As a seasoned gamer and Stephen King enthusiast, I’ve traversed the twisted landscapes of his fictional worlds more times than I can count. The 2022 adaptation of Firestarter has once again transported me into King’s universe, this time with a modern twist on an old favorite.
Approximately a year has passed since the modern reinterpretation of Stephen King’s eighth novel, Firestarter, was first presented by Universal Pictures and Blumhouse.
The movie is penned by Scott Teems (Halloween Kills) and directed by Keith Thomas (The Vigil). It revolves around Andy McGee and Vicky McGee, two college students who possess supernatural powers following a covert government project managed by an organization called “The Shop”. Zac Efron portrays Andy, while Sidney Lemmon plays Vicky.
After fleeing from suspicious figures to bring up their fire-wielding child, a girl named Charlie (played by Ryan Kiara Armstrong), the pair had been seeking a normal existence. However, when The Shop finally tracks them down, their dreams of a peaceful life are reduced to ashes.
Now that the film is available for streaming on Peacock, here are six hidden references to Stephen King we discovered during our recent viewing…
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Stephen King Easter eggs in the 2022 Firestarter movie
John Carpenter’s score
In the same manner as he did for the reboot trilogy of David Gordon Green’s Halloween, John Carpenter collaborated with his son, Cody Carpenter, and godson, Daniel Davies to compose the music for this film. This choice to bring on board a true icon in the genre world was a significant step towards mending the rift between Carpenter and Universal Pictures that had occurred years ago. Initially, Carpenter was meant to direct an adaptation of Firestarter in the 1980s, but both critically and financially, The Thing failed. As a result, the studio became hesitant and replaced him with Mark L. Lester. However, Carpenter still had an opportunity to work with Stephen King when he directed Christine in 1983.
Rainbird’s back tattoo
Credit where credit is due: this particular Easter egg was brought to our attention by Reddit user chapj. When we are first introduced to the character of Rainbird (a ruthless agent of The Shop played by Michael Greyeyes), you can clearly see a tattoo on his back depicting the image of the “Hanged Man” tarot card. This is a reference to the moment in The Gunslinger (the first book in King’s Dark Tower series) where the Man in Black reads Roland Deschain’s fortune.
Herman Pynchot Veterans Hospital
When Captain Jane Hollister (Gloria Reuben), the top executive at The Shop, tries to persuade Doctor Wanless (Kurtwood Smith) to return from retirement, she discovers that the talented mind behind Lot Six is languishing in the Herman Pynchot Veterans Hospital. In the book, Doctor Pynchot holds a significant position as a key figure in a clandestine government program that conducted experiments on Andy and Vicky McGee. The character was portrayed by Moses Gunn in the 1984 adaptation.
Joyland Waste Removal
Pay attention when Charlie unintentionally ignites a wild cat at approximately 39 minutes. In the background, you’ll notice a dumpster labeled “Joyland Waste Disposal”, a subtle nod to the novel “Joyland ” (2013) by Stephen King, which was published by Hard Case Crime imprint following “The Colorado Kid“.
Ayuh Beer
Irv Manders (portrayed by John Beasley), the affable man who offers Andy and Charlie a ride to his homestead, is known for his fondness for beer. His go-to brand? A refreshing Ayuh. Any devoted reader of Stephen King’s work would recognize the “Ayuh” in various parts of his stories, novels, and novellas over the years. It’s a well-known New England term and a favorite beverage of longtime resident Stephen King. Bravo to the prop team for this detail!
Swithen County
Let’s think outside the box for a second. After Irv tips off the police about Andy, several officers from the Sheriff’s Department in Swithen County arrive at the farm to take the fugitive into custody. This could be a subtle nod to the fact that the prolific author Stephen King (who also wrote under the names Richard Bachman and Beryl Evans) published his 1972 short story “The Fifth Quarter” under the pseudonym of John Swithen, two years before his first novel — Carrie.
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2024-11-15 20:16