Maine Firestarter Premiere 1984

The science-fiction horror film first premiered in Maine in 1984 based on Stephen King's infamous thrilling novel Firestarter, with Drew Barrymore as the main character.

A disputed photograph has since circulated showing author Stephen King bending down on a knee while child actress Drew Barrymore lights his cigarette with a match. The photo, in my opinion, is pretty iconic but other perspectives fight against that saying it’s highly inappropriate for a 9-year-old girl to be in that situation. But hey, times were different back then.

Stephen King’s Firestarter Remake 2022

And times are different now. The thriller has made its way back to the big screen with a 2022 remake starring Zac Efron. The main difference between 1984 and 2022 is that you don’t even need to go to the theater to watch the film because it’s already being streamed.

The 2022 remake of Firestarter is currently playing in theaters as we speak but is also available to stream right away on Peacock. So, you could start watching it right now (although I’d appreciate it if you finished reading this article first) but I personally enjoy movies more in the theater with overpriced popcorn and a huge screen.

Since Drew Barrymore can obviously not play a 9-year-old anymore, the main character is played by Ryan Kierra Armstrong who you may recognize from American Horror Story. After watching the trailer, which I have kindly embedded below, I would say they cast this role extremely well. Zac Efron, of course, was a brilliant casting decision as always. I do not watch thrillers or horror movies but the suspenseful trailer piqued my interest and Efron may have had a lot to do with it.

Check it out yourself:

Will you go see it in theaters? Did you see the original?

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