Description

A good movie, with fair special effects that have good impact even today. Andrew and Vicky McGee met while earning money as guinea pigs for an experiment at college. The experiment was shrouded in suspicion and mystery, and seemed to be related to psychic abilities. The two were married and had a daughter Charile, who has the ability to start fires by merely thinking about it. Naturally, the government takes a great interest in Charlie, and operatives from the secret department known as "The Shop" want to quarantine and study her.

King reportedly hated the movie, and director Mark Lester commented many years later that King had seemed happy with the production at the time. Much of the problem appeared to be the reliance on a young and inexperienced actress - Drew Barrymore.

Expecting Barrymore to carry the movie may well have been too much to ask as I believe that she lets the movie down in some scenes, especially the final climactic scenes where she destroys The Shop. The same could be said for other actors in the movie. I really thought George C Scott's character John Rainbird was cast totally wrong and let down the movie in almost ever shot he was in. Don't get me wrong, I like Scott and Barrymore's other work, just that there would have been better people to cast for these roles.

The cast includes David Keith as Andrew McGee, Heather Locklear as Vicky McGee, Martin Sheen as Captain Hollister, Art Carney as Irv Manders and Louise Fletcher as Norma Manders.

Released

1984