Firestarter

Firestarter (2022) is a sci-fi thriller with horror edges you can watch online on iFILM. An eleven-year-old girl can set the world ablaze when her emotions slip, and a secret federal agency wants that power for itself.

Ryan Kiera Armstrong plays Charlie; Zac Efron is her father, Andy. For over a decade the family has run and hidden, because the people chasing them mean to turn Charlie's gift into a weapon. Andy taught her to smother the sparks, but pain and anger keep feeding the flame, and the older she gets the harder it burns. When a single slip exposes their hideout, an operative is sent to bring her in. Charlie has plans of her own.

This is a fresh take on Stephen King's novel, first filmed in 1984 with a young Drew Barrymore. Director Keith Thomas trades spectacle for a tense, contained mood, and the pulsing synth score comes from John Carpenter with his son Cody and Daniel Davies. It's built for viewers who like their King adaptations dark and small-scale. Stream Firestarter (2022) online on iFILM.