ( 1981 ) Christine ( 1983 ) Pet Sematary ( 1983 ) Cycle of the Werewolf ( 1983 ) The Talisman ( 1984 ) It ( 1986 ) The Eyes of the Dragon ( 1987 ) Misery ( 1987 ) The Tommyknockers ( 1987 ) The Dark Half ( 1989 ) Needful Things ( 1991 ) Gerald 's Game ( 1992 ) Dolores Claiborne ( 1992 ) Insomnia ( 1994 ) Rose Madder ( 1995 ) The Green Mile ( 1996 ) Desperation ( 1996 ) Bag of Bones ( 1998 ) The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon ( 1999 ) The Plant ( 2000 ; unfinished ) Dreamcatcher ( 2001 ) Black House ( 2001 ) From a Buick 8 ( 2002 ) The Colorado Kid ( 2005 ) Cell ( 2006 ) Lisey 's Story ( 2006 ) Duma Key ( 2008 ) Under the Dome ( 2009 ) 11 / 22 / 63 ( 2011 ) Joyland ( 2013 ) Doctor Sleep ( 2013 ) Mr. Mercedes ( 2014 ) Revival ( 2014 ) Finders Keepers ( 2015 ) End of Watch ( 2016 ) Gwendy 's Button Box ( 2017 ) Sleeping Beauties ( 2017 ) The Outsider ( 2018 ) Elevation ( 2018 ) The Dark Tower series The Gunslinger ( 1982 ) The Drawing of the Three ( 1987 ) The Waste Lands ( 1991 ) Wizard and Glass ( 1997 ) Wolves of the Calla ( 2003 ) Song of Susannah ( 2004 ) The Dark Tower ( 2004 ) The Wind Through the Keyhole ( 2012 ) Richard Bachman novels Rage ( 1977 ) The Long Walk ( 1979 ) Roadwork ( 1981 ) The Running Man ( 1982 ) Thinner ( 1984 ) The Bachman Books ( 1985 ) The Regulators ( 1996 ) Blaze ( 2007 ) Short fiction collections Night Shift ( 1978 ) Different Seasons ( 1982 ) Skeleton Crew ( 1985 ) Four past Midnight ( 1990 ) Nightmares & Dreamscapes ( 1993 ) Hearts in Atlantis ( 1999 ) Everything 's Eventual ( 2002 ) Just After Sunset ( 2008 ) Full Dark, No Stars ( 2010 ) The Bazaar of Bad Dreams ( 2015 ) Non-fiction Danse Macabre ( 1981 ) Nightmares in the Sky ( 1988 ) On Writing ( 2000 ) Secret Windows ( 2000 ) Faithful ( 2004 ) `` Guns '' ( 2013 ) Screenplays Creepshow ( 1982 ) Cat 's Eye ( 1985 ) Silver Bullet ( 1985 ) Maximum Overdrive ( 1986 ; 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Lester Steel Arena ( 1973 ) Truck Stop Women ( 1974 ) White House Madness ( 1975 ) Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw ( 1976 ) Stunts ( 1977 ) Roller Boogie ( 1979 ) Class of 1984 ( 1982 ) Firestarter ( 1984 ) Commando ( 1985 ) Armed and Dangerous ( 1986 ) Class of 1999 ( 1990 ) Showdown in Little Tokyo ( 1991 ) Extreme Justice ( 1993 ) Night of the Running Man ( 1995 ) Public Enemies ( 1996 ) The Ex ( 1997 ) Double Take ( 1998 ) Misbegotten ( 1998 ) Hitman 's Run ( 1999 ) The Base ( 1999 ) Blowback ( 2000 ) Stealing Candy ( 2002 ) Betrayal ( 2003 ) White Rush ( 2003 ) Pterodactyl ( 2005 ) Poseidon Rex ( 2013 ) Dragons of Camelot ( 2014 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Firestarter_(film)&oldid=832802585 '' Categories : 1984 films English - language films 1980s action thriller films 1980s psychological thriller films 1980s science fiction films 1984 horror films American action thriller films American horror films American films American science fiction thriller films Films based on works by Stephen King Films directed by Mark L. 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Question: when did the movie fire starter come out
Answer: May 11, 1984