In this special edition KBZ article, we’re going to review and list The Best Films About Pyrokinesis. Pyrokinesis is a popular psychic ability shown in film and involves the ability to create and control fire with your mind. Examples of popular pyrokinesis films include Firestarter (1984), Wilder Napalm (1993), X2 (2003) and Eli (2019).
Though this article will only cover films showing the pyrokinesis psychic ability, you can check out our other lists of films by psychic ability below (including our entire list of every film listed by psychic ability):
- The Complete List of Films by Psychic Power Ability
- Best Films About Telekinesis
- Best Films About Telepathy
- Best Films About Pyrokinesis
- Best Films About ESP & Clairvoyance
- Best Films About Mediums
- Best Films About Premonitions & Precognition
- Best Psychic Powers Comedies
- The 30 Best Films Featuring Psychic Abilities
For our rankings we’re going to use some criteria to help define and refine our list. First, the film must show some form of pyrokinesis. Examples of pyrokinesis can vary from someone creating and controlling fire to someone not able to control fire within themselves leading to spontaneous human combustion. The more a film deals solely with pyrokinesis, the higher it will rank on our list. An example here would be would be Wilder Napalm (1993) and Pyrates (1991). Wilder Napalm is primarily about two brothers with pyrokinetic abilities. However, Pyrates is much more of a Sex Comedy and Romantic Comedy centered around two sex addicts who sometimes cause fires when they have sex. Some of these fires are due to their ‘heated’ lovemaking where they knock items over, such as candles, that cause a fire while other moments in the film allude to spontaneous combustion because of their wild sex sessions. So though the film is still listed as a pyrokinesis film, it’s probably the furthest away you could get from pyrokinesis as a psychic ability.
Second, we’re not going to list films about pyromania. Pyromania and pyromaniacs are often confused with pyrokinesis, but pyromania is a mental disorder that causes someone to want to start fires and not a psychic ability. We’re noting this because some films dealing with pyromania are often misclassified as pyrokinesis films.
Third, we are going to include some Films Based on Superheroes & Comics and Films Based on Video Games, but this will mostly be relegated to the X-Men franchise and Mortal Kombat series of films. As we outlined in our Complete List of Films by Psychic Power Ability, there are only a few Superhero franchises and films that specifically deal with psychic power abilities. And as for Mortal Kombat, there is a primary character of the franchise, Liu Kang, who does possess pyrokinetic powers and is able to create and control fire.
And fourth, we had to follow our rule for all of KBZ’s film listings where we only list films that have a 4.0/10 or higher rating. We’re also only considering films released after 1970 unless they’re considered a classic Film About Psychic Powers.
Our complete list of Films About Psychic Powers features over 240+ films from 1960 – 2023 and though we don’t yet break down films by their psychic ability in our collection, you can refer to our Complete List of Films by Psychic Power Ability if you have a favorite psychic ability and the films they’re used in. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to get updated as we release future articles on each psychic ability and add the latest and greatest subgenre films to our collection.
We have embedded a compilation video of our Best Films About Pyrokinesis and more details on these films can be found in the list below. Note: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Best Films About Pyrokinesis
Honorable Mentions: Nice Girls Don’t Explode (1987), Pyrates (1991), Mortal Kombat (1995), Generation X (1996), Specimen (1996), Superstition (2001), Fantastic Four (2005), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Fantastic Four (2015), Code 8 (2016), Code 8 (2019), The New Mutants (2020) and Firestarter (2022).
#10
Crossfire
Plot: Able to set fires with her mind, a young woman (Akiko Yada) seeks vengeance against the leader of a gang that raped and killed her boyfriend’s (Hideaki Ito) sister.
KBZ’s Take: We don’t have many films to choose from for this list and frankly, most pyrokinesis films aren’t very good. However, this Japanese film has some interesting displays of pyrokinesis in action if you can make it through most of the melodramatic parts of the film.
Where to Stream / Buy: YouTube
Plot: In the early 1970s, Dr. Henry West creates an institute to find people with supernatural abilities. When Judith Winstead comes to the facility, she exhibits amazing abilities that the military wants to turn into a weapon.
KBZ’s Take: The Atticus Institute is a Found Footage film and covers various psychic powers including ESP, telekinesis and pyrokinesis. The pyrokinesis demonstrations in the film are minor and the film focuses much more heavily on the supernatural as the source of the psychic powers.
There is an interesting military conspiracy aspect to the film, but we would classify the film much more in the Films About Exorcisms & Possession and Films About the Devil, Demons & Hell subgenres. It’s still worth a watch if you like psychic power elements rooted in various horror themes.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: A young man finds out that his parents had been used in an atomic-weapons experiment shortly before he was born, and that the results have had some unexpected effects on him.
KBZ’s Take: Spontaneous Combustion is not a great film, but it has horror icon Brad Dourif in the lead role and is directed by Tobe Hooper. And though the film doesn’t make a lot of sense (most of the time), it does have some good pyrokinesis effects.
We would only recommend this film for fans and completists of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: YouTube
Plot: Wilder and Wallace are brothers and pyrokinetics. Ever since childhood they’ve been able to start fires with their minds but following a tragedy in which they accidentally killed a man, the brothers have grown up very differently. Wilder has become a regular 9-5 workaday joe but Wallace performs his feats with a traveling circus. When the circus comes to Wilder’s hometown Wallace starts coming on strong to Wilder’s wife, Vida who, ironically, is a slight pyromaniac.
KBZ’s Take: Wilder Napalm often gets grouped together with Pyrates (1991) as Romantic Comedies involving pyrokinesis. While both films are technically about pyrokinesis, Wilder Napalm’s entire plot revolves around two brothers and their ability to start fires with their minds, while Pyrates only has a few subtle references to spontaneous combustion.
Wilder Napalm has been lost to time but it is one of the hidden gems of the early 1990’s. It has a unique plot, some very funny sequences involving pyrokinesis and stars Debra Winger, Arliss Howard and Dennis Quaid who were all still at the peak of their careers.
Fans of the subgenre will enjoy this film and it’s also an obscure film that will make an interesting date night movie.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: After a disease kills 98% of America’s children, the surviving 2% develop superpowers and are placed in internment camps. A 16-year-old girl escapes her camp and joins a group of other teens on the run from the government.
KBZ’s Take: The Darkest Minds was released at the tail end of the wave of films adapted from Young Adult (YA) Novels. While the series of novels by Alexandra Bracken has been compared to The Hunger Games, the film adaptation of the first novel doesn’t quite translate well to screen. And though the film version has multiple issues from its lackluster screenplay to some really bad acting, it’s still one of the better films involving multiple psychic powers including pyrokinesis.
For those who haven’t read the novel or seen the movie, the premise is based on a dystopian future where children (through a contagious disease) have developed psychic powers. Children are then grouped according to their psychic powers by Green (increased intelligence), Blue (telekinesis), Yellow (ergokinesis), Red (pyrokinesis) and Orange (telepathy).
The film does have some good sequences of the various psychic powers on display, but those are really the only highlights of the film. We would only recommend this film for fans and completists of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Washed-up MMA fighter Cole Young, unaware of his heritage, and hunted by Emperor Shang Tsung’s best warrior, Sub-Zero, seeks out and trains with Earth’s greatest champions as he prepares to stand against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe.
KBZ’s Take: Though the initial film adaptation of the Mortal Kombat game franchise was released in 1995, it was met with lukewarm reviews. Its sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), earned even worse reviews. So, it was a bit of a surprise when the reboot of the film franchise debuted in 2021 and surpassed many fans’ expectations.
For those unfamiliar with the game franchise or films, there are multiple combatants that have unique abilities – some of them involving psychic powers. Sub-Zero has the cryokinesis ability to control ice, Raiden has the ergokinesis ability to control electricity and so on. And though the film is mostly centered around Scorpion and Sub-Zero’s backstory and eternal feud, one of the main characters is Liu Kang. Liu Kang is a fan favorite with his martial arts expertise and pyrokinesis ability.
While the film will mostly appeal to fans of Martial Arts Films and fans of the game franchise, for subgenre fans, there are some action-packed fights involving psychic powers in the film you don’t want to miss.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#4
The Prophecy
Plot: The angel Gabriel comes to Earth to collect a soul which will end the stalemated war in Heaven, and only a former priest and a little girl can stop him.
KBZ’s Take: This film had us the moment Christopher Walken appeared as the angel Gabriel. Though a minor hit in the mid-90’s, it’s a film that has been lost to time despite cult film status. So, we’re doing our best to help shed some light on this great film.
Yes, the plot can be convoluted at times, but it has a unique premise and is one of the better religious apocalypse movies out there. It has some great performances from Elias Koteas, Virginia Madsen, Eric Stoltz and Walken…but the kicker is Viggo Mortensen as Lucifer. Don’t miss out on this gem of a film.
Additional Lists: Top Films About the Devil, Demons & Hell You Haven’t Seen 1990 – 2009 #2, Top Dark Fantasy Films You Haven’t Seen 1990 – 2009 #3, Best Apocalypse Films #15
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#3
X2
Plot: Professor Charles Xavier and his team of genetically gifted superheroes face a rising tide of anti-mutant sentiment led by Col. William Stryker. Storm, Wolverine and Jean Grey must join their usual nemeses – Magneto and Mystique – to unhinge Stryker’s scheme to exterminate all mutants.
KBZ’s Take: There were quite a few X-Men films to choose from, but we ultimately selected X2 to represent the entire franchise of films in this spot. While all the films feature various psychic powers and abilities, X2 had the most screen-time for the mutant Pyro and his pyrokinetic ability.
Though Pyro is a minor character in the film, when he uses his pyrokinesis, it’s one of the more memorable sequences in the film (and of the subgenre).
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#2
Eli
Plot: A boy named Eli with a rare autoimmune disorder is confined to a special experimental clinic for his treatment. He soon begins experiencing supernatural forces, turning the supposedly safe facility into a haunted prison for him and his fellow patients.
KBZ’s Take: Eli is the type of film where the less you know about it before watching, the better experience you’ll have with the film. We can say that the film has a fusion of supernatural and psychic powers undertones that slowly reveal themselves as the plot progresses.
If you’re a fan of the subgenre, we would highly recommend this film. It’s one of the better films with supernatural psychic abilities on full display.
Where to Stream / Buy: Netflix
#1
Firestarter
Plot: As youths, Andy McGee and his future wife, Vicky, participated in secret experiments, allowing themselves to be subjected to mysterious medical tests. Years later, the couple’s daughter, Charlie, begins to exhibit the ability of setting fires solely with her mind. This volatile talent makes the youngster extremely dangerous and soon she becomes a target for the enigmatic agency known as The Shop.
KBZ’s Take: Stephen King has often had psychic powers as a prominent theme of his novels. Carrie (1976) involved telekinesis, The Shining (1980) telepathy and The Dead Zone (1983) precognition. With Firestarter, King focused on pyrokinesis and created the most iconic story of the subgenre.
Though the recent Firestarter (2022) tried to recapture the magic of the 1984 film, it couldn’t quite measure up to the original. And while both films aren’t as good as the novel they’re based on, at least the 1984 film adapted some of the most important sequences from the novel for the subgenre’s most memorable scenes of pyrokinesis. The original film also benefited from a stellar cast with Drew Barrymore, David Keith, Martin Sheen and George C. Scott.
If you’re a fan of the subgenre (and the pyrokinesis psychic ability), then you have likely already seen this film. And for younger fans just discovering Films About Pyrokinesis, there’s no better film to start with than the original and classic Firestarter.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
