Christine

Plot synopsis:
It's 1958 in Detroit. We are inside a car factory where numerous Plymouth Fury's are being assembled. Among the rather plain-colored vehicles, one of them stands out: a bright-red one. During the process, this particular red car is being fussed about by one factory worker who has his hand injured when the vehicle's hood comes down on it. Another factory worker takes a seat inside the vehicle; he will be found dead afterwords.Present day, September 16, 1978 in Northern California. Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon) is a meek teenager who spends his weekends playing Scrabble with his parents (Christine Belford and Richard Darnell), who still treat him as a child. Arnie and his best friend Dennis Guilder (John Stockwell) are going to their school, as usual. Arnie is clumsy, and his black-rimmed glasses characterize him as being nerdy. Dennis is a football player, who still befriends Arnie and tries to stand up for him.During shop class, Arnie is bullied by several students led by Buddy Repperton (William Ostrander). Dennis tries to stop the bullies, but he can't be all the time checking on weak Arnie. Today, Buddy stamps on Arnie's sack-lunch and also breaks his glasses. When both Arnie and Dennis tell the shop teacher that Buddy had a switchblade in his possession when he teased Arnie, it looks that the only consequence will be bad for Arnie, as Boddy announces he will take his own back pretty soon.Arnie and Dennis start their way back to their homes. Arnie notices a used Plymouth Fury with a placard announcing "SOLD". Supposedly, this is the same vehicle that we saw on the Detroit assembly line... only now it's dirty, gritty, broken, with pieces peeling off or falling apart. In spite of everything, Arnie falls in love with this car. He immediately wants to buy it. The owner, George LeBay, tells the story of the car: he inherited it from his dead brother, Roland. The current owner also tells Arnie that the car has a name: Christine.Arnie drives Dennis home in his new car. Once at home, Arnie's overprotective parents angrily start pestering him for having spent his money on a car without consulting them, and especially one in Christine's wrecked condition. Arnie angrily shouts back that throughout his life, they haven't allowed him to have something he truly wants, and that he is dead-set on keeping Christine. However, his parents refuse to have it parked in their driveway. Arnie decides to take it to a local junkyard garage run by an irritable middle-aged man named Will Darnell (Robert Prosky) for storage.Over the next several weeks, Arnie begins working on Christine whenever he has a bit of free time after school. He also starts to help Mr. Darnell around his garage. This was the first time when Arnie stood up to his parents. However, it's not only about being against parental control. Dennis also notices a subtle change in Arnie, as he seems to be more assertive. Weirdly enough, Arnie has stopped using his eye glasses.During a football game, Dennis is shocked to see Arnie arrive in Christine, now fully-restored into a shining beautiful red car, but also along for the ride is the new student, Leigh Cabot (Alexandra Paul). The sight of the two of them together causes Dennis to make a mistake on the field as he's tackled hard. This puts an end to Dennis' football career - and to his ambitions for the future-, so he ends up recuperating in hospital, surrounded by medical paraphernalia.Meanwhile, Arnie continues to date Leigh. One night, he takes her to see a film at the drive-in; and there, Leigh confesses to Arnie that she thinks he's moving too fast in their relationship. She also claims she feels unsettled when she is around Christine. During the movie, one of Christine's windshield wipers becomes stuck, and Arnie gets out to fix it. As he does so, Leigh chokes on a hamburger and immediately, the door latches lock themselves! Arnie tries to get back into the car unsuccessfully. Basically, Leigh has to save herself when she manages to unlock the passenger door, and a nearby viewer who saw her struggling performs the Heimlich maneuver on her.Arnie then drives Leigh home. At her doorstep, she tells him that she won't go anywhere in Christine again. There are weird things about the car, she says, like when only old songs can be reached through the radio aerial, but none of the local radio stations can be heard. Arnie then returns Christine to Darnell's garage.After Arnie's departure, Buddy Repperton and his thugs arrive, and they proceed to systematically destroy the car. Arnie sees the wreck done to Christine the following day and is shocked that all the work he had put into restoring the car has evaporated.Arnie suspects that Leigh was somehow responsible for the wreck. He is getting into trouble as home as well, as his temper is radically changed. His parents notice the acute change in him and they comment that they want the old Arnie to come back. The long Scrabble nights are over, and Arnie has one big row with his father. But more and more, Arnie can only think of one matter: he wants to restore Christine to its full beauty again.Next day, first thing he does is going to the salvage garage to re-start work on Christine. Determined, he looks for his tools. Turning his back on Christine, he hears the crinkling of metal behind him. Arnie looks at Christine startled, and he realizes that, part of her engine is now repaired as if by magic. Arnie doesn't look startled anymore, and he encourages Christine to restore herself in front of him. The car flicks her headlights on, and obediently, there is suddenly mayhem: pieces are moving to their original position, the hood dusts itself off, the aerial strengthens up, buttons and seats start mending themselves and end up being shiny as brand new. The living malevolent car has the power to regenerate.A more-determined Arnie goes back to high school life. Nobody dares to touch him now. At night, Christine comes to life by herself and she seeks out and gruesomely kills each gang member who took part in destroying her. He runs after them. Eventually, Christine arrives at a gas station, spilling gasoline, setting it on fire so that the building becomes debris and ashes. Christine catches fire herself, but that doesn't stop her, as she still goes after Buddy. He tries to run away the scene, terrified because he has seen an unexplainable thing happened. The following morning, Chrisitne becomes the quiet, shiny, brand-new red car of the cover painting.Christine also kills grumply Will Darnell, by the slow method of crushing him in the front seat against the steering wheel. Christine has to deform herself in order to do this, but the following morning, she is in perfect condition.Some weeks later in December, Dennis catches Leigh in high school between classes and he talks to her about Arnie and his car. Dennis and Arnie are not best pals anymore, and Leigh had realised that, in spite of not having broken up verbally with Arnie, there is no place in his life for her. Holidays approach, and New Year's Eve is close. Dennis and Leigh talk about the supernatural element in Christine, knowing that they can only talk to each other about that, as nobody else would believe them. They know they will have to kill Christine.Dennis decides to call on his old buddy at his home, but Leigh advises him to take caution. After she leaves, it's Arnie who calls on Dennis instead. Arnie arrives in Christine and invites Dennis over. Arnie drives Dennis to the former's. Dennis realises about Arnie's dazzled eyes, even before Arnie starts doing things he would have never done before, during his nerd phase: he drinks beer in Homer Simpson-quantities, he terrorizes other drivers and even copies the "without-hands" motorbike stunt. Dennis watches how Christine's mile counter moves backwards, having less miles instead of more. Arnie tires to explain to Dennis how wonderful, strong and fulfilled he feels when he is driving Christine; Arnie's words increasingly become those of a starry-eyed lover.When Dennis leaves Christine, he is more unsettled than ever. Dennis is determined that the nightmare has to stop. He thinks that killing Christine is the only way of returning Arnie to normal. Dennis and Leigh may be having a thing going on between them, but it also may be that each one is the only safe rock of the other. They are worried about Arnie, especially Dennis, who really misses his best friend. Next morning, Dennis goes to the school parking lot and scratches "Darnell's Tonight" into Christine's hood, and drives off with Leigh. They go to Darnell's scrapyard and they wait for Arnie and Christine inside a bulldozer. Night falls down, and Dennis devises a plan. He tells Leigh to wait in the office. The plan is that she will shut door on Christine after her arrival, trapping the vehicle inside the office.Leigh leaves to do so. While she is on her way there, the car's lights suddenly break the night: she was hiding under a pile of garbage. Christine drives towards Leigh trying to run over her, but crashes on to one of the office walls instead. Arnie gets ejected through Christine's windshield and is impaled on a shard of glass, fatally wounding him. Arnie is bloodied, but in his last breath, he just caresses Christine's front bumper for the last time. In his own way, he dies happy.Enraged, Christine attacks Leigh once again. Dennis drives the bulldozer and he fights Christine, who is playing  Pledging My Love  at top volume on her radio. Christine is still set on dealing with Leigh first, so she approaches her top speed to run over her. However, Dennis drives the bulldozer up on to the car's back, stopping her and crashing her. Leigh climbs in to the cab of the bulldozer and embraces Dennis. Meanwhile, Christine returns back to life and begins to heal herself over again. So, Dennis has to drive the bulldozer over Christine, crashing her onto a thin layer of metal and glass materials, until her headlights flicker and then go out for good. Dennis compacts the red car onto a cube.The ordeal is over.However, later on, within that scrape-yard cube, a metallic stick starts to slowly move and straighten up...

Tags: gothic, paranormal, cult, revenge, horror, violence, good versus evil, suspenseful

Review:
Ah, do I remember the day that I saw Christine, which is disturbing since I was only 6 years old, but my sister said "Do you wanna watch Christine?" and I was confused, my name is Kristine, but she told me about this little horror movie and thanks to her I couldn't go near our family car for a few months.
Christine is the car that you definitely don't wanna mess with, otherwise you may have to face those bright lights and loud rock and roll music, what happens next, you may not wanna know.Arnie Cunningham, a typical high school nerd with only one friend, a childhood companion named Dennis Guilder, a popular jock.
I don't know if anyone has mentioned this before, but the 50s music was interesting in that most of it came from artists who suffered untimely, tragic deaths....Buddy Holly and Richie Valens of course were killed in a plane crash at the height of their careers...Johnny Ace ("Pledging My Love") died playing Russian Roulette with a pistol....Larry Williams ("Bony Maronie") was killed in 1980 by a gunshot wound to the head; he had been involved with drug dealing for years and it was thought to be a gang execution....I think Dion was still alive at the time this movie was made("I Wonder Why"); I'm not sure about the rest of the Belmonts.....
Well such is a case in point when it comes to John Carpenter's "Christine" Now as a rule, and a longstanding one at that, I could never read a Stephen King novel but i could always find time to watch an adaptation of the same, if and when it either came to video as was the thing before the wonders of DVD or if it arrived at the local cinema.My personal highlights from the Stephen King Oeuvre are "Silver Bullet" if only to see the likes of Gary Busey and Everitt McGill ham it up beyond the call of duty.
A wonderful array of golden oldie classics playing throughout the movie itself, a truly wonderful script written by Bill Phillips, containing many a gem which still lingers in the mind even to this day.Which leads me finally to the actors, casting down to a tee, and as i said ably assisted by a good script, well drawn characters, of course from the mind of Stephen King, but brought to vivid life by the likes of Robert Prosky who appears as the junkyard owner Will Darnell, a true standout in the whole movie.
We begin in prologue fashion, as we see upon fade in, superimposed, the year is 1957, We see a car assembly line, all the new cars are being overseen and given the once over by the foreman, from a distance we get our first glance of how beautiful and intoxicating "Christine" the car is to look at.Of course that illusion is soon shattered when firstly a foreman shatters his hand, then one of the workers decides to take a little rest and relaxation in the front seat, all the while smoking his cigar, when ash from the cigar drops onto the plastic covering, so it begins, and the true nature of "Christine is revealed.Flash forward to present day and we see Arnie Cunningham the nerdish lead character played with aplomb by Keith Gordon, who would later go on to direct the really excellent "The Chocolate War" as well as many more.
However when it comes to acting, Keith Gordon would never better what he had done prior to this or even after.We have all at one point, either been or have known someone like Arnie Cunningham, perennial book worm, not exactly a ladies man, but when he catches first glimpse of the wreck that will forever alter his very being, It is at that point we see that compulsion leads to obsession when Arnie falls under the spell of that 1958 Plymouth Fury.Watch as Arnie emerges from his shell, argues with his parents, something that he would never have done or even finds his first and last girlfriend.
All this achieved upon the influence and presence of what would appear to be a car, but for teenager Arnie, it represents his first steps towards independence, but underneath the surface of it all we already know the motive and inevitable end.With wonderful turns by William Ostrader as chief bully Buddy Reperton and Malcolm Danare as Moochie, along with John Stockwell as Arnie's only friend Dennis and Alexandra Paul long before she donned the lifeguard bikini for Baywatch as Arnie's suffering girlfriend Lee.Watch and be amazed, time has not taken it's toll on John Carpenter's finest hour..
There are no words that can truly describe the power and passion of Christine.Anyone who owns an older car will be able to associate with the obsession that takes over nerdish Arnie's life when he restores Christine, the beautiful Plymouth Fury.John Carpenter's excellent directing brings the car to life to such a point where as you're watching, you become so entranced that you forget she isn't alive.The actors are well chosen for the roles they play, and give excellent performances.
Christine is far from the best novels of King, especially this creepy dead former owner, sitting on the backseats, and teasing Arnie.Carpenter chose not to put this character into the movie.
No, I didn't like any of the kids in this film (high schoolers who all look 30 years old!) and the language is a little too rough in spots, but that can be filtered out.The car, the '50s music, the unique story, the satisfying revenge angle all make this very watchable..
In retrospect, some of the absurd plot elements ("a haunted car," as Carpenter constantly reiterates) lends the film an odd humor that doesn't detract from things (and indeed, it was Stephen King's own infatuation with cars and rock music that inspired this story of obsession).
The excellent cast gives their all in making a potential B-movie premise glow with A-list polish: Keith Gordon's Arnie (the painfully square high-school senior who buys the titular vehicle), John Stockwell's Dennis (the resourceful jock and best friend), Alexandra Paul's Leigh (the earthy girlfriend who sparks Christine's jealousy), and Harry Dean Stanton's Junkins (the snooping P.I.) provide this tale with a lot of propulsive force.
Twenty-one years later, the outcast and bullied nerd Arnold "Arnie" Cunningham (Keith Gordon) is getting a ride with his best and only friend Dennis Guilder (John Stockwell) and he sees the wrecked car in a junkyard.
There arn't too many bad Carpenter movies.Stephen King has a lot of good stories that are just messed up when they are made into films, but not Christine.
The characters in this film starting with the dorky Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon) who transforms into a super cool dude strangely just like his beat up old car Christine does.So the new and cool dressed Arnie with his super cool car Christine drive around town with the prettiest girl in school Leigh Cabot, (Alexandra Paul) as his eye candy.
As Arnie transforms from the geeky high school kid into Mr. Cool whose only friend seems to be a jock named Dennis Guilder (John Stockwell) Arnie loses touch with his own reality and is blind to the fact that his souped up Christine seems to be possessed with a mind all of its own.My wife Ms. Shullivan is not a fan of horror/science fiction films but even she put her book down as the films content has a little bit of everything for everyone to draw the film goer into.
The clue might be in the choice of music though, the sound of "Bad to the Bone" has the same effect as "Born to Be Wild" in "Easy Rider", we get the point about Christine, she's like a 'mechanical' Jessica Rabbit who was 'assembled that way'.Then we get to 1978 where we meet Arnie, the nerdy kid bullied at school, tormented by bossy parents and best friend with school's jock Dennis (John Stockwell).
And the immersion in Arnie's not-so-quiet suburban life shows how high Carpenter is aiming in spite of the critical failure of his previous movie "The Thing", "Christine" doesn't try to be the spiritual successor of "Friday the 13th" but "Carrie" as it takes time to let Arnie grow on us, as a poor bird trapped in the cage of a pampered education, whose seeming insecurity hides a good sense of humor and the repartee of a young Woody Allen, if only self-pity hadn't trapped his persona and made him the target of brutal physical bullying.Yes, there's some déjà vu with the scenes involving Buddy and his gang but it all sets up that crucial moment when Arnie meets Christine (sounds like some cute rom-com, does it?).
Interestingly, instead of showing Arnie's metamorphosis, Carpenter changes the flow of the narrative and starts focusing of his friend.We see Dennis attempting (and failing) to get a date with the new girl in school, Leigh, played by Alexandra Paul who has the homely concealed sexiness of a then-Katie Holmes.
Sure some killings get rather predictable but they're done with a sense of evil glamour as Christine gets more and more prevalent as a character, with her headlights of doom and the way she use Rock as subliminal messages, even when she's almost defeated, her "Rock and Roll is here to stay" sounds like her saying "I ain't dead yet, suckers!".The film features many great oldies' songs that work like a second language to the iconic vehicle but for all its great special effects and suspenseful scenes, I've got to say that the performance of Gordon, turning slowly into a ghoulish loner is one of the best things about "Christine".
He embodies the way isolation can push any weak soul to make a deal with the Devil, the film could have been called "Christine and Arnie" and be labeled as a romance to hell.Watching again, it plunged me back to my memories 25 years ago when I first saw I and hid my head under the blanket during some scary scenes, and from that night, whenever someone told me he hated Rock and Roll, you know which movie moment instantly popped in my head..
Introducing its sinister intentions within the opening scene, keeping its ominous vibe alive for the entirety of its runtime, and unleashing absolute terror when the occasion calls for it, Christine is a masterly directed horror from John Carpenter that makes excellent use of genre elements to build suspense, and is far more engaging & nail-biting than it looks.Based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, the story of Christine centres on a vintage 1957 Plymouth Fury with a mind of its own that's found in a used, battered & dilapidated condition by an awkward, introverted & nerdy teenager who eventually buys it.
As he spends more time at the local garage, repairing his car all by himself, his whole personality begins to change.Directed by John Carpenter, the evil nature of the automobile is established in the opening scene only after which the story jumps 20 years ahead where the main plot surfaces.
Carpenter also contributes with a thrilling score which, along with incorporated songs, infuses flavours of its own.Coming to the performances, the cast consists of Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Robert Prosky & Harry Dean Stanton, and they all chip in with wonderful inputs.
Stockwell is in as his best friend & provides good support, Prosky almost steals all his moments, while Paul ably plays her part.On an overall scale, Christine is a welcome entry in the killer car subgenre of horror, and is another impressive yet under-appreciated gem from John Carpenter that, just like most of his films, enjoys a cult classic status today.
When I was looking for a horror movie I saw this and read the back,the plot was O.K. so I rented.And the minute I stared seeing it to end, I have one word for this movie and its Wow.This movie kicked ass,once again two greatest horror people of all time making a good horror movie wrapped up in Christine.John Carpenter and Stephen King made another worthwhile movie to see,even not the killing parts.This had plenty of great acting and action,good suspense with the creepy song,and excellent killing on the bullies.This is almost like a similar story to Carrie,only this had more Action.They out did themselves with this movie,they were more popular+this movie scared the the s**t out of me when I saw and effects when it rebuild itself would recommend you to watch this movie before they will run out of Chistine DVD's and VHS's..
also what brings the movie closer to heart is the buying or obtaining an old junk ,,and personally fixing or restoring it,,many of us had tried it and failed but the dream is there,,and last i do know many guys that would put there car before there girlfriends,,its those reality's that make this film so entertaining,, A great movie with a good storyline.
A great mixture of excellent direction,great characters,atmosphere and a wonderful Rock N'Roll soundtrack,Christine is Carpenter and King at their best,one of the best Stephen King adaptations and one of the best Horror films of the 80s.Based on Stephen King's novel of the same name,Christine tells the story of a nerdy teen named Arnie Cunningham(Keith Gordon)who discovers a 1957 Red Plymouth named Christine and falls in love.
Now,it's up to Dennis and Arnie's girlfriend Leigh(Alexandra Paul)to stop Christine and save Arnie before it's too late.Christine is an excellent Horror film because this film takes the concept of haunted car and makes it truly creepy and the film works because of the story,characters,suspense and atmosphere.
While some people wouldn't find the idea of a haunted scary,Carpenter takes Stephen King's story and makes it frightening and believable where you feel like something in Christine can happen in the real world and that you're not safe or secure,where you feel like any character isn't safe from Christine's wrath,rage or fury.
Great soundtrack.In final word,if you love John Carpenter,Stephen King,Horror films or movies about cars I suggest you see Christine,an underrated Horror classic that is among John Carpenter and Stephen King's best.
Christine (1983) *** 1/2 (out of 4) John Carpenter's adaptation of the Stephen King best seller about high school loser Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon) who buys a 1957 Plymouth and soon his obsession leads to the car's possession of him.
Yes, the film's not really "scary" but at the same time I think it's one of the better possession movies out there and I think the film does a terrific job not only in the horror elements but it also works as a coming of age story because I'm sure most people can connect with either Arnie or those around him who see their friend falling apart due to an obsession.
He evolved and did some very creative directing, as well.In "Christine" he works seamlessly with Alexandra Paul, John Stockwell, and Harry Dean Stanton.The music selected for this film is perfect!In fact, as movies go, it's hard to find anything wrong with this one.If you like horror films, Keith Gordon, or just an evening of movie fun...watch "Christine"..
The film is visually impressive as per director John Carpenter norm with lots of mobile camera-work, and Keith Gordon is excellent as the new car owner who gradually transforms from poorly dressed, mild- mannered and reserved to slick, cocky and arrogant.
One of the most intriguing coming-of-age stories in cinema, and this tends to be overlooked, both as a Stephen King story and horror film, in place of the more sensationalized frolic and mayhem of works such as 'The Shining', 'Carrie', 'Misery' and 'The Shawshank Redemption', which is a crying shame, because: a) John Carpenter is probably the finest director (at least Top 3) ever involved with King adaptations; and b) it perfectly conceptualizes, like earlier short experimental films by the likes of Kenneth Anger, the downright uncomfortable sleaziness and fetishism that has existed, mainly in America, between men and their cars.Keith Gordon does some really fine acting here (as he did previously for Brian De Palma in 'Dressed to Kill') as all possible dynamics along the range from nerd to psycho.
Put upon high school student Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon, in his first feature film lead role) is dominated by his parents, and has basically one friend in the world, level headed jock Dennis Guilder (John Stockwell).
Based on Stephen King's novel, "Christine" has a high school nerd, Arnie (Keith Gordon) buying a rundown 1958 Plymouth Fury with a morbid past.
His friend, the popular Dennis (John Stockwell) begins to notice personality changes in Arnie, mainly centered around his obsession with his new car, which is called Christine.
After some local bullies trash the refurbished Fury, it's not long before Christine takes revenge.What is an ostensibly ridiculous story (a killer car, yeah, I know how it sounds) works for two reasons here: first, the source novel by King is very well-written; and second, because we have John Carpenter at the helm of the film, steering corner after corner with remarkable finesse.
John Carpenter's excellent adaptation of Stephen King's novel about a nerdy teenager (Keith Gordon) who buys a ragged old '58 Plymouth named Christine and immediately falls in love with it.
It's an obsession that turns the nerd into a confident bad boy.For a movie by director John Carpenter and from a Stephen King, I expect lots of blood, deaths, and mayhem.
Adapted from Stephen King's chilling novel, "Christine" is master of suspense Carpenter's definitive vision of teenage autocidal lust and anguish that's thankfully devoid of immature teen comedy theatrics.The film begins typically enough: set on the first day of the new school year in the picturesque suburb of Rockridge, California in 1978, we're introduced to amiable geek Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon) and his one and only friend, jock Dennis (John Stockwell).
Deathride, or How I Loved a Car. If you don't like John Carpenter or Stephen King, then don't rent the movie.