Original Release Date: December 9, 1983
Directed by John Carpenter
Written by Bill Phillips based on the novel Christine by Stephen King
Cast: Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Robert Prosky, Harry Dean Stanton, Roberts Blossom, Steven Tash (bit part), Kelly Preston (bit part)
Soundtrack: John Carpenter and Alan Howarth
(Once again, as when I reviewed They Live, I had a nervy decision to make as to which song I would name this review after, though in this case it was the same band. Ultimately, Too Much Love Will Kill You won out over I’m In Love With My Car, but, really, they’re both perfect.)
John Carpenter directs Stephen King.
What a shame it only happened once.
Much like when Queen’s Brian May once got together with Eddie Van Halen to record Star Fleet Project, the result is something quite unique and special.
To be sure, Christine wasn’t the first or last “Killer Automobile” movie (Stephen King himself later directed Maximum Overdrive, based on his own short story, Trucks), but what sets it apart is that it’s not a mere framework upon which to hang schlock horror. No, Christine is a real story, with real characters and real themes; and it’s executed brilliantly.
A complete and biting twist on both nostalgia-based movies (American Graffiti) and coming-of-age stories (Rebel Without A Cause), Christine is the tale of Arnie Cunningham, a smart but definitely nerdy-type high school student who one day in 1978 discovers a beat-up ’58 Plymouth Fury and decides to buy it on the spot in order to restore her. As the semester passes, however, Arnie begins to change, shedding his geeky shell for a new cocksure demeanor, going as far as to win the affection of the most beautiful girl in school, much to the terrible shock of his jock best friend. However, a more sinister force is at work, and before long a number of mysterious deaths bring the police’s attention to Arnie and his prized vehicle.
Remember when you were young and you had your first relationship? At the time it felt like everything, but when you look back on it you realize how crazy you were. You blew off your friends, talked back to your parents, and became just a different person in general, all for something that probably didn’t last much more than a few months. Or, perhaps this was never you, but it was one of your friends. Either way, Christine will resonate with you, because “Christine the Fury” is Arnie’s first relationship, and they’re both extremely jealous lovers.
If you’re a fan of late-70s to early-90s cinema, Christine offers quite the potpourri of familiar (if not famous) faces. Arnie is played by Keith Gordon (in hands-down the performance of his career), who I really liked in a supporting role in Jaws 2, but is probably more well known as Rodney Dangerfield’s son in Back to School. Arnie’s best friend Dennis is played by John Stockwell aka “Cougar” from the beginning of Top Gun. Alexandra Paul (total stunner in this) you might know from Dragnet (she was also on some show called “Baywatch”). Robert Prosky‘s been in lots of things. Harry Dean Stanton needs no explanation. Roberts Blossom IS Old Man Marley. Kelly Preston was in Twins (and is married to some guy). And last, but not least, Steven Tash is the gum-spitting student from Ghost Busters.
However, as great as this ensemble is, Christine would not be this film it is without its incredible (and 100% practical) special effects, supervised by Roy Arbogast (who’s worked on everything from Close Encounters Of The Third Kind to The Thing to What Dreams May Come). Seriously, there’s a scene where the busted up Plymouth fixes itself, and it looks totally real! That’s what I call movie magic.
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention the music. Not only the original score, which is appropriately creepy in its own right, but the choice of old rock & roll songs, which are used to both comedic and, more often, chilling effect (like if Bumblebee was a serial killer).
Lastly, I have to commend the production for being serious about when the film takes place. They could have easily just said it was 1978 but not done anything to really sell it, but there are a few touches here and there. In the scene at the drive-in theater, the movie playing is Thank God It’s Friday, released that year, and there’s a poster on the wall of the snack bar for The Buddy Holly Story, also released in 1978.
As I’ve said before, I’m not the biggest horror fan in the world, but if you’re looking for a scary good time, I have to recommend Christine. It’s creepy, it’s clever, and, frankly, in the John Carpenter catalogue, it’s criminally underrated.
A true horror classic all around.
Rating: ★★★★☆
