Christine (1983)

"Carpenter's best since Halloween.  Time Magazine
"An exceptional moment in Carpenter's career...  Video Watchdog

Editor's Note Based on the best-selling Stephen King novel, CHRISTINE is a dark and violent film about the dangers of obsession. When a unpopular young man, Arnie (Keith Gordon), buys a vintage car to restore, it changes his life completely. The more he works on the car, which he names Christine, the more his personality changes. He becomes moody and dark, spending more and more time with the car and less and less with his friends. The friends become concerned as Arnie's passion for the automobile turns to extreme, and he becomes unstable. But the car has powers over the young man, and takes on a life of its own, becoming as obsessed with its new owner as he is of it. Their devotion to one another quickly becomes violent, and separating Arnie from the car is a deadly task for his friends. With CHRISTINE, director John Carpenter delivers a faithful adaptation of the book by Stephen King. One master of horror adapting another's work seems ideal, and the results are as powerful as expected. With Carpenter's ability to make the supernatural seem plausible, even commonplace, the film excels in evoking plenty of scares and nail biting from the audience.

	Alexandra Paul
	Christine Belford
	Harry Dean Stanton
	John Stockwell
	Keith Gordon
	Robert Prosky
	Bill Phillips - Screenplay
	John Carpenter - Director
	Kirby McCauley - Executive Producer
	Mark Tarlov - Executive Producer
	Stephen King - Based on Novel By

After a student purchases a 1958 Plymouth Fury, he discovers that the car possesses a number of unique features. Deep within it, the boy discovers, there lives an unholy presence. Director John Carpenter's film is based on Stephen King's bestseller.

"She's beautiful, isn't she? I love her. And she loves me."----Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon), about Christine, his car

Sight and Sound
"...The film is made with spectacular efficiency....CHRISTINE turns out to be full of Carpenter landmarks..." 03/01/1984 p.150

Variety
"...[The] flashy auto dominates everything, its jealousy is effectively, and sometimes humorously conveyed....Technically, the film is outstanding..." 12/07/1983

Uncut
"Herbie Goes Satanic in John Carpenter's adaptation of Stephen King's tale....The car's the star..." 04/01/2005 p.141