Christine (1983)
“How do you kill something that can’t possibly be alive?” was the tagline emblazoned across the promotional poster for this horror film – directed by John Carpenter, and written by Bill Phillips – and it was a question that heralded a story that was a notable milestone for both the novelist, and the filmmakers eager for his work. Christine was King’s 13th published story, but marked the first time that Hollywood snapped up the manuscript before it could hit the bookstores. Consequently, the adaptation was released within the same year as the novel was published.
Set in 1978, and starring Keith Gordon, John Stockwelll, Alexandra Paul, Robert Prosky, and Harry Dean Stanton, Christine is something of a departure for King in terms of storytelling – this time projecting ‘supernatural’ powers onto an object, rather than a person. Here, the object in question is a red and white 1958 Plymouth Fury named Christine, that’s snapped up and restored by awkward and unpopular teenager Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon).
As he works on the car, Arnie begins to change – adopting a more obnoxious attitude, and turning into a ‘greaser’ of a similar nature to those that have bullied him in the past. Concerned about their friend, Dennis (John Stockwell) and Leigh (Alexandra Paul) investigate the origins of Christine and discover that the previous owner was obsessed with the car, and killed himself in it. The local bullies vandalize Christine, and Arnie sees it fix and restore itself. He then encourages the car to show him what it can do, and it sets out to hunt down the bullies – killing them off, one by one. It’s left to Dennis and Leigh to figure out a way to finally kill Christine in an attempt to end his bond with the homicidal car.
Christine is a fascinating story which – in true Stephen King fashion – serves dual purposes. Firstly, it speaks to the youthful obsession with motor vehicles, and the accumulation of wealth and objects in general as a way to increase social standing. Secondly, by projecting his familiar ‘supernatural powers’ onto an otherwise inanimate object, the tale explores the nature of addiction and, most specifically, the way in which such a condition causes harm to others, though the addict does not truly feel in control. In the story, the killer car is the metaphor for the addiction itself, while Arnie is the addict. He’s shown to be behind the wheel of the car, but the car essentially has demonic mind of its own.
In terms of horror movies, though, John Carpenter delivers a classic here – taking this tale of obsession and addiction, and squeezing it through a grinder of relentless pursuit. There’s a menacing inevitability to the 1958 Plymouth Fury, as it persists in tracking down those Arnie’s bullies – somewhat reminiscent of James Cameron’s Terminator in the sense of claustrophobia it generates. While Bill Phillips’ script makes some changes to the source material, the end result is most certainly a genre classic.
