Some powers feel like miracles – others feel like a curse. In Firestarter, a young girl’s terrifying gift burns brighter than she can control, pulling her family into a storm of government secrets, moral danger, and raw, explosive power. Based on Stephen King’s classic novel and directed by Keith Thomas, this 2022 remake stars Zac Efron and Ryan Kiera Armstrong in a sci-fi horror thriller where parenthood, trauma, and uncontrollable power collide on screen. The trailer is at the end of the article.
Now streaming on Netflix USA, Firestarter gives American viewers a new chance to revisit one of Stephen King’s most unsettling concepts: what happens when a child can start fires with her mind – and the world decides that power belongs to them. The film was originally released in theaters and on Peacock in May 2022, and it officially joined Netflix in the United States on November 12, 2025. :
The story follows Charlie McGee, a girl born with pyrokinetic abilities after her parents took part in a shadowy government drug trial. Her father Andy, played by Zac Efron, has his own psychic abilities and has spent years trying to help Charlie suppress her powers and keep their family off the grid. When an incident at school exposes what she can do, a secret agency known as The Shop closes in – determined to capture, control, and weaponize the child they see as a living asset rather than a daughter.
Keith Thomas, who previously directed the atmospheric horror film The Vigil, approaches Firestarter with a blend of grounded drama and sudden, violent outbursts. Instead of flashy superhero spectacle, the film leans into dread: flames tear through homes and labs, but the camera stays close on the faces trying – and failing – to contain the fallout. It feels less like a comic-book origin story and more like a family running from a disaster that lives inside their own child. Fans of dark, character-driven genre stories like Stranger Things will recognize the mix of government conspiracy, childhood terror, and supernatural power.
Ryan Kiera Armstrong brings an intense, wounded energy to Charlie, oscillating between frightened kid and walking weapon. Zac Efron plays against his heartthrob image as a father worn down by guilt, migraines, and the moral weight of using his own abilities to bend people’s minds. Sydney Lemmon, Michael Greyeyes, and Gloria Reuben round out a supporting cast that give the story a sense of scale – from the family kitchen table to government control rooms tracking thermal signatures on satellite screens.
On the visual side, Firestarter on Netflix feels like a controlled burn: suburban streets lit by emergency lights, laboratory corridors washed in clinical white, and bursts of orange flame that feel more dangerous than dazzling. The movie treats Charlie’s fire as a symptom of emotional overload – anger, fear, and betrayal quite literally ignite the frame. It’s a style that fits neatly alongside other Netflix genre titles that fuse human drama with supernatural stakes, such as the films highlighted in our roundup of psychological thrillers on Netflix.
Critics were tough on the film during its original release, calling it a weaker adaptation of King’s novel and inferior to the 1984 version, and review aggregators still reflect that skepticism today. But streaming can rewrite a movie’s fate. With its arrival on Netflix USA, Firestarter is now reaching a wider genre-loving audience who may have skipped it in theaters but are more than willing to hit play at home. The film’s combination of Stephen King’s name, Blumhouse horror pedigree, and Zac Efron’s star power make it a compelling option for viewers scrolling for something dark and intense to watch.
In the end, Firestarter is less about explosions and more about the fear of what we pass on to our children – and what the world will do when it realizes how powerful they are. For King fans, horror completists, and anyone in the mood for a tense, combustible family story, its arrival on Netflix USA is a chance to decide for yourself whether this new adaptation deserves a place in the Stephen King streaming canon.
- Original title: Firestarter
- Genre: Sci-fi – Horror – Thriller
- Country of production: United States
- Year of release: 2022
- Directed by: Keith Thomas
- Main cast: Zac Efron, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Sydney Lemmon, Michael Greyeyes, Gloria Reuben
- Based on: Novel “Firestarter” by Stephen King
- Produced by: Blumhouse Productions, Weed Road Pictures, Universal Pictures
- Release date on Netflix USA: 12 November 2025
► WATCH ON NETFLIX: Firestarter on Netflix USA
In the meantime, enjoy the trailer below.
