Christine (1983) Review

 

Christine (1983)

Christine follows unpopular nerd Arnie Cunningham, who after buying a 1958 Plymouth Fury, develops an unhealthy obsession with the car, one that becomes especially dangerous when the car starts killing to protect Arnie. 

Never in a thousand years did I expect to love a movie that feels ripped right out of a corny Goosebumps novel (I mean it’s a car that kills people for shits sake) but here we are. Credit though has to go Stephen King, who masterminded the intense story, and John Carpenter who brought the story to life, with enough horror and finesse that even King himself would likely be proud of. The way it subtly goes about projecting gradual terror and Arnie’s evolution from cast-out nerd, to deeply disturbed psychopath is so well done. Everything is framed to allow this intercourse to happen and from first sight, you know it’s not going to end well for Arnie, or more importantly his tormentors. 

A fascinating aspect about this film too is it’s point of view, and how Arnie is obviously the main character but it’s told through the 2nd person lens of Dennis. Which is so genius because it allows us to watch Arnie’s descent into darkness from the eyes of someone close to him, without losing sight of him and his love for that damned car. And speaking of the car, god damn, if that regeneration scene where Christine fixes herself isn’t the one of the most impressive visual tricks, pre-CGI era, I don’t know what is, because that was nothing short of mind blowing. 

We get a surprisingly solid cast here too, starring William Ostrander, Harry Dean Stanton, Alexandra Paul, John Stockwell, and Keith Gordon. Gordon, for having never really done much else of note, surprisingly puts forth a darkly, excellent performance that is always shifting and evolving, going to deeper and more frightening places the longer the film progresses. 

Based on the novel by Stephen King, Christine, directed by John Carpenter, is, in my humble opinion, one of the better adaptations of King’s work, likely ever, because it captures such a looming dread and unbelievably makes a car scary, that when paired with the bleak turn of Arnie, is Carpenter at some of his best. 

9/10