Christine ( 1983 film ) - wikipedia Christine ( 1983 film ) This article 's lead section may not adequately summarize key points of its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. Please discuss this issue on the article 's talk page. ( July 2016 ) Christine Theatrical release poster Directed by John Carpenter Produced by Richard Kobritz Larry J. Franco Screenplay by Bill Phillips Based on Christine by Stephen King Starring Keith Gordon John Stockwell Alexandra Paul Robert Prosky Harry Dean Stanton Music by John Carpenter Alan Howarth Cinematography Donald M. Morgan Edited by Marion Rothman Production company Columbia Pictures Delphi Premier Productions Polar Film Distributed by Columbia Pictures Release date December 9, 1983 ( 1983 - 12 - 09 ) Running time 110 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $10 million Box office $21 million ( US ) Christine is a 1983 American horror film directed by John Carpenter and starring Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, and Harry Dean Stanton. The film also features supporting performances from Roberts Blossom and Kelly Preston. Written by Bill Phillips and based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King, the plot follows a sentient and violent vintage Plymouth Fury named Christine, and its effects on the car 's new teenage owner. Upon its release, the film has grossed $21 million at the US box office. Despite a lukewarm reception among critics, the film has become a cult classic. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3.1 Conception 3.2 Casting 3.3 Filming 3.4 The car 4 Release 4.1 Box office 4.2 Critical reception 4.3 Home media 5 Soundtrack 5.1 Score 5.2 Songs appearing in film 6 See also 7 References 8 Bibliography 9 External links Plot In 1978, Arnold `` Arnie '' Cunningham ( Keith Gordon ) is an awkward and unpopular teenager, in Rockbridge, California, with only one friend, Dennis Guilder ( John Stockwell ). Arnie 's life begins to change when he buys a used, badly battered red - and - white 1958 Plymouth Fury, named `` Christine, '' in need of extensive repairs. Arnie begins to restore Christine at a local repair shop and junkyard, Darnell 's Autobody, but as he spends more of his time working on the car, he discards his glasses, dresses more like a 1950s greaser, and develops an arrogant personality. Dennis and Arnie 's new girlfriend, Leigh Cabot ( Alexandra Paul ), discover the car 's previous owner was obsessed with Christine and committed suicide in it by carbon monoxide poisoning. A group of bullies at school -- angry with Arnie after a shop class confrontation results in the lead bully, Buddy Repperton ( William Ostrander ), being expelled -- vandalize Christine. Arnie is devastated and determined to repair Christine. As he examines the ruined car, he hears the creaking of metal and notices the engine is now fully restored. Arnie tells the car, `` Show me. '' Christine flips on its lights and restores itself to showroom quality, then, driving itself, seeks out the vandals. Moochie Wells ( Malcolm Danare ) is targeted first and crushed to death in an alley. Richie and Don are caught in a gas station explosion ( which sets Christine on fire ) ; and Buddy is run over and burned by the flaming car. Darnell ( Robert Prosky ), owner of the garage and junkyard where Arnie restored and keeps his Plymouth Fury, is killed in the garage when he sits in the car and is crushed between the seat the steering wheel. On New Year 's Eve, Dennis and Leigh reason that the only way to stop Christine and save Arnie is to destroy the car. Dennis scratches `` Darnell 's Tonight '' -- referencing the name of the junkyard -- into Christine 's hood, then makes his way there with Leigh. Dennis waits in a bulldozer while Leigh heads to the office so that she can shut the door after Christine arrives, trapping the car. Christine, who has been lying in wait the entire time, shines the headlights from under a pile of trash and the car charges after Leigh. Christine crashes into Darnell 's office in an attempt to kill Leigh, and Arnie ( revealed to have been driving the car himself ) is thrown through Christine 's windshield. He is impaled on a shard of glass and dies, reaching out to touch Christine one last time. Christine continues to attack Dennis and Leigh, repeatedly sustaining damage and regenerating. Dennis pulls Leigh into the cab of the bulldozer ; the two then smash Christine, driving back and forth over the car with the bulldozer as it mocks them by playing `` Rock and Roll Is Here To Stay '' over the radio until at last it is too shredded to regenerate again. Dennis and Leigh survive and leave behind the remains of the car. The closing shot of the film is of Christine, now having been crushed into a cube by a car crusher, as a piece of the grille slowly begins to straighten. Cast Keith Gordon as Arnold `` Arnie '' Cunningham John Stockwell as Dennis Guilder Alexandra Paul as Leigh Cabot Robert Prosky as Will Darnell Harry Dean Stanton as Detective Rudolph `` Rudy '' Junkins Christine Belford as Regina Cunningham Roberts Blossom as George LeBay Kelly Preston as Roseanne William Ostrander as Clarence `` Buddy '' Repperton Malcolm Danare as Peter `` Moochie '' Wells Steven Tash as Richard `` Richie '' Trelawney Stuart Charno as Donald `` Don '' Vandenberg David Spielberg as Mr. Casey Production Conception Producer Richard Kobritz had previously produced the miniseries Salem 's Lot, also based on a Stephen King novel ; through producing the miniseries, Kobritz became acquainted with King, who sent him manuscripts of two of his novels, Cujo, and Christine. Kobritz purchased the rights to Christine after finding himself attracted to the novel 's `` celebration of America 's obsession with the motorcar. '' According to John Carpenter, Christine was not a film he had planned on directing, saying that he directed the film as `` a job '' as opposed to a `` personal project. '' He had previously directed The Thing ( 1982 ), which had done poorly at the box office and led to critical backlash. In retrospect, Carpenter stated that upon reading Christine, he felt that `` It just was n't very frightening. But it was something I needed to do at that time for my career. '' King 's novel, the source material for Carpenter 's film, made it clear that the car was possessed by the evil spirit of its previous owner, Roland D. LeBay, whereas the film version of the story shows that the evil spirit surrounding the car was present on the day it was built. Other elements from the novel were altered for the film, particularly the execution of the death scenes, which the filmmakers opted for a more `` cinematic approach. '' Casting Initially, Columbia Pictures had wanted to cast Brooke Shields in the role of Leigh due to her publicity after the release of The Blue Lagoon ( 1980 ), and Scott Baio as Arnie. The filmmakers declined the suggestion, opting to cast young actors who were still fairly unknown. Kevin Bacon auditioned for the role, but opted out when offered a part in Footloose ( 1984 ). Carpenter cast Keith Gordon in the role of Arnie after an audition in New York City ; Gordon had some experience in film, and was also working in theater at the time ; John Stockwell was cast at an audition in Los Angeles. Nineteen - year - old Alexandra Paul was cast in the film after audition in New York City ; according to Carpenter, Paul was an `` untrained, young actress '' at the time, but brought a `` great quality '' about the character of Leigh. According to Paul, she had not read any of King 's books or seen Carpenter 's films, and read the novel in preparation. Filming Christine was shot largely in Los Angeles, California, while the location for Darnell 's garage was located in Santa Clarita. Filming began in April 1983, merely days after the King novel had been published. The film 's stunts were primarily completed by stunt coordinator Terry Leonard, who was behind the wheel of the car during the high - speed chase scenes, as well as the scene in which the car drives down a highway engulfed in flames. The car One of the two remaining models of Christine used in the film Although the car in the film is identified as a 1958 Plymouth Fury -- and in 1983 radio ads promoting the film, voiceover artists announced, `` she 's a ' 57 Fury '' -- two other Plymouth models, the Belvedere and the Savoy, were also used to portray the malevolent automobile onscreen. John Carpenter placed ads throughout Southern California searching for models of the car, and was able to purchase twenty - four of them in various states of disrepair, which were used to build a total of seventeen models of the Fury. Total production for the 1958 Plymouth Fury was only 5,303, and they were difficult to find and expensive to buy at the time. In addition, the real - life Furys only came in one color, `` Buckskin Beige '', seen on the other Furys on the assembly line during the initial scenes of the movie. The Fury also got anodized gold trim on the body and Fury script on the rear fender. In order to bypass the problem of obtaining the rare trim, the cars featured the more common Belvedere `` Dartline '' trim. Several vehicles were destroyed during filming, but most of the cars were Savoy and Belvedere models dressed to look like the Fury. At least one ' 57 Savoy was used, its front end modified to look like a ' 58. Originally, Carpenter had not planned to film the car 's regeneration scenes, but decided after the shoot had finished to include them. The shots of the car regenerating itself were shot in post-production and done using hydraulics. Of the twenty cars used in the film, only two still exist. One is a stunt vehicle with a manual transmission and now resides in the hands of a private California collector. The other vehicle was rescued from a junkyard and restored by collector Bill Gibson of Pensacola, Florida. Release Box office Christine was released in North America on December 9, 1983, to 1,045 theaters. In its opening weekend Christine brought in $3,408,904 landing at # 4. The film dropped 39.6 % in its second weekend, grossing $2,058,517 slipping from fourth to eighth place. In its third weekend, it grossed $1,851,909 dropping to # 9. The film remained at # 9 its fourth weekend, grossing $2,736,782. In its fifth weekend, it returned to # 8, grossing $2,015,922. Bringing in $1,316,835 it its sixth weekend, the film dropped out of the box office top ten to twelfth place. In its seventh and final weekend, the film brought in $819,972 landing at # 14, bringing the total gross for Christine to $21,017,849. Critical reception Based on 25 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, Christine has an overall 68 % approval rating from critics and an average score of 5.9 out of 10. Variety gave the film a negative review, stating : `` Christine seems like a retread. This time it 's a fire - engine red, 1958 Plymouth Fury that 's possessed by the Devil, and this deja - vu premise ( from the novel by Stephen King ) combined with the crazed - vehicle format, makes Christine appear pretty shop worn. '' Roger Ebert gave the movie three out of four stars, saying : `` by the end of the movie, Christine has developed such a formidable personality that we are actually taking sides during its duel with a bulldozer. This is the kind of movie where you walk out with a silly grin, get in your car, and lay rubber halfway down the Eisenhower. '' Janet Maslin of The New York Times gave the film a middling review, saying : `` The early parts of the film are engaging and well acted, creating a believable high - school atmosphere. Unfortunately, the later part of the film is slow in developing, and it unfolds in predictable ways. '' Time Out said of the film : `` Carpenter and novelist Stephen King share not merely a taste for genre horror but a love of ' 50 's teenage culture ; and although set in the present, Christine reflects the second taste far more effectively than the first. '' Home media The film was released on VHS by Columbia Pictures, and later in a special edition DVD in 2004. On March 12, 2013, Twilight Time video released the film on Blu - ray for the first time in a limited edition run numbered at 3,000 copies. On September 29, 2015, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment re-released the film on Blu - ray. Soundtrack Two soundtracks were released, one consisting purely of the music written and composed by John Carpenter and Alan Howarth, the other consisting of the contemporary pop songs used in the film. Score Main article : Christine ( score ) Christine : Music from the Motion Picture Film score by John Carpenter & Alan Howarth Released June 1, 1990 Genre Electronic film score Length 33 : 14 Label Varèse Sarabande Producer John Carpenter, Alan Howarth John Carpenter & Alan Howarth chronology They Live ( 1988 ) They Live 1988 Christine ( 1990 ) John Carpenter chronology They Live ( 1988 ) They Live 1988 Christine ( 1990 ) Christine1990 Body Bags ( 1993 ) Body Bags 1993 Christine : Music from the Motion Picture ( by John Carpenter and Alan Howarth ) No. Title Length 1. `` Arnie 's Love Theme '' 1 : 15 2. `` Obsessed with the Car '' 2 : 07 3. `` Football Run / Kill Your Kids '' 2 : 42 4. `` The Rape '' 1 : 10 5. `` The Discovery '' 1 : 30 6. `` Show Me '' 2 : 36 7. `` Moochie 's Death '' 2 : 25 8. `` Junkins '' 3 : 33 9. `` Buddy 's Death '' 1 : 27 10. `` Nobody 's Home / Restored '' 1 : 44 11. `` Car Obsession Reprise '' 1 : 53 12. `` Christine Attacks ( Plymouth Fury ) '' 2 : 30 13. `` Talk on the Couch '' 1 : 23 14. `` Regeneration '' 1 : 25 15. `` Darnell 's Tonight '' 0 : 13 16. `` Arnie '' 1 : 01 17. `` Undented '' 1 : 54 18. `` Moochie Mix Four '' 2 : 26 Songs appearing in film The soundtrack album containing songs used in the film was entitled Christine : Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and was released on LP and cassette on Motown Records. It contained 10 ( of the 15 ) songs listed in the film 's credits, plus one track from John Carpenter and Alan Howarth 's own score. The track listing was as follows : George Thorogood and the Destroyers - `` Bad to the Bone '' Buddy Holly & the Crickets - `` Not Fade Away '' Johnny Ace - `` Pledging My Love '' Robert & Johnny - `` We Belong Together '' Little Richard - `` Keep A-Knockin ' '' Dion and The Belmonts - `` I Wonder Why '' The Viscounts - `` Harlem Nocturne '' Thurston Harris - `` Little Bitty Pretty One '' Danny & The Juniors - `` Rock n ' Roll is Here to Stay '' John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - `` Christine Attacks ( Plymouth Fury ) '' Larry Williams - `` Bony Moronie '' The following tracks were not included on this LP release, but were used in the film and listed in the film 's credits : ABBA - `` The Name of the Game '' Bonnie Raitt - `` Runaway '' Ritchie Valens - `` Come on, Let 's Go '' Tanya Tucker - `` Not Fade Away '' The Rolling Stones - `` Beast of Burden '' See also List of films about automobiles Little Bastard ( James Dean 's car that is claimed to be cursed ) References Jump up ^ Muir, John Kenneth ( 2005 ). The Films of John Carpenter. McFarland & Company. p. 30. ISBN 9780786422692. ^ Jump up to : `` Overall Box Office ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 22, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Christine ''. Static Mass Emporium. Retrieved September 27, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Carpenter, John ; Kobritz, Richard ( 2004 ). Christine : Ignition. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. ^ Jump up to : `` Extracts from SFX Interview with John Carpenter ''. SFX. Retrieved November 28, 2015. Jump up ^ Carpenter, John. Audio commentary, Christine ( Blu - ray ). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2015. ^ Jump up to : Carpenter, John ; Gordon, Keith ; Paul, Alexandra ; Stockwell, John ( 2004 ). Christine : Fast and Furious. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. ^ Jump up to : Von Doviak 2014. Jump up ^ Kerr & Wollen 2004, p. 355. Jump up ^ Benjaminson 1994, p. 124. Jump up ^ ( 1 ), Christopher Rutkowski, theAFICIONAUTO, autoblog, Living Christine Jump up ^ `` 30th Anniversary of Stephen King 's `` Christine '' ``. WEAR - TV. February 16, 2013. Archived from the original on March 13, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Christine ( 1983 ) ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 28, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Christine Movie Reviews ''. Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved October 22, 2010. Jump up ^ Variety Staff ( December 31, 1982 ). `` Christine ''. Variety. Retrieved November 28, 2015. Jump up ^ Ebert, Roger ( December 13, 1983 ). `` Christine ''. Chicago Sun - Time. Retrieved November 27, 2015. Jump up ^ Maslin, Janet ( December 9, 1983 ). `` Film : ' Christine, ' A Car ''. The New York Times. Jump up ^ `` Christine, directed by John Carpenter ''. Time Out London. Retrieved November 27, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Christine ( Special Edition ) ''. Amazon. Retrieved November 27, 2015. Jump up ^ Kauffman, Jeffrey ( March 18, 2013 ). `` Christine Blu - ray : Screen Archives Entertainment Exclusive / Limited Edition to 3000 ''. Blu-ray.com. Retrieved November 28, 2015. Jump up ^ Liebman, Mark ( September 28, 2015 ). `` Christine Blu - ray ''. Blu-ray.com. Retrieved November 28, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Christine -- Production Credits ''. AllMusic. Retrieved October 22, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Christine ( Original Motion Picture Soundtrack ) ''. Discogs.com. Retrieved 31 May 2015. Bibliography Benjaminson, James ( 1994 ). Plymouth, 1946 - 1959. Motorbooks International. ISBN 978 - 0 - 87938 - 840 - 9. Von Doviak, Scott ( 2014 ). Stephen King Films FAQ : All That 's Left to Know About the King of Horror on Film. Applause Theatre & Cinema. ISBN 978 - 1 - 48035 - 551 - 4. Kerr, Joe ; Wollen, Peter ( 2004 ). Autopia : Cars and Culture. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978 - 1 - 86189 - 132 - 7. External links Wikiquote has quotations related to : Christine ( 1983 film ) Christine at AllMovie Christine at Box Office Mojo Christine on IMDb Christine at Rotten Tomatoes Adaptations of works by Stephen King Films The Shining ( 1980 ) Cujo ( 1983 ) The Dead Zone ( 1983 ) Christine ( 1983 ) Cat 's Eye ( 1985 ) Silver Bullet ( 1985 ) The Running Man ( 1987 ) Tales from the Darkside : The Movie ( 1990 ) Graveyard Shift ( 1990 ) Misery ( 1990 ) Sleepwalkers ( 1992 ) Needful Things ( 1993 ) The Dark Half ( 1993 ) Dolores Claiborne ( 1995 ) Thinner ( 1996 ) The Night Flier ( 1997 ) The Green Mile ( 1999 ) Hearts in Atlantis ( 2001 ) Dreamcatcher ( 2003 ) Secret Window ( 2004 ) Riding the Bullet ( 2004 ) 1408 ( 2007 ) The Mist ( 2007 ) Dolan 's Cadillac ( 2009 ) A Good Marriage ( 2014 ) Mercy ( 2014 ) Cell ( 2016 ) The Dark Tower ( 2017 ) It ( 2017 ) Gerald 's Game ( 2017 ) Carrie Carrie ( 1976 ) The Rage : Carrie 2 ( 1999 ) Carrie ( 2002 ) Carrie ( 2013 ) Creepshow Creepshow ( 1982 ) Creepshow 2 ( 1987 ) Creepshow 3 ( 2007 ) Children of the Corn Disciples of the Crow ( 1983 ) Children of the Corn ( 1984 ) The Final Sacrifice ( 1992 ) Urban Harvest ( 1995 ) The Gathering ( 1996 ) Fields of Terror ( 1998 ) Isaac 's Return ( 1999 ) Revelation ( 2001 ) Children of the Corn ( 2009 ) Genesis ( 2011 ) Different Seasons Stand by Me ( 1986 ) The Shawshank Redemption ( 1994 ) Apt Pupil ( 1998 ) Firestarter Firestarter ( 1984 ) Rekindled ( 2002 ) Trucks Maximum Overdrive ( 1986 ) Trucks ( 1997 ) Pet Sematary Pet Sematary ( 1989 ) Pet Sematary Two ( 1992 ) The Mangler The Mangler ( 1995 ) The Mangler 2 ( 2002 ) The Mangler Reborn ( 2005 ) The Lawnmower Man The Lawnmower Man ( 1992 ) Beyond Cyberspace ( 1996 ) TV films, episodes, and miniseries `` Gramma '' ( 1986 ) `` Sorry, Right Number '' ( 1987 ) It ( 1990 ) The Tommyknockers ( 1993 ) The Stand ( 1994 ) The Langoliers ( 1995 ) The Shining ( 1997 ) Quicksilver Highway ( 1997 ) `` The Revelations of Becka Paulson '' ( 1997 ) Storm of the Century ( 1999 ) Stephen King 's Desperation ( 2006 ) Nightmares & Dreamscapes : From the Stories of Stephen King ( 2006 ) Bag of Bones ( 2011 ) Big Driver ( 2014 ) Salem 's Lot Salem 's Lot ( 1979 ) A Return to Salem 's Lot ( 1987 ) Salem 's Lot ( 2004 ) Sometimes They Come Back Sometimes They Come Back ( 1991 ) Sometimes They Come Back... Again ( 1996 ) Sometimes They Come Back... for More ( 1998 ) Rose Red Rose Red ( 2002 ) The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer ( 2003 ) TV series Golden Years ( 1991 ) The Dead Zone ( 2002 -- 2007 ) Kingdom Hospital ( 2004 ) Haven ( 2010 -- 2015 ) Under the Dome ( 2013 -- 2015 ) 11.22. 63 ( 2016 ) The Mist ( 2017 -- present ) Mr. Mercedes ( 2017 ) Castle Rock ( TBA ) Book John Carpenter Filmography Directed Captain Voyeur ( 1969, short ) Dark Star ( 1974 ) Assault on Precinct 13 ( 1976 ) Halloween ( 1978 ) Someone 's Watching Me ! ( 1978 ) Elvis ( 1979 ) The Fog ( 1980 ) Escape from New York ( 1981 ) The Thing ( 1982 ) Christine ( 1983 ) Starman ( 1984 ) Big Trouble in Little China ( 1986 ) Prince of Darkness ( 1987 ) They Live ( 1988 ) Memoirs of an Invisible Man ( 1992 ) Body Bags ( 1993 ) In the Mouth of Madness ( 1995 ) Village of the Damned ( 1995 ) Escape from L.A. ( 1996 ) Vampires ( 1998 ) Ghosts of Mars ( 2001 ) John Carpenter 's Cigarette Burns ( TV, 2005 ) Pro-Life ( TV, 2006 ) The Ward ( 2010 ) Written and produced Halloween II ( 1981 ) Written only The Resurrection of Broncho Billy ( 1970, short ) Eyes of Laura Mars ( 1978 ) Black Moon Rising ( 1986 ) Produced only Halloween III : Season of the Witch ( 1982 ) Vampires : Los Muertos ( 2002 ) Discography Studio albums Lost Themes ( 2015 ) Lost Themes II ( 2016 ) Anthology : Movie Themes 1974 - 1998 ( 2017 ) Remix albums Lost Themes Remixed ( 2015 ) EPs Classic Themes Redux EP ( 2016 ) Scores and soundtracks Halloween ( 1979 ) Dark Star ( 1980 ) Escape from New York ( 1981 ) Halloween II ( 1981 ) Halloween III : Season of the Witch ( 1982 ) The Fog ( 1984 ) Big Trouble in Little China ( 1986 ) Prince of Darkness ( 1987 ) They Live ( 1988 ) Christine ( 1989 ) Body Bags ( 1993 ) In the Mouth of Madness ( 1995 ) Village of the Damned ( 1995 ) Escape from L.A. ( 1996 ) Vampires ( 1998 ) Ghosts of Mars ( 2001 ) Assault on Precinct 13 ( 2003 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christine_(1983_film)&oldid=800572791 '' Categories : 1983 films English - language films 1983 horror films 1980s thriller films 1980s mystery films 1980s romance films 1980s teen horror films American teen films American films American horror films American thriller films American mystery films American teen romance films American teen horror films Romantic thriller films Romantic horror films Films based on American horror novels Films based on works by Stephen King Films based on urban legends Films about automobiles Films set in 1957 Films set in 1978 Films set in California Films set in Detroit Films shot in Los Angeles Columbia Pictures films Film scores by John Carpenter Films directed by John Carpenter Phantom vehicles Hidden categories : Wikipedia introduction cleanup from July 2016 All pages needing cleanup Articles covered by WikiProject Wikify from July 2016 All articles covered by WikiProject Wikify Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Беларуская Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Ελληνικά Emiliàn e rumagnòl Español Euskara فارسی Français Italiano Lietuvių Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 14 September 2017, at 11 : 07. 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Question: how many cars were used to film christine
Answer: seventeen