Firestarter
Adapted from the Stephen King novel, Firestarter stars Drew Barrymore as “Charlie,” a young girl who develops pyrokinesis, the psychic ability to start fires with the mind. When a shady government agency known as “The Shop” abducts Charlie and tries to use her as a weapon she flees to save herself and expose the nefarious plot. Though it hasn’t had the impact of other Stephen King screen adaptations it ranks as one of Tangerine Dream’s more memorable soundtracks and is worth revisiting for that reason alone.
Near Dark
This stylish, horror western is Kathryn Bigelow’s second feature film as director. A roving group of vampires wreak havoc on an unsuspecting family in a genre film mashup that has become one of the most enduring vampire films of the 1980s. With its oblique commentary on race and gender in America, Near Dark is a powerful exploration of the darker impulses of human behavior.
Shimmering Synths: The Film Music of Tangerine Dream is sponsored by WKDU 91.7FM
