Stars: Keith Gordon, Alexandra Paul, John Stockwell
Director: John Carpenter
Stephen King adaptations are a mixed bag at best. Films like The Mist and The Shining miss the whole point of the book and create films that might be technically good but are missing the heart of what I loved about the prose. The Mist makes me mad because the last word of the short story is literally hope. Show me hope in that film and especially that ending. Don’t bother trying - you can’t.
Next, there are the films like The Lawnmower Man or the sequels to Children of the Corn. These films are so different from King’s prose that they don’t even deserve a based on concept by credit. Lastly there are the adaptations that stick very close to King’s words and heart. In 1983, there were three Stephen King films I would argue meet that criteria. Christine is my favorite of the three.
Brief synopsis:
Arnie Cunningham is your typical nerd in high school, just trying to survive. Luckily, his best friend Dennis is the high school quarterback and he protects Arnie whenever he can. Both of them are interested in new girl Leigh, a pretty transfer student, and have an accidental hand in the expelling of bully Buddy Repperton from school after he goes after Arnie with a switchblade.
Arnie loves cars and finds a broken down 1958 Plymouth Fury for sale that the owner says is named Christine. He instantly falls in love with the car and buys it against everyone’s wishes. Arnie spends weeks meticulously rebuilding the car at a local garage, returning her to her former glory. But while Christine is getting better, Arnie is changing and not necessarily for the better. Sure, he ditches the glasses and gets the nerve up to ask out Leigh, but he also gets a bad attitude. After Dennis breaks his leg playing football, Arnie begins spending more time with the car…
Spoilers below (you have been warned):
Leigh almost chokes to death in the car after complaining about Christine and refuses to ever get into it again. Buddy and his friends attack the car and tear it apart. Dennis tries to get Arnie to scrap her but this only puts further distance between the friends. Alone with his car, Arnie smiles and says “show me”. Christine then repairs herself, becoming pristine once again. The car then goes on a revenge tour and kills the gang members.
Dennis confronts the man who sold Arnie the car, George LeBay, about his friends' obsession with the car. LeBay admits that his brother was the original owner and shared the same obsession, even after his little daughter died in the car. Eventually his brother and wife both died in the car and both were ruled suicides. Realizing that his friend is in danger of ending up the same way, Dennis teams up with Leigh to destroy the car. Unfortunately, they are too late to save Arnie. He gets behind Christine’s wheel and tries to run Leigh down. Leigh gets out of the way and Arnie crashes, being thrown through the windshield and killed. The chase continues through a junk yard until Dennis is finally able to crush the car, turning Christine into a square hunk of metal. However, as the hunk of metal lays in the scrap heap, the fender begins to repair itself.
My thoughts (with spoilers):
Meet Christine who definitely puts the Fury into Plymouth Fury. She takes her first victim on the assembly line, killing a worker and getting a taste for blood. And who better to bring her to life than legendary director John Carpenter. Carpenter brings the right tone to this film, amping up the terror and using every trick in his book to make you feel Christine’s wrath. A killer car movie could be just silly if done wrong but Carpenter gets it right. It is strange to think that he was not even supposed to direct this film, he was scheduled for Firestarter, but he lost that directing job because of the financial failure of The Thing. It was all for the best because while I will always have a soft spot for Firestarter, the material is just not as good as Christine.
Carpenter’s visuals are simply amazing. A stunning set piece is the death of one of the bullies. A driverless Christine chases him through a gas station which explodes and sets the car on fire. At this point, the car could simply speed up and run the guy down but the flaming car plays with his victim, following just closely enough to build the tension before finally running the bully down. Another great scene is when Christine rebuilds herself in front of Arnie. The joy in Arnie’s eyes as his true love rebuilds herself and the malicious smile that forms on his face says it all. Arnie is lost but he doesn’t care. Leigh’s near death scene also stands out as the music starts up and the dashboard turns a glowing bright. The camera angles keep changing and all are off kilter, putting us on edge. We are not sure if Leigh will make through the attack and are praying for someone to step in and help her. Thankfully, a bystander does just that. This moment also ends Leigh and Arnie’s relationship as she makes him choose between her and Christine and he chooses Christine.
I have actually met all three main actors of this film and am happy to say that they are all delightful to talk to and really appreciate the film and their experience on it. Keith Gordon, who is more well known as a director now, was in several horror films in the 1980’s, most notably Jaws 2 and this film. The role most kids from the 1980’s would probably recognize him from is as Rodney Dangerfield’s son in Back to School. Of all his acting roles, I would say this film really allows him to shine. Arnie goes from shy nerd to confident and mean bully over the course of 110 minutes and you believe it. He is the heart of the film and the turn would not work with a lesser actor.
Alexandra Paul and John Stockwell play the roles of girlfriend and best friend and they are fine in their roles. Both roles are a little underwritten, especially Leigh, but they hit the right notes. The gang members are over-the-top in that traditional Stephen King way. Played as greasers, even though this film takes place in the 1978, you are rooting for Christine to take them out. Harry Dean Stanton takes his little role as the detective investigating the deaths and plays it for all it is worth. He is certain that Arnie is responsible for the deaths but is never quite able to prove it. In the end, he has to settle for the deaths of Arnie and Christine as the end of his case. While he accepts Leigh and Dennis’s explanation, you can tell he does not quite believe it.
John Carpenter also creates another great score for this film. I have his greatest hits and Christine is up there with Halloween as one of his best scores. Moody and brooding, it fits the scenes perfectly. Christine also has a love for classic tunes from when she was born and they kick in at just the right time to convey her mood. It is a smart use of music and gives an inanimate object a voice to express their feelings.
Christine is an underrated classic that deserves more love. Spend a night with her and let her take you on a fun ride.
More films from 1983 to check out:
Cujo – Another King adaptation with Dee Wallace as a mother trying to get her son to safety after they are trapped in their car by a rabid dog. Good tension and atmosphere but gets dragged down by some silly side plots.
Dead Zone – The third of the King adaptations this year, this one directed by David Cronenberg and starring Christopher Walken. Interesting film about a man who is able to tell the future following a long coma. A little slow moving for my tastes but has a great ending.
Trading Places – Classic comedy with Dan Ackroyd, Eddie Murphy, and Jamie Lee Curtis. Trying to prove nature versus nurture, the Duke Brothers take all of Ackroyd’s wealth and status away and gives it to Murphy. Murphy and Ackroyd play great together and Curtis successfully shed her scream queen title as a prostitute who wants to make enough money to retire early and enjoy life.