Legendary horror director John Carpenter writing the score for scary as It’s later movie adaptation, Firestarter was stuck in an unenviable middle ground of not being “so bad it’s good” while also not being particularly good.
Drew Barrymore’s preternaturally talented turn as Charlie, Firestarter’s pyro-kinetic heroine, makes the original movie worth a watch but it could potentially have been great if the movie held on to its original director. John Carpenter was slated to direct Firestarter but was let go from the project after the underperformance of 1982’s The Thing, with journeyman Mark L. Lester replacing the horror icon. As a result, it is sweet to see Carpenter contribute a score to 2022’s Firestarter remake, allowing the multi-talented director/writer/musician to right a wrong from decades ago.
When Carpenter was dropped from the original Firestarter, he was in the middle of what is now seen as a famously impressive hot streak. Three great Christine. However, the dismal box office and surprisingly poor reviews received by The Thing led the studio to lose confidence in Carpenter, and the finished Firestarter ended up being one of King’s less impressive 80s adaptations. The movie could have benefited from Carpenter’s directorial guidance, which makes his decision to provide a score for Firestarter's 2022 remake all the more fitting.
As it happens, the original score for Firestarter (by Tangerine Dream) is one of the movie’s more memorable elements. However, Firestarter’s 2022 remake promises a darker musical accompaniment than that dreamy, synth-heavy record if Carpenter’s track record is anything to go by. Although his more recent compositions have seen Carpenter incorporate more elaborate instrumentation than his earlier, bare-bones scores, the director’s musical output is still a lot more minimal than the lush sounds of Tangerine Dream.
This isn’t the first time that Carpenter provided a score contribution so he could lend his blessing to a project that was near to his heart. Carpenter, who has largely focused on music since he quit directing in 2010, composed a remix of the famous 2021’s Halloween Kills, a nostalgia-steeped sequel that needed all the atmospheric help that Carpenter’s chilling musical accompaniments could provide. With any luck, Firestarter won’t be as much in need of Carpenter’s assistance when it comes to providing scares and surprises. In any case, Stephen King fans will find out soon as Firestarter arrives in cinemas and on Peacock on May 13.
